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Brave
BEEPLE EVERYDAYS : THE FIRST 5000 DAYS
A MONUMENTAL COLLAGE
The first purely digital ( nft ) ever sold by Christie ’ s
$ 69,346,250
Marcus Fox , Global Managing Director
20th / 21st Century Art
NEW art world
at Christie ’ s , on NFTs and the art world .
IN SIMPLE TERMS , WHAT IS AN NFT ? An NFT ( non-fungible token ) is a publicly viewable , permanent record that is unique . We are still in the early stages of utilizing how this technology can work and be applied across many industries . For the art world it is a way to demonstrate ownership ( think a digital certificate of authenticity ) that could be transferred and allow for an active market in a way that never previously existed .
WHY ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT THEM ? It feels a bit like discovering a new world . To come across new platforms , new artists , new collectors , new modes of communication , new currencies is unlike anything I ’ ve experienced . It ’ s energizing to engage with communities that have no preconceptions about how the system works and are finding a different but related path . Seeing the interactions between traditional and digital art worlds , the learning and sharing of knowledge , and the expansion in both realms has been inspiring . It becomes ever easier to imagine a future where there is no distinction and another medium is available to all artists .
CHRISTIE ’ S WAS ONE OF THE FIRST MAJOR AUCTION HOUSES TO SHOW AN INTEREST IN NFTS . COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT A COUPLE OF KEY SALES ? Christie ’ s is proud to have taken NFTs mainstream . When we sold Beeple ’ s Everydays : The First 5000 Days for almost $ 70 million it changed the landscape forever . NFT became a household term . We ’ ve had an opportunity to work with an incredible variety of artists on projects ranging from a transgender coming-of-age story
( FEWOCiOUS ), facilitating digital art made decades ago by a master of the 20th century ( Andy Warhol ), and many things in between . The range is staggering .
WHY MIGHT READERS BE INTERESTED IN NFTS ? If you ’ re interested in creativity and technology and the intersection points of these two areas , this is an exciting time . For some , the idea of owning something intangible is difficult to reconcile . For those of us who are less digitally “ native ” I ’ d suggest doing some research . You might not love everything you see but you will be challenged and experience something different that could impact your view of the world . And that is a pretty good start .