SuperRare is a highly curated digital art marketplace founded in 2018, focusing on on-chain art. It empowers artists by providing a platform to showcase and sell exclusive, high-quality digital art. The marketplace is built on the Ethereum blockchain and uses the RARE token for governance and transactions. Over its history, SuperRare has facilitated over $300 million in total sales, with $180 million earned directly by artists.
SuperRare operates on the Ethereum blockchain, using the ERC-721 standard for non-fungible tokens (NFTs). This allows artists to mint unique digital artworks that can be transacted securely and verifiably. The platform uses smart contracts to automate transactions and royalty payments, ensuring artists receive a percentage from secondary market sales. With the transition to Ethereum's Proof of Stake consensus, SuperRare benefits from increased scalability and reduced energy consumption.
SuperRare's potential use cases lie primarily in digital art marketplaces and NFT trading. The RARE token is crucial for governance, enabling holders to vote on platform proposals within the SuperRare DAO. It also facilitates curation processes and manages Spaces within the platform, providing community-driven involvement in artist selection and exhibition curation. RARE tokens are also used for platform payments and rewarding users, enhancing artist discovery and decentralization in the art market.
SuperRare was founded in 2018 by John Crain, Jonathan Perkins, and Charles Crain. It began as an innovative platform focusing on unique digital art, initially allowing multiple editions before shifting to singular 1/1 artworks to boost scarcity. Major milestones include its DAO transition in 2021, accompanied by the launch of the governance token RARE. The platform has grown significantly, marked by high-profile sales and the introduction of SuperRare Spaces for curated art galleries. This evolution reflects SuperRare's commitment to supporting artists through decentralised technology and perpetual royalties.