Reported in October 2021, the digital art market had reached new heights with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) establishing record-breaking sale prices across the globe. Beeple’s artwork Everydays: The First 5,000 Days topped the rankings, selling for over 69.3 million dollars at Christie’s to a Singapore-based programmer. The piece is a collage composed of 5,000 images measuring 21,069 by 21,069 pixels.
High-Profile Sales Beyond Visual Art
The NFT phenomenon extended beyond traditional visual art. Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter, sold the token of his first tweet posted on March 21, 2006, for 2.9 million dollars. Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, auctioned the source code as an NFT for approximately 4.6 million euros in June 2021.
CryptoPunks Dominate the Market
Artists John Watkinson and Matt Hall of studio Larva Labs created an algorithm that automatically generated 10,000 pixel-style portraits sold as CryptoPunks. Analysis of the top 100 NFT sales showed that 43 percent of the most expensive non-fungible tokens in the ranking were CryptoPunks. The highest-priced individual CryptoPunk, number 7523, depicting a face wearing a protective mask and cap, sold for over 11.75 million dollars.
Frequently asked questions
What was the most expensive NFT artwork ever sold?
Beeple’s Everydays: The First 5,000 Days sold for over 69.3 million dollars at Christie’s, making it the most expensive NFT artwork on record.
What percentage of top NFT sales were CryptoPunks?
According to an analysis by VNM USA of the top 100 NFT sales, 43 percent of the most expensive non-fungible tokens in the ranking were CryptoPunks created by Larva Labs.
How much did Jack Dorsey’s first tweet NFT sell for?
Jack Dorsey sold the NFT token of his first tweet from March 21, 2006, for 2.9 million dollars.