Professional Overview
Nanne Dekking is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Artory Inc. (New York) and Artory GmbH (Berlin), a pioneering platform in the art market specializing in blockchain-secured registration and physical artwork tokenization. With over 25 years of global expertise and influence in the art market, Dekking has established himself as a leading figure in integrating technology with art provenance and market transparency.
Artory is recognized as a world leader in the blockchain-enabled documentation of validated provenance information about artworks and collectibles, significantly enhancing transparency and trust in a traditionally opaque art marketplace.
Career History & Key Roles
- Founder & CEO, Artory (Since 2016): Dekking launched Artory to create the first standardized digital registry for the art market, enabling public access to trusted provenance and transactional data previously guarded closely by dealers, museums, and auction houses. Artory’s core technology involves:
- Collecting transaction records and provenance data from museums, galleries, art fairs, and auction houses.
- Hashing and encrypting these records before immutably storing them on the blockchain, ensuring data timestamping, security, and tamper-proofing.
- Notably, Artory does not issue cryptocurrencies and focuses solely on reliability and authenticity in provenance.
- Vice Chairman & Worldwide Head of Private Sales, Sotheby’s New York: Prior to Artory, Dekking held a senior executive role at Sotheby’s, leading global private sales and developing close relationships with collectors and museums across North America, Asia, and Europe. He was instrumental in growing Sotheby’s private sales division.
- Vice President, Wildenstein & Co.: Served in a significant leadership capacity, advising high-net-worth individuals, museums, and foundations on art collection formation and development.
- Founder & Principal, Nanne Dekking Fine Arts (1996–2001): Operated an art consultancy firm and gallery based in New York, providing advisory on art acquisitions and collections.
- Chairman of the Board of Trustees, The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) (until June 2020): Led TEFAF, recognized as a premier international art fair. During his tenure, he implemented critical reforms to increase impartiality and transparency, such as excluding dealers from the fair’s vetting committee in favor of independent scholars and museum professionals.
- Current Advisory Board Member, Responsible Art Market Initiative: Provides ongoing guidance aimed at enhancing ethical standards and accountability within the art trade.
Education
- Doctorate in Art History and Architecture, University of Amsterdam (1987): His academic background underpins his extensive expertise in art historical research and market practices.
Expertise and Thought Leadership
- Dekking is an art historian and entrepreneur focused on the intersection of art, technology, and market transparency.
- He is frequently cited and contributes to major publications including Bloomberg and The Financial Times, offering insights into the art market dynamics, blockchain applications, and the future of art provenance traceability.
- He has been featured in industry-specific and business media such as Observer, Forbes, and ARTnews for his disruptive approach to traditional art market structures.
- Dekking acts as a credible bridge between the tech and art communities, leveraging his deep dealer relationships to facilitate adoption of blockchain technology within conservative market segments.
Strategic Partnerships & Funding
- The early-stage development of Artory benefited from investment by Hasso Plattner, founder of SAP, who served as an angel investor. Plattner’s engagement lent both credibility and access to advanced technological resources, with Artory establishing tech teams in Berlin (linked to the Hasso Plattner Institute), New York, and Bangkok.
- Artory acquired Auction Club, a public auction sales data company, expanding its data repository.
- In 2019, Artory raised $7.3 million in Series A funding, underpinning its growth and innovation trajectory.
Market Position & Industry Impact
- Artory addresses a market challenge whereby art buyers lack accessible and reliable provenance data, fostering inefficiencies and a trust gap traditionally upheld by exclusivity in information sharing.
- The global art market is estimated at approximately $60 billion annually in auctions and private sales. Artory's platform aims to broaden market participation by offering open and verifiable data access that appeals especially to younger, digitally native collectors.
- Dekking’s leadership at TEFAF and Artory aligns with a broader industry movement toward greater transparency, accountability, and integrity through technology, potentially redefining art investment and collection management.
- By enabling independent vetting and immutable record-keeping, Dekking has helped shift art sales from a "trust-based" to an evidence-based paradigm.
Recent Developments
- In 2024, Artory merged with Winston Art Group, a leader in art valuation and marketplace services, aiming to target a $15 billion valuation market in art assets.
- Dekking continues to be active in public discourse regarding blockchain’s role in art, participating in symposiums and forums on provenance, tokenization, and anti-fraud practices.
- Artory is a primary data supplier for the Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report, evidencing its authoritative position in art market analytics.
Summary:
Nanne Dekking is a seasoned art market executive and visionary founder who leverages his rich background in art history, private sales, and consultancy to champion transparency and technological innovation. His strategic integration of blockchain technology through Artory provides the art market with a robust, secure, and accessible registry for artwork provenance, which positions the company as a critical enabler of trust and market expansion. His deep-rooted connections across auction houses, museums, and collectors secure strong industry alliances, facilitating widespread adoption of Artory’s platform in a traditionally insular sector.
