Beeple NFT sells for a record $ 6.6 million as ‘Everydays’ at Christie’s hits of $ 2.2 million

Beeple NFT sells for a record $ 6.6 million as ‘Everydays’ at Christie’s hits of $ 2.2 million

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Buzzy digital artist Mike Winkelmann, or Beeple, made NFT history with his piece, Crossroads, which grossed $ 6.6 million on the secondary market via Nifty Gateway.

Like many Beeple artworks, Crossroads was inspired by the US presidential election in 2020. It is designed to feature one of two animations, depending on the outcome of the election – one a triumphant Trump, the other a forgotten one, discouraged one.

Originally purchased by a user named Pablo for $ 66,666.60 on November 1, the new owner, who preferred to remain anonymous, paid nearly 100 times more, breaking the price record for a single NFT sale. Previously, the record was held by CryptoPunk 6965, which sold for 800 ETH last week, with a sales value of $ 1.55 million.

Beeple’s work has captivated art collectors around the world with $ 3.5 million worth of sales generated during one weekend in December on the Nifty Gateway. Some artworks are resold the same day at inflated values ​​of more than 1000 times the original price.

Not everyone agrees with the high value attached to these pieces of digital art by Crypto YouTuber Lark Davis set Beeple’s $ 6.6 million NFT sale was a nonsensical purchase:

‘This Trump-themed #nft has only been sold for $ 6.6 million, and the NFT mania is getting very hot. People who show that they have more money than sense. ”

The well-known artist is breaking another record with the first NFT sold in a traditional auction house. Christie’s is listing the item for more than two weeks in partnership with the NFT market MarkersPlace and ends on March 11th.

The auction value for the piece entitled “Everydays: The First 5000 Days”, which started on February 25 for $ 100, is unknown. The bid has already received 120 bids, with the latest bid at $ 2.2 million.

There are 5,000 unique images he has produced every day for almost 14 years, and there are themes about society’s obsession with and fear of technology, the desire for and resentment for wealth, and America’s turbulent political scene.

“We are currently in a time where there can be a drastic shift – a demographic shift, a generational shift – when it comes to what excites younger collectors,” said Christie’s specialist in post-war and contemporary art. responsible for Beeple auction Noah Davis told Art Field Monitor. ‘Christie’s as an organization is very excited about a moment in time when you see $ 3.5 million in sales appearing just organically. This is something we want to capitalize on. ”

Digital artists are not recognized by the new technology era, and Trevor Jones is seeing increasing attention for his paintings in an augmented reality. On February 25, Jones’ art, ‘The Bitcoin Angel’, was sold 4,157 expenses within 7 minutes at a price of $ 777 each, earning the artist more than $ 3.2 million.