The Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) announces the acquisition of Abyssinian Queen by Yatreda ያጥሬዳ, the first work purchased by the museum in cryptocurrency. The work was purchased using a USD-stable coin called USDC, and the transfer will be made on the Ethereum blockchain. This acquisition marks the first time a major cultural institution has utilized cryptocurrency to purchase work for its collection. Abyssinian Queen is a unique, 1-of-1 NFT created from a single-channel video. The work is part of a series of four NFTs also titled “Abyssinian Queen,” recently on view in the House of Yatreda immersive installation within TMA’s Ethiopia at the Crossroads exhibition. The exhibition closed on November 10. Another work from the series, The Queen’s Guard, 2024, will be sold by Christie’s as part of the fall Christie’s 3.0 digital art sale, taking place online from December 4 through 17, 2024.
This acquisition will diversify TMA’s growing digital art collection as it is the museum's first purchase of a work by Yatreda ያጥሬዳ, the digital artist collective based between Ethiopia, Kenya, and the United States, and TMA Labs’ 2024 Digital Artist in Residence. TMA also plans to acquire a digital artwork by Toledo-based Jordan Buschur, TMA Lab’s 2024 Community Digital Artist in Residence. Buschur and Yatreda ያጥሬዳ worked alongside one another throughout the residency, and their works will join TMA’s collection of works by 2023 Digital Artists in Residence Osinachi and Yusuf Lateef.
“Abyssinian Queen is a welcome addition to our growing digital art collection,” said Adam Levine, Edward Drummond and Florence Scott Libbey President, Director and CEO of the Toledo Museum of Art. “The work connects with our historic holdings in meaningful ways while also contributing to our ongoing efforts to support the evolving digital arts ecosystem. When we buy a new artwork from a French gallery, we pay in euros; when we buy from an English auction house, we pay in pounds. In this case, we are purchasing from the web3 artist collective Yatreda ያጥሬዳ, so it only made sense to try to transact in their preferred currency.”
Abyssinian Queen pays homage to the legendary queens of ancient Ethiopia, vividly bringing to life the rich history and folklore passed down through generations as cultural memory, now preserved in perpetuity on the blockchain. In Yatreda’s signature slow-motion, black-and-white format, the artwork showcases the queen journeying across ancient Ethiopia, carried and escorted by her devoted attendants. Vigilant guards stand watch, protecting the queen and her entourage within the lush, ancient forest. Adorned in traditional jewelry that reflects her exalted status and impressive lineage, the queen sits aloft on a throne strewn with grass—a symbol of fertility and renewal. As she moves between lands and kingdoms, she enacts the careful diplomacy for which she is known, a measured display of leadership and grace.
The “Abyssinian Queen” series marks a new direction in Yatreda’s artistic practice. It moves away from recorded Ethiopian history and draws instead from Ethiopian cultural memory and the childhood imaginings of Kiya Tadele, founder and creative director of Yatreda ያጥሬዳ, and her sister, Roman Tadele. For Yatreda ያጥሬዳ, this turn towards the fantastical serves as a therapeutic counterbalance to the challenge of modernization, and blockchain ensures the lasting celebration and preservation of their Ethiopian heritage.
"We are deeply honored by the Toledo Museum of Art’s decision to welcome a Yatreda ያጥሬዳ artwork into their permanent collection—an artwork that remains pure to the collective memory of my family and my country,” said Tadele. “What makes this moment truly remarkable is the museum’s recognition that Ethiopian art is not simply a collection of ancient artifacts but a living narrative. By embracing the blockchain as a modern canvas for this evolving story, the TMA team is pioneering a bold direction for institutions worldwide. We are deeply grateful to walk together down this path with TMA."
Christie’s 3.0 is an on-chain auction platform dedicated to exceptional digital art. Participants will be able to bid on The Queen’s Guard, 2024, by Yatreda ያጥሬዳ and Linework, Shadow Play, 2024, by Jordan Buschur when the sale goes live on December 4th on nft.christies.com. All bids on Christie’s 3.0 are placed in cryptocurrency and bidders can connect their digital art wallets with the platform directly.