04/10/2021 Doodles used to create Gary Vaynerchuk NFT collection sell for $1.2 million in Christie’s auction

Gary Vaynerchuk holds a "VeeFriends" token, which is part of his part of his first NFT collection.

Gary Vaynerchuk holds a “VeeFriends” token, which is part of his part of his first NFT collection.

Source: VeeFriends | Gary Vaynerchuk

Christie’s on Friday auctioned five art works that were created by entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk for his VeeFriends NFT collection.

The price tag? Just over $1.2 million.

“It feels like an out-of-body-experience,” Vaynerchuk told CNBC. “I view myself as a very creative and artistic person, but this is way bigger than me. ... It represents a paradigm shift and the consumer is intrigued.”

Whereas most NFTs auctioned by Christie’s are NFT minted, or blockchain verified, these particular works are the original characters that were hand-drawn by Vaynerchuk himself.

The VeeFriends collection is comprised of 10,255 character nonfungible tokens available for purchase via the cryptocurrencyethereum. Each token includes a “smart contract” with metadata that Vaynerchuk can use to interact with its buyer. Token holders also will be given exclusive access to an annual business event called VeeCon for three years after the NFT’s purchase. The first VeeCon will take place in Minneapolis in May.

Since launching the series earlier this year, the lowest listed price for one such token remains $50,000.

Vaynerchuk’s NFT doodle called “Empathetic Elephant” fetched the highest price at Friday’s auction, selling for $412,500. The lowest was called “Diamond Hands,” and went for $162,500.

NFTs are a type of digital asset created to track ownership of a virtual item usingblockchain technology. Such unique items could be artwork or sports trading cards — a market that Vaynerchukbecame familiarwith as a teenager, peddling baseball cards for thousands of dollars every week.

“I grew up with collectibles, antiques and sports cards,” Vaynerchuk said. “My mom and dad were into that stuff too, and they would have been intimidated even walking into Christie’s two decades ago and now their son is selling stuff in it. ... It’s the American dream.”

The original VeeFriends artwork was featured along with the full set of Curio Cards and Sets 1-3 of Art Blocks Curated in Christie’s Post-War to Presentlive auctionin New York. The auction furthers Christie’s foray into digital art sales, which have boomed in popularity this year along with a rise in the value of digital currencies like ether andbitcoin. Curio Cards, which is commonly viewed as the first digital art collectible on ethereum blockchain, fetched $1.2 million.

The market is growing rapidly, with some digital collectibles being sold for millions of dollars. In March, Christie’ssold a NFT by the artist Beeple for more than $69.3 million.

Arts

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/01/christies-auctioned-gary-vaynerchuks-nft-art-for-1point2-million.html

Interesting NFTs
Art Is The Currency of the Infinite
This still-life, titled after one of Pablo Picasso's infamous quotes, was made solely using 3D softwares and apps, in an attempt to bring this often forgotten artistic genre into the 21st century through the use of new artistic mediums and technologies. This piece is also an invitation to meditate on the role of "value" throught the ages and how it's been radically altered by the coming into existence of technologies and concepts like cryptocurrencies and digital scarcity.
Originalplan® - Series 1 - Raw Cut Diamond Be@rbrick
The Be@rbrick series is a project around creating unique Be@rbrick designs. Originally it started as a daily project so each design was created on a daily basis. The concept and idea is based on the subcultural phenomenon of collectibles and designer toys. Raw Cut Be@rbrick is made of several hundreds of diamonds and is only availabe as a 1/1 limited edition collectible. Format : 3D Render. File: JPG * size: 5120 × 2880px After purchase a hand signed Glichē print will be sent to the address of your choosing. Limited to: 1/1 digital pieces.
The King
Part of a series of three artworks entitled "The Rulers". Inspired by the rulers of the animal kingdom, african mandalas & diamonds. A very complex digital illustration, each lion consists of hundreds of custom diamond shapes. Each background is an intricate custom mandala that compliments the lions facial features.
METAVERSE.
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David vs the Virus
"An ode to the year everything changed" - Frank Wilder The story of the underdog is a reoccurring theme throughout history, and perhaps the most famous example is that of David vs Goliath. A tale about perseverance, in which David takes on and defeats the giant warrior using only his smarts and a stone. Famously depicted by Michelangelo's David statue. Fast forward to the present day in 2020 and we as humanity are faced with our own Goliath. An uncontrollable pandemic spread around the globe. Now with the entire planet being affected by this we understand the gravity of the situation at hand, whether it be a virus we’re fighting or other forces at play, there is indeed an energy out to shift the balance of the Universe… Regardless of our differences, in this moment must unite as one. With diligence, trust and belief we as a whole can come together to triumph against "the enemy". Stay vigilant my friends. Original score created by the one and only Phoenix Wilder.