Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) are a new category of digital art that allows designers to monetize their works without going through galleries or auction houses. Furthermore, NFTs give artists more control over their creations, enabling them to program in royalties so that they’ll receive payment whenever their tokens are sold.
NFTs (Non-Fungible Thin Films) have made it possible for anyone to create and sell digital artwork, making this an increasingly lucrative market. But in order to successfully purchase NFT art, one must know what characteristics to look out for.
1. Beeple
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Beeple, whose nickname is a play on the furry bigfoot toy he loves, is an award-winning digital artist who has been creating images every day for 13 years. He’s renowned for his non-fungible digital art, graphic design and animation work.
NFTs, or Non-Fungible Tokens, are digital files stored on a blockchain and whose ownership can be verified. This technology is rapidly growing in popularity and disrupting various traditional industries.
In October 2013, Winkelmann noticed a flurry of activity online about NFTs (Novel Financing Transactions). Commonly used to link digital artworks to their underlying assets, NFTs are unique files that can prove who owns them.
At first, the technology had some unease within the art world. Some feared these tokens could be misused or repurposed without authorization. As time has progressed and more experts have become involved with blockchain projects, many more artists are starting to embrace its benefits and possibilities.
Winkelmann was optimistic about the possibilities of digital art as an innovative new medium of expression. Additionally, he believed it would demonstrate that the fine arts community was finally ready to accept digital art as legitimate artwork.
He sought to maximize this chance and, in October 2020, he chose Nifty Gateway as his online NFT art marketplace of choice.
Within five minutes, Winkelmann sold his NFTs through Nifty Gateway at an unprecedentedly high price. As these NFTs resold at higher prices, profits began pouring in.
Now, as NFTs continue to gain momentum, many artists are searching for ways to share their resale profits. Others are already working on projects to make digital art more approachable and inclusive – like Sara Ludy from Brooklyn who recently launched bitforms – an initiative meant to make art accessible and inclusive for everyone.
2. Cherniakis
Non-fungible token art (NFT artwork) is a type of digital artwork that utilizes blockchain technology to generate an individual token. This kind of art has become increasingly popular due to its ease and affordability when investing in digital artworks.
Dmitri Cherniak is one of the most renowned NFT artists. He has created several collections using Art Blocks’ generative art platform that have sold for millions of dollars. His Ringers collection, in particular, has become one of the most popular and highest-selling Art Blocks curated collections available today.
He enjoys a large following on Instagram and is renowned for his daring initiatives. His creative use of automation has earned him many followers and cemented his place as an influential figure within the crypto community.
Beeple, another famed NFT artist in the digital art world, creates abstract works with social and political themes. His NFTs often depict iconic figures from modern history such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump.
His most renowned NFT artwork, “Everydays,” sold at auction for an astounding $69,346,250. This marked the first time that a major auction house accepted crypto art and also sold NFTs.
Beeple is renowned for his NFT creations as well as tattoo-styled, eccentric art that conveys a sense of dualism and equilibrium. His works often address pressing social and environmental issues while appealing to humanity’s collective imagination.
He is an enthusiastic fan of virtual reality and uses it in combination with traditional painting techniques to create his NFT art. His most recent creation, Geometry Runners, is an exhilarating NFT artwork which uses different geometric shapes and blocks to race each other.
3. Hackatao
Hackatao is a pioneering crypto art duo that has become one of the most renowned artists in the NFT space. Their signature “tattoo” creation style draws attention to important social commentary on topics like psychology, humanity, environmentalism and crypto. Furthermore, their artworks often incorporate symbols, nods to pop culture and historical references with subtle nods to pop culture references interspersed throughout.
They began by crafting decorated ceramic figures before transitioning into digital art and 3D modeling. Their distinctive black lines of doodles on stark white backgrounds quickly gained traction in the Non-Fiber Electronic (NFT) marketplaces.
In 2018, the duo decided to explore blockchain technology and its potential in the art world. They were immediately drawn by its potential to help digital artists thrive, so they joined forces with SuperRare and released their first non-fungible token (NFT), Girl Next Door, in April 2018.
The duo quickly realized their art style would fit perfectly within the blockchain community. They welcomed the notion that it would make traditional art markets more welcoming to digital artists, since technology would remove the need for middlemen and enable them to sell directly to collectors.
Their artworks often focus on the female body and its significance in history and contemporary culture, particularly through their Queen of Art series which highlights the impact and significance of women across art mediums.
Although many of their NFTs feature a single color, the artists also create gender-fluid avatars called Queens+Kings that are composed of interchangeable traits. Once minted, collectors can “hack” their avatars to disassemble and reassemble the traits as desired.
Queens+Kings’ latest Queens+Kings collection sees them joining forces with OutRight Action International to advocate for gender equality. Additionally, Bang & Olufsen will be creating NFTs based on their products as part of this collaborative endeavor.
4. Rizzolli
Monica Rizzolli is an nft artist whose works blend traditional painting and drawing elements with modern technology. Her pieces often showcase surreal imagery, vibrant colors, and intricate details. She emphasizes the interconnectedness of all living things and has been praised for her ability to capture nature’s beauty digitally.
Rizzolli’s NFT collections include “Nature’s Wonders,” which celebrates the beauty and magnificence of nature; and “Soul Connection,” which examines humankind’s interconnectedness. Her most renowned piece is “Aurora,” an eye-catching digital artwork depicting the northern lights.
She has created pieces that illustrate the human body and its cellular components. She is passionate about understanding how humans function within their environment, which has lead her to collaborate with various companies on NFT art pieces that showcase various elements of the body and how they function.
Another popular NFT artist is Anadol, whose works explore the intersection between science and technology. His digital artworks use machine learning algorithms to create digital artworks that create digital scenarios inspired by various futuristic scenarios.
Anadol’s NFT work has also earned him recognition in visual effects created for movies and television shows. His artwork has been showcased internationally at venues such as Corriere della Sera, W1 Curates and Christie’s headquarters in London, plus Times Square and Dreamverse Gallery in New York City.
He is considered one of the top NFT artists, having sold multiple artworks for millions of dollars. Additionally, he has collaborated with other top NFT creators on innovative digital art projects. Additionally, his artworks have been featured on SuperRare, Nifty Gateway and Async platforms.
5. Pak
The market for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) is on the rise and artists are making waves in cryptocurrency. Beeple, who is currently the top-selling NFT artist, is making headlines around the world but there are many other talented creators out there who have gained popularity as well.
Pak is one of the pioneers of NFT art and has built an influential community that encourages him to expand his fan base. Additionally, he rewards his collectors and takes a strategic approach to the NFT market.
He enjoys a robust social media presence, with Twitter leading his market traffic by far. Through these platforms, he engages his fans and motivates them to participate in his projects, ultimately helping him cultivate an enthusiastic following.
His art is typically abstract, featuring geometric patterns and primary hues. He has earned himself the moniker “the King of Ringers” on SuperRare for his unique style.
Since February 2020, Pak has sold more than 180,300 NFTs across primary and secondary markets, raising a total of $394.9 million from sales. This amount includes single edition, limited edition, and open edition purchases.
Pak’s most recent NFT collection, Merge, earned $91.8 million on Nifty Gateway in December 2021. This impressive figure underscores how rapidly the market for NFTs is expanding.
Pak is an innovator in the NFT space and is constantly exploring new methods of collecting NFTs. His projects, such as “The Fungible,” demonstrate that NFTs are more than just digital illustrations – they’re materials to be worked with and understood differently.