Digital artist Beeple fell headfirst down the cryptocrypto rabbit hole last month when he sold a mutating NFT of Donald Trump for $66,666.6. Now, the Charleston, North Carolinian artist wants to tie crypto art back to reality.
Today, Beeple, real-name Mike Winkelmann, announced to his 1.7 million Instagram followers that he will auction a collection of NFT artwork, starting Friday at 7pm EST.
He’s selling NFTs that represent his “Everydays,” art he’s created for 4,971 consecutive days and shared online for free. But while Beeple published his Instagram art for nothing, each NFT will start at $969.
There’s more to it than eking out extra cash from his old catalog, he told Decrypt.
“The NFTs were designed in a way that makes them immediately distinguishable from Instagram and immediately distinguishable as a collectible,” he said.
Buy one of his NFTs from Nifty Gateway, the NFT marketplace that’s hosting the sale, and Beeple will mail you a digital frame that displays the loop of your NFT, encased in plastic and stickered with a holographic QR code that, when scanned, reveals the owner of the NFT.
He’ll also give you a spot on his site to post whatever message or picture you want. “So if it's some weird shit, don't blame me,” he wrote on the site. In addition, you can also display your art in virtual worlds, such as Somnium.
“The look of these is very much modeled after baseball cards,” he said.
Beeple's "everydays." Image: Beeple
Beeple thinks this will encourage collectors to trade the NFT along with the digital frame; selling the NFT separately to the frame would “make it less valuable,” he said.
“I'm going to disincentivize people from separating the two, because in my eyes, this is the physical representation of the NFT. So if you separate it, you're kind of breaking the whole system.”
On Friday, Beeple will sell three versions of his art. The first is a selection of 21 of his Everydays, which are as diverse as a mechanoid Hilary Clinton fuelled by the lifeblood of Jeffrey Epstein swinging from a noose, and a Tom Hanks bludgeoning coronavirus with bloody fists.
An NFT designed to mutate into one of two animations, depending on the outcome of the General Election in the U.S., is awaiting the final certification of the electoral college votes before irrevocably anointing Joe Biden or Donald Trump president.
The unusual piece, by Mike Winkelmann, a crypto-artist from Charleston, South Carolina who goes by “Beeple” online, was sold nine days ago to an anonymous buyer, "Pablo," for $66,666.60 and depicted the presidential candidates, naked and swirling in a...
Collectors worldwide will have five minutes to buy as many NFTs as they want. Beeple and his wife, Jan, who designed the boxes, will spend the next few months shipping boxes around the world.
Beeple’s also auctioning ‘black label,’ one-of-a-kind NFTs, whose collectors will receive a bigger box and a Zoom unboxing meeting with Winkelman himself. Finally, Beeple’s selling off a collection of NFT-only editions, for $1 a pop.
Digital art should not diverge from physical art, he said. “The digital versus physical argument—versus is the old way of looking at it. Everything will be digital.”
Daily Debrief Newsletter
Start every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.
NFT Revolution
NFTs are provably unique crypto tokens that are quickly becoming increasingly popular among digital artists, gaming companies, and investors. Track the NFT revolution here.
Blockchain-powered mobile soccer game FIFA Rivals will release on June 12 on both iOS and Android, Mythical Games announced Friday, revealing a multi-year licensing agreement with sportswear giant Adidas in the process.
The team-up will integrate Adidas products throughout FIFA Rivals, including digital kits, jerseys, and shoe releases that draw from the brand's soccer heritage. Players will have access to exclusive in-game items and experiences designed around Adidas branding.
"FIFA Rivals is a...
While crypto gaming has long been seen as a key use for blockchain, letting gamers really own and freely trade their unique items and perhaps profit from a game's success, developers are struggling to sustain their games and digital economies.
Some games, like Gunzilla Games’ Off the Grid, have punched through to a broader audience, gaining adoption from top streamers and gamers alike—albeit ahead of full blockchain integration. But many other games and studios building with tokens are strugglin...
Yuga Labs is serious about refocusing on the Bored Ape Yacht Club, the Otherside metaverse game, and related projects.
On Friday, the crypto startup said that it had sold off yet another previously acquired NFT project IP, dumping the Moonbirds property that it purchased just over a year ago.
The buyer is Orange Cap Games, a young gaming startup that builds digital and physical trading card games. The firm's first game, the Pudgy Penguins-themed Vibes TCG, launched on Ethereum layer-2 network Ab...