Art Blocks Acquires NFT Marketplace Sansa

"“I have been wanting to see Art Blocks lean into the breadth of what has been released on the platform for a long time," Art Blocks founder and CEO Erick Calderon said in a statement accompanying the announcement. "We're going to broaden the ways that creators can release within the Art Blocks ecosystem as well as bring collector’s collections home to a more cohesive experience."

He added that, "We were born out of a pure passion for the generative medium and we will continue to build out towards the best possible creator and collector experience we can think of with a bright future for individual expression in mind."

Founded in November 2022 with a focus on generative art and Art Blocks, Sansa has expanded its remit to cover a wide range of digital art, artists and galleries. Artists are vetted through an application process, enabling collectors to view a curated selection of artwork. Since its launch, over 1,300 artworks have been purchased on the platform, with sales totalling over $2.2 million.

Art Blocks is a generative art company founded by Erick 'Snowfro' Calderon in 2020, aimed at providing a destination that brings together artists and collectors. Leading $NFT art projects within the Art Blocks ecosystem include Calderon’s own “Chromie Squiggles” along with Tyler Hobbs’ “Fidenza” and Dmitri Cherniak’s “Ringers,” one of which sold for $6.2 million in an auction at Sotheby's last year.

In March 2023, Art Blocks debuted its own $NFT marketplace with enforced creator royalties; its acquisition of Sansa is the first of many updates teased by the company in 2024.