This week in NFT land we saw Ross Ulbricht put his artworks up for auction, Particle split up a $13 million Banksy painting, and the ERC-721 protocol voted as the most powerful artist in the world.
Premier League May Sign Up NFT Platform
The Times revealed on Monday that the English Premier League is considering getting on the NFT train and linking up with a cryptocurrency platform to offer fans official digital collectibles. The league, which is said to want to take a “slow and cautious” approach, dates back to 1992 and has some classic soccer moments to call upon, with many fans eager to pick up one-off NFTs reflecting their club’s greatest triumphs.
Ross Ulbricht Auctioning Off Artwork
Jailed Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht announced an auction of artwork covering his life this week. The Ross Ulbricht Genesis Collection ends around midnight Thursday, with proceeds going towards the campaign to free Ross as well as an artist charity.
My NFT auction will start in 2 days! 😃https://t.co/jtOPsEH9ME
— Ross Ulbricht (@RealRossU) November 30, 2021
Art Wars Withdrawal Highlights Copyright Issue
The issue of NFT copyright reared its head again this week as Art Wars, a collection of NFTs that featured pieces of art from some well known photographers and artists, was pulled after some of the artists featured took legal action. The forced withdrawal of the auction shone a light back on the issue of copyright when it comes to NFTs, with the real owners of image copyright often missing out when it comes to the gargantuan fees sometimes commanded.
Particle Breaks the Banksy
Anyone who has always wanted to own a Banksy piece but is short a million dollars or two can now own a share on one thanks to Particle, the NFT company that announced this week that it plans to fractionalize Banky’s Love is in the Air. The company won the painting at auction and will split ownership of it into 10,000 pieces, with buyers paying $1,500 for a slice, with buyers able to sell their slices on the open market immediately afterward.
Your first piece of fine art could be Banksy’s most sought after masterpiece! “Love is in the Air” unveils the absurdity of war and uneven power dynamics as well as bridging the worlds of graffiti and fine art. #banksy #ParticleNFT#banksy #loveisintheair pic.twitter.com/09scHr9FgX
— Particle Collection (@Collectparticle) December 2, 2021
ERC-721 Voted Most Powerful Artist in the World
Artists around the world might have been a bit miffed this week as ERC-721, the Ethereum token protocol on which NFTs are based, topped Art Review’s annual Power 100 list this year. The list reflects the art world’s most powerful individuals over the last 12 months, and the awarding of the title to a non-human entity for the first time has caused quite a stir…which is precisely the intention.
Adidas Jumps into the Metaverse
Another huge brand entered the metaverse this week and at the same time joined the NFT arms as clothing giant Adidas announced that it had signed a deal with Bored Ape Yacht Club, gmoney NFT, and PUNKS Comic which will see the brand infiltrate various areas of the metaverse and NFT arenas. Such moves are becoming commonplace and we can expect many more brands to take such a leap in the coming months and years.
