Pablo Picasso may have died almost 50 years ago, but his art remains prominent in the cultural zeitgeist. You can even buy an NFT of the artist’s work, thanks to his granddaughter and great-grandson. Picasso’s heirs are making 1,010 NFTs of the master’s ceramic work.
The piece attached to the NFTs dates from October 1958. Marina Picasso remembers it well. “It’s a work that represents a face, and it’s very expressive,” the artist’s granddaughter told the Associated Press. “It’s joyful, happy. It represents life … It’s one of those objects that have been part of our life, our intimate lives — my life with my children.”
It’s one of many of Picasso’s works that the family keeps in their Geneva apartment. While many pieces of the prolific painter and sculptor’s art are on display in museums around the world, the family is making one of their treasured private collection tokens available, or at least as “available” as a digital image attached to a certificate of authenticity on a blockchain can be.
“We’re trying to build a bridge between the NFT world and the fine art world,” Marina’s son Florian Picasso said.
An online sale of more than 1,000 of the NFTs begins Friday on the Nifty Gateway and Origin Protocol platforms. Sotheby’s will auction off an NFT as well as the physical ceramic bowl in March.
Since their inception, NFTs have helped lesser-known artists get more recognition for their work. The Picasso NFT marks new territory.
“Everything is evolving,” Florian Picasso said. “I think it fits within Picasso’s legacies because we are paying tribute to him and his way of working, which was always being creative.”
The NFTs will come with music from Florian Picasso, John Legend, and Nas. A portion of the proceeds from the sales will go toward a charity for nurses and toward an NGO working to reduce atmospheric carbon levels.
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