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Christina
Steinbrecher-Pfandt
Serial entrepreneur in the tech and art space,
CEO of the Tech Diplomacy Network, former
Co-Founder and CEO of Blockchain.art, with more than 15 years’ experience building marketplaces
Christina
Steinbrecher-Pfandt
Serial entrepreneur
in the tech and art space,
CEO of the Tech Diplomacy
Network, former Co-Founder
and CEO of Blockchain.art,
with more than 15 years’
experience building
marketplaces
Christina
Steinbrecher-Pfandt
Serial entrepreneur in the tech and art space,
CEO of the Tech Diplomacy Network,
former Co-Founder and CEO of Blockchain.art,
with more than 15 years’ experience building
marketplaces
Christina
Steinbrecher-Pfandt
Serial entrepreneur in the tech and art space,
CEO of the Tech Diplomacy Network, former
Co-Founder and CEO of Blockchain.art,
with more than 15 years’ experience building
marketplaces
Christina Steinbrecher-Pfandt
Serial entrepreneur in the tech and art space, CEO of the Tech Diplomacy Network, former Co-Founder and CEO of Blockchain.art, with more than 15 years’ experience building marketplaces
About
About
Serial entrepreneur, CEO of the Tech Diplomacy Network, San Francisco

All diplomacy will soon be tech diplomacy.

"Over the years, as an NFT art entrepreneur, I cultivated a deep understanding of technology and its potential to transform lives. I engaged with diverse digital cultures, learning to respect and value the unique perspectives they bring to the global table. This experience not only enriched my understanding of technology's global impact but also inspired a profound respect for cultural diversity.

In my journey, I realized that technology is not just a tool; it's a global language that can foster dialogue, collaboration, and mutual understanding. This epiphany led me to explore the emerging field of tech diplomacy, which resonated deeply with my interests and values.

Becoming the CEO of the Tech Diplomacy Network was a logical progression. In this role, I could amalgamate my technical prowess, cultural understanding, and diplomatic acumen to facilitate critical conversations about technology's role in society.

Moreover, the emerging field of tech diplomacy needs leaders who can navigate the complexities of both technology and international relations. With my background and interests, I believe I can make a substantial contribution in this arena."

Co-founder and CEO, blockchain.art
2019-2023

Christina Steinbrecher-Pfandt was a pioneering figure in the NFT art ecosystem. As the co-founder and CEO of blockchain.art from 2019 to 2023, she spearheaded the creation of a marketplace tailored to intermediaries, such as galleries, museums, and dealers, as well as artists for the trade of NFTs. Her entrepreneurial journey spanned the full spectrum of the startup life cycle, encompassing ideation, strategic planning, product development, testing, and ultimately, successful launch and iteration.
Serial entrepreneur, CEO of the Tech Diplomacy Network, San Francisco

All diplomacy will soon be tech diplomacy.

"Over the years, as an NFT art entrepreneur, I cultivated a deep understanding of technology and its potential to transform lives. I engaged with diverse digital cultures, learning to respect and value the unique perspectives they bring to the global table. This experience not only enriched my understanding of technology's global impact but also inspired a profound respect for cultural diversity.

In my journey, I realized that technology is not just a tool; it's a global language that can foster dialogue, collaboration, and mutual understanding. This epiphany led me to explore the emerging field of tech diplomacy, which resonated deeply with my interests and values.

Becoming the CEO of the Tech Diplomacy Network was a logical progression. In this role, I could amalgamate my technical prowess, cultural understanding, and diplomatic acumen to facilitate critical conversations about technology's role in society.

Moreover, the emerging field of tech diplomacy needs leaders who can navigate the complexities of both technology and international relations. With my background and interests, I believe I can make a substantial contribution in this arena."
Press
Press
Blockchain.art seeks to provide a seamless and happy marriage for NFTs and the art world
Christina Steinbrecher-Pfandt

Why Vienna Is Cooler Than You Think: A Contemporary Art Guru’s Guide to the City

Vienna Looks East for Fine Art
Blockchain in Art

Building a Better Internet

Kein tag ohne kunst

Non-fungible tokens: Art in the digital market

Christina Steinbrecher-Pfandt expands the Austrian Art scene

Blockchain.art seeks to provide a seamless and happy marriage for NFTs and the art world
Christina Steinbrecher-Pfandt

Why Vienna Is Cooler Than You Think: A Contemporary Art Guru’s Guide to the City

Vienna Looks East for Fine Art
Blockchain in Art

Building a Better Internet

Kein tag ohne kunst

Non-fungible tokens: Art in the digital market

Christina Steinbrecher-Pfandt expands the Austrian Art scene

Writing
Writing
Ethics Recommendations Museums Can Implement Right Now
On NFT ecosystem:
A blockchain governed by the art industry
The NFT standard will be the primary protocol for transacting digital art 
Introducing Blockchain.art
What can museums do with NFTs?
Bio
Bio
Education
Education
09/2006–10/2007
Master of Science in Contemporary Art
Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Diploma by University of Manchester, UnitedKingdom
09/2003–07/2006
Bachelor of Science in International Business (2:1)
Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
Exchange semester at Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
06/2003 
German High School Diploma (Abitur)
Kaiserin Augusta Schule, Cologne, Germany
Christina Steinbrecher-Pfandt, serial entrepreneur in the tech and art space, CEO of the Tech Diplomacy Network, former Co-Founder and CEO of Blockchain.art, with more than 15 years’ experience building marketplaces. Prior to Blockchain.Art (BCA), Christina co-founded the art fair ViennaContemporary in 2015, raising over $12 million and quickly securing the fair’s position on the global art circuit as a top 10 leading contemporary art event. Prior to ViennaContemporary, Steinbrecher-Pfandt was the artistic director of Art Moscow, and curated projects with institutions including the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Palais de Tokyo in Paris,and the Moscow Biennial. Christina was named one of Apollo Magazine’s “40 Under 40 Europe 2018”; she currently sits on the boards of Armenia Art Foundation, Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art, Artbat Fest, and is an advisor to Ars Electronica.

Christina’s beginnings are humble. Originally from Taldykughan, Kazakhstan, Christina and her family emigrated in 1990 to Germany. They were part of an exodus of close to 2.4M ethnic Germans leaving the Soviet Union between 1989 and 1997 for Germany after the Kremlin accepted the German reunification. With Christina’s parents’ Soviet education not recognized in Germany, they were forced to turn to cleaning work and security labor to support their new life. From the age of 8, Christina worked with her mother cleaning homes and delivering newspapers; by 13, she was waitressing 30 hours a week in addition to her schooling.

Christina found refuge in art. From an early age, Christina learned to love art from afar, through images of international exhibitions in places she could only dream of visiting. The solace and education that Christina felt by consuming reproduced images of artworks left a lasting impression on Christina, one that would cause her to reject elitist theories about a supposedly irreplaceable “aura” that only brought magic to original works of art found in museums.

Christina saved and ultimately paid her way through graduate school studying contemporary art. And despite her privilege in being able to walk to the institutions that she formerly only admired in her uncle’s brochures, Christina has never lost her commitment to the idea that art can be democratized and appreciated, no matter where you are located.

Remembering, though, her experience as a girl in Kazakhstan, Christina returns to her belief that art can be democratized and appreciated even when art lovers are not privileged enough to physically visit the world’s leading museums or fairs. With BCA, Christina has realized her commitment to extend art’s reach.
Christina Steinbrecher-Pfandt, serial entrepreneur in the tech and art space, CEO of the Tech Diplomacy Network, former Co-Founder and CEO of Blockchain.art, with more than 15 years’ experience building marketplaces. Prior to Blockchain.Art (BCA), Christina co-founded the art fair ViennaContemporary in 2015, raising over $12 million and quickly securing the fair’s position on the global art circuit as a top 10 leading contemporary art event. Prior to ViennaContemporary, Steinbrecher-Pfandt was the artistic director of Art Moscow, and curated projects with institutions including the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Palais de Tokyo in Paris,and the Moscow Biennial. Christina was named one of Apollo Magazine’s “40 Under 40 Europe 2018”; she currently sits on the boards of Armenia Art Foundation, Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art, Artbat Fest, and is an advisor to Ars Electronica.

Christina’s beginnings are humble. Originally from Taldykughan, Kazakhstan, Christina and her family emigrated in 1990 to Germany. They were part of an exodus of close to 2.4M ethnic Germans leaving the Soviet Union between 1989 and 1997 for Germany after the Kremlin accepted the German reunification. With Christina’s parents’ Soviet education not recognized in Germany, they were forced to turn to cleaning work and security labor to support their new life. From the age of 8, Christina worked with her mother cleaning homes and delivering newspapers; by 13, she was waitressing 30 hours a week in addition to her schooling.

Christina found refuge in art. From an early age, Christina learned to love art from afar, through images of international exhibitions in places she could only dream of visiting. The solace and education that Christina felt by consuming reproduced images of artworks left a lasting impression on Christina, one that would cause her to reject elitist theories about a supposedly irreplaceable “aura” that only brought magic to original works of art found in museums.

Christina saved and ultimately paid her way through graduate school studying contemporary art. And despite her privilege in being able to walk to the institutions that she formerly only admired in her uncle’s brochures, Christina has never lost her commitment to the idea that art can be democratized and appreciated, no matter where you are located.

Remembering, though, her experience as a girl in Kazakhstan, Christina returns to her belief that art can be democratized and appreciated even when art lovers are not privileged enough to physically visit the world’s leading museums or fairs. With BCA, Christina has realized her commitment to extend art’s reach.
Interests
Interests
  • Cross-Country Skiing
  • Hiking
  • Designs own clothing
  • Cross-Country Skiing
  • Hiking
  • Designs own clothing
Career
Career
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship
05/2012–11/2018
Managing and Artistic Director
viennacontemporary, AKA viennafair, Vienna, Austria

  • Successful positioning and management of new international brand
  • Unique positioning in the international and local market
  • Successful sponsorship and partner acquisition
05/2012–11/2018
Managing and Artistic Director
viennacontemporary, AKA viennafair, Vienna, Austria
  • Successful positioning and management of new international brand
  • Unique positioning in the international and local market
  • Successful sponsorship and partner acquisition
Curation
Curation
2/2020 — 3/2021
Curator Hermitage Youth Library
Selection and curation of 3000 titles for the contemporary youth library of the Hermitage, in the areas of contemporary art, architecture, fashion and design.

2019/2020
Ars Electronica. Curator of the exhibitor section gallery spaces and moderator of the conversation series discussing the artistic production of digital art and its relevance to museums and collectors with regard to exhibition making, collecting and archiving.
2/2020 — 3/2021
Curator Hermitage Youth Library
Selection and curation of 3000 titles for the contemporary youth library of the Hermitage, in the areas of contemporary art, architecture, fashion and design.
2019/2020
Ars Electronica. Curator of the exhibitor section gallery spaces and moderator of the conversation series discussing the artistic production of digital art and its relevance to museums and collectors with regard to exhibition making, collecting and archiving.
08/2017- 11/2018
Curator — Talks Concept: Arts Meets Tech
Driving Radical Change: How Fast Start-Ups are Transforming the Art Industry?
Open Austria, San Francisco, USA

The panel aims to underscore the viability of and need for innovation in the cultural sector, art fairs, museums, opera, theater, performance and music. While startups and innovators have been rapidly changing all aspects of our life, the world of arts and culture with its long-standing traditions and stable, publicly funded institutional set-up were sometimes perceived as immune to transformation. This is no longer the case.
Startups fuelled by the latest digital technologies, including blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data, augmented and virtual reality are radically improving the way museums, opera houses, art galleries, and other cultural and artistic institutions operate and cater to their audiences. This will help artists and cultural organizations stay relevant for future generations.

Participants:
Moderated by: Nellie Bowles, The New York Times
Erik Bovee, the U.S.-based partner of Speedinvest
Brendan Ciecko, Founder and CEO of Cuseum
Michael D’Angelo, Co-Founder & CTO of Arthena
David Hirsch, Advisor to Leonardo Investments
Christopher Widauer, Head of Digital Development at the Vienna State Opera
Devang Thakkar, Head of Auctions at Artsy
08/2017- 11/2018
Curator — Talks Concept: Arts Meets Tech
Driving Radical Change: How Fast Start-Ups are Transforming the Art Industry?
Open Austria, San Francisco, USA

The panel aims to underscore the viability of and need for innovation in the cultural sector, art fairs, museums, opera, theater, performance and music. While startups and innovators have been rapidly changing all aspects of our life, the world of arts and culture with its long-standing traditions and stable, publicly funded institutional set-up were sometimes perceived as immune to transformation. This is no longer the case.
Startups fuelled by the latest digital technologies, including blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data, augmented and
virtual reality are radically improving the way museums, opera houses, art galleries, and other cultural and artistic institutions operate and cater to their audiences. This will help artists and cultural organizations stay relevant for future generations.

Participants:
Moderated by: Nellie Bowles, The New York Times
Erik Bovee, the U.S.-based partner of Speedinvest
Brendan Ciecko, Founder and CEO of Cuseum
Michael D’Angelo, Co-Founder & CTO of Arthena
David Hirsch, Advisor to Leonardo Investments
Christopher Widauer, Head of Digital Development at the Vienna State Opera
Devang Thakkar, Head of Auctions at Artsy


09/2014–10/2014
Curator — Exhibition concept and implementation
SmartCity, 5th Artbat Fest, Almaty, Kazakhstan

11/2012–12/2012
Curator — Exhibition concept and implementation
V_Museum Platform, Berliner Festspiele, Berlin, Germany

06/2012–06/2012
Guest Curator — Exhibition concept
Katya Bochavar, Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht, Netherlands

05/2009–10/2009
Co-Curator — Exhibition concept and execution
Unconditional Love Exhibition, Venice, Italy
Collateral Program 53rd Venice Biennale

02/2008–11/2008
Assistant-curator
Sound in Z, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
Part of the exhibition Jeremy Deller: From One Revolution to Another
Research with the Theremin Centre
09/2014–10/2014
Curator — Exhibition concept and implementation
SmartCity, 5th Artbat Fest, Almaty, Kazakhstan

11/2012–12/2012
Curator — Exhibition concept and implementation
V_Museum Platform, Berliner Festspiele, Berlin, Germany

06/2012–06/2012
Guest Curator — Exhibition concept
Katya Bochavar, Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht, Netherlands

05/2009–10/2009
Co-Curator — Exhibition concept and execution
Unconditional Love Exhibition, Venice, Italy
Collateral Program 53rd Venice Biennale

02/2008–11/2008
Assistant-curator
Sound in Z, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
Part of the exhibition Jeremy Deller: From One Revolution to Another
Research with the Theremin Centre
Production
Production
01/2020
Producer Gelatin Performance
Gelatin Interactive Genigital Society Performance, Gray Area, San Francisco

02/2010–05/2012
Artistic Director
Development of fair concept and execution
Art Moscow Art Fair, Moscow, Russia

12/2009–01/2011
Director
Exhibition plan and execution
Art+Art Gallery, Moscow, Russia
Gallery strategy & Sales

06/2008–12/2009
Director
Exhibition plan and execution
Volker Diehl Gallery, Berlin & Moscow, Russia
01/2020
Producer Gelatin Performance
Gelatin Interactive Genigital Society Performance, Gray Area, San Francisco

02/2010–05/2012
Artistic Director
Development of fair concept and execution
Art Moscow Art Fair, Moscow, Russia
12/2009–01/2011
Director
Exhibition plan and execution
Art+Art Gallery, Moscow, Russia
Gallery strategy & Sales

06/2008–12/2009
Director
Exhibition plan and execution
Volker Diehl Gallery, Berlin & Moscow, Russia
Board membership
Board membership
2016 — ongoing Armenia Art Foundation
2014 — ongoing Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art
2014 — ongoing Artbat Fest
2016 — ongoing Armenia Art Foundation
2014 — ongoing Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art
2014 — ongoing Artbat Fest
Prizes & Achievements
Prizes & Achievements
Apollo 2018 
40 Under 40 Europe Contemporary Art Industry 
Contacts
Contacts
LinkedIn
Christina.Steinbrecher@gmail.com
+1 6282465516

LinkedIn
Christina.Steinbrecher@gmail.com
+1 6282465516


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