Marina Picasso, granddaughter of famous painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso, issued a statement on YouTube today in response to her and her adopted son Florian’s Ethereum NFT collection after a family disagreement went public. In the video, she expressed support for NFT technology and shared that her uncle, Claude Picasso, now endorses the project. Going forward, Marina said that she and Florian will “continue to produce NFTs.”
NFTs are unique tokens that exist on blockchain networks, like Ethereum or Solana, and demonstrate ownership over a digital or physical asset. In the case of these Marina and Florian Picasso NFTs, each token points to ownership of an .mp4 file of art inspired by one of Pablo Picasso’s famous bowls.
“I have a 30-year-old son who’s passionate about NFTs,” Marina said in the video through a translator. “It appealed to me, so I looked into this subject, and I find that it’s a modern technology that allows us to connect with art. It really appealed to me. And it’s in this way that I decided with my son to create our first NFT collection,” she said.
Their NFT collection, titled “Man and the Beat,” has struggled to sell at its high mint price of 2 ETH each (roughly $5,800) since reports surfaced that Claude Picasso, head of the Picasso Administration, did not initially approve of the NFTs. Despite celebrities like singer John Legend promoting the project, few have actually sold, since the collection was launched almost three weeks ago.
Decentralized marketplace Origin Protocol is still hosting the collection via a custom website. As of today, not much has changed since Decrypt first reported last week that only 10% of the collection had been sold.
“Unfortunately, our ideas weren’t communicated as they should have been, and in relation to certain members of my family that already had a difference of opinion, there was really a misunderstanding that didn't do anyone any good,” Marina said in the video. “I have the support of my uncle, Claude Picasso... he’s dedicated his life to protecting the legacy of my grandfather, his father,” she said.
Marina added that Claude has now “endorsed” the NFT collection, and the family "will continue producing NFTs."
A lawyer for the Picasso Administration told the Associated Press back in January that only Claude could approve the NFT project as an official Pablo Picasso NFT project.
Now, it appears that possibility may be back on the table.