Pablo Picasso is venturing into the digital world.
The artwork of one of the most influential artists of the 20th century is being turned into, you guessed it, NFTs. Pablo Picasso’s granddaughter, Marina, along with her son, Florian Picasso, are putting on sale around 1,010 digital art pieces of the artist’s never-seen-before ceramic work.
Here’s what we know so far about Picasso’s digital artwork
A family heirloom
The artwork creating a lot of buzz is a Picasso family heirloom and Marina, in an interview with Associated Press, explained the piece as a “work that represents a face, and it’s very expressive,” she said, adding, “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.”
Pablo, meet Crypto. Heirs of Pablo Picasso, the famed 20th-century Spanish artist, are vaulting into 21st-century commerce by selling 1,010 digital art pieces of one of his ceramic works that has never before been seen publicly. https://t.co/XKMwQzLk2g
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 26, 2022
It is a ceramic pottery piece that is approximately the size of a large salad bowl and dates back to 1958.
At the moment, only a small portion of the ceramic bowl has been made visible in an attempt to protect it. The part that has been made visible shows details such as the number ‘58’ painted on its base and thick yellow paint.
Talking about connecting the world of Picasso and digital art, Florian Picasso said, “We’re trying to build a bridge between the NFT world and the fine art world.”
The auction and Picasso’s NFT marketplace
My first NFT collection together with my mother Marina Picasso is out this Friday on @niftygateway and @OriginProtocol ! Proud to have collaborated with the amazing @johnlegend and @Nas on the music of the collection ✨#ManAndTheBeat pic.twitter.com/IxYauUKQle
— Florian Ruiz-Picasso (@florianpicasso) January 26, 2022
The auction will be hosted by Sotheby’s in March 2022 and the highest bidder will get a unique NFT and the original Picasso ceramic bowl.
Apart from that, the collection of 1,010 NFTs that are based on the ceramic piece is named Man and the Beast. It will be sold via the Picasso family’s own marketplace called ManAndTheBeat.com, which will have multiple drops, the first one being on 28 January.
The collection will also be honoured by Florian Picasso, who is a DJ, by releasing a new song on 4 February 2022, in collaboration with American musicians John Legend and Nas.
(Photo: Unsplash / Featured: Florian Picasso)