31 Mar The Real Thing
British artist Damien Hirst is hawking 10,000 nonfungible tokens (NFTs), each redeemable for one of his cherry blossom prints, according to The New York Times.
“NFTs are the most exciting new thing in the creative industry,” Hirst told the paper.
“The fact that they polarize people so much, and make so many people angry, just makes me even more sure of their importance.”
Hirst enjoys a history of minting money.
Eleven years ago, he sold a diamond-studded skull to an investment group for $100 million.
Hirst’s 10,000 prints have been in storage for five years. Whether they’ll sell like hotcakes remains to be seen.
The financial market is skeptical, in general, about the short- and long-term value of NFTs.
Like tulips, they may ultimately become worthless, analysts say.
But, with Hirst’s tokens, investors at least know they can redeem them for one of his prints.
Hoping to cash in on the hysteria, other artists have resorted to selling NFTs in recent weeks.
American artist Mike Winkelmann—known in the art world as “Beeple”—sold an NFT this month for $69.3 million.
If you redeem his token, you get Winkelmann’s JPG.
After the sale, the artists told a financial reporter, “I think it’s a bubble. If it’s not a bubble now, I do believe it probably will be a bubble at some point.”
So where does that leave you?
Not ready for digital tokens or the cryptocurrency craze?
I offer a sound alternative.
Just go to my online shop, and invest your hard-earned money in one of my oil paintings.
I can promise you none will cost you $69 million, and none is virtual.
They’re all affordable.
And the real thing.
Above: Ceci n’est pas une Coke. Oil on canvas board. 10 x 8 inches. Framed and ready to hang.