05/01/2022 Melania Trump to auction off hat, NFT from Macron visit

The three "important one-of-a-kind signed items" commemorate an April 2018 state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Washington -- the first of the Trump presidency.

Bidding for this lot called the "Head of State Collection" will be held online between January 11 and 25, using the cryptocurrency Solana (SOL).

According to her website, where the auction was announced, bidding will begin at $250,000, currently equivalent to 1,416 SOL.

French-American designer Herve Pierre made the wide-brimmed hat at the request of Mrs Trump, who wore it as she accompanied French first lady Brigitte Macron around Washington.

The autographed collection also includes physical and digital paintings of Trump wearing the hat, both created by French artist Marc-Antoine Coulon.

The announcement states that a "portion" of the proceeds will go towards scholarships for children in foster care to learn computer skills.

Trump's office did not immediately respond to an email by AFP inquiring about the size of the portion that will be donated.

In her first public project since leaving the White House, Trump announced last month that she would be joining the crypto trend by launching her own platform to sell NFTs (non-fungible tokens).

"I am proud to announce my new NFT endeavor, which embodies my passion for the arts, and will support my ongoing commitment to children through my Be Best initiative," Trump said in a statement at the time.

"Through this new technology-based platform, we will provide children computer science skills, including programming and software development, to thrive after they age out of the foster community."

Using the blockchain technology behind cryptocurrencies, NFTs transform anything from illustrations to memes into virtual collectors' items that cannot be duplicated.

NFTs rocketed into the mainstream last year and are now traded at major auction houses, generating several hundred million dollars in transactions every month.

Trump's first NFT was a watercolor of her blue eyes -- also created by Coulon -- entitled "Melania's Vision."

The painting was available for purchase through the end of the year for the price of 1 SOL, or approximately $150 at the time.

Arts

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220104-melania-trump-to-auction-off-hat-nft-from-macron-visit

Interesting NFTs
Pingo ! Rare
Hey cutie! I'm Pingo ! Rare. I'm often referred to as the Niles Crane of the group. I once got in a fight with a goose, and won. I hope you like kitten around as much as I do!
2.0
2.0
Auto-Erotic Sphinx with Toys
In this image, a giant sphinx spoons itself in erotic play within an aquatic styled environment littered by various denizens. These creatures include symbols and archetypes both current and nostalgic–each inhabiting a rootedness within mass cultural adolescence. Among the roster are Servbots, video game inspired mushrooms, a Pacman-like creature, a distant sea faring rubber duck, creatures sporting the symbols reminiscent of popular anime, and a Pokemon-like rabbit (a novel incarnation of Ganesha indicated by the Shiva trident on its nose). In addition, a few sea creatures partly inspired by sea monsters of western antiquity conglomerate along the mid left side of the composition. The Sphinx itself is an amalgam of aquatic, fetishist, ancient Egyptian, and 80’s style adornments, both living, as in a clown fish, or material, such as a cassette tape. Nautically colored antennae receive somatic signals from the atmosphere, perhaps from the 8 Ball moon or giant ringed planet beyond.
Fidenza #723
Fidenza is by far my most versatile algorithm to date. Although the program stays focused on structured curves and blocks, the varieties of scale, organization, texture, and color usage it can employ create a wide array of generative possibilities. Additional project feature(s) => Scale:Jumbo, Turbulence:High, Colors:Dark Lifestyle, Have Margin:No, Spiral:No, Soft Shapes:No, Super Blocks:No, Collision Check:No Overlap, Outlined:No, Shape Angles:Curved, Density:High
X*Y=K
・゜゚・:.。..。.:*・'(゚▽゚)'・*:.。. .。.:*・゜゚・* for more info see https://tinyurl.com/56unnr39