The stunning visuals have attracted a diverse audience online. In 2018, Winkelmann received a direct message from Florent Buonomano, an artistic director at Louis Vuitton, who’d shared the work with his boss, artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière (“the design leader of his generation,” according to Vogue). Winkelmann knew so little about fashion that his first thought was: Is Louis Vuitton still alive? He was surprised to find out that while Vuitton had passed away in 1892, he was corresponding with the artistic director of an iconic luxury house with 160 years of rich history. One of the most memorable photographs from SEX shows Madonna walking nude along a Miami street. Courtesy Christie's For Christie’s, Beeple composed a mosaic made from his first 5,000 “Everydays”—but no LCD screen will accompany the sale. Unlike the first NFT that Christie’s sold in October—the Robert Alice canvas that happened to come with an NFT—this would be Christie’s first strictly digital piece. In short, an auction house founded in London in 1766 was about to sell a JPEG. Many of those investing in NFTs made their millions from Bitcoin and Ethereum—and the art market is taking notice. After being quizzed on Clubhouse, Christie’s agreed to accept Ethereum for the Winkelmann sale, though premium must still be paid in dollars. Since then, the ever publicity-conscious Damien Hirst announced he would accept crypto for a new series of prints published by Heni. Less than six months ago, Beeple, whose real name is Mike Winkelmann, was unknown to the art world.

Crow, Kelly (April 11, 2022). "The Latest Sign That Beeple Has Truly Arrived: An Exhibit at an Italian Art Museum". Wall Street Journal . Retrieved October 21, 2022. We all felt like we were witnessing history. This is one of the things, in retrospect, where people will say: How did we miss this?” a b "NFTs in IRL: the rise of digital art galleries in physical spaces". The Art Newspaper. April 23, 2021. Aesthetic judgment is in the eye of the beholder,” Davis said. “We want there to be a dialogue and we want people to see this as worthy of criticism. That means it’s art. If you have a strong opinion about it, it has value. We’re all about giving visibility to this artist who clearly has something provocative to say and is also having a financially meaningful impact.” In early 2021, Beeple released the 5000 Day Selects as a commemorative piece to the Christie's auction with 105 editions.

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The prints will go on display at Christie's galleries in London, Paris and New York before the October auction. Courtesy Christie's

Winkelmann was born on 20 June 1981. [8] He grew up in North Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. His father worked as an electrical engineer, and his mother worked at a senior center. Winkelmann graduated from Purdue University in 2003 majoring in computer science. [9] Art career [ edit ] "Everydays" [ edit ] Small, Zachary (March 4, 2022). "This Time, Beeple Is Trying His Hand at Artwork for Walls". The New York Times . Retrieved May 13, 2022. The digital artist known for NFTs is showing paintings and prints IRL at a Manhattan gallery. Beeple's masterwork: the first purely digital artwork offered at Christie's". Christie's . Retrieved May 16, 2021.

Winkelmann eventually focused on freelance projects for companies like Possible Productions in Los Angeles, which does graphics and animation for live events, including the MTV VMAs and the Super Bowl. (When Shakira walked through digital fire at the Super Bowl, that was Beeple.) He has also, in his words, done “lame” work for Apple but also something for Elon Musk’s SpaceX that was so “friggin’ sweet,” he’d tell you about it if he weren’t subject to a nondisclosure agreement. But he kept up the “Everydays”—for thirteen years now and counting—and he hasn’t missed a single day. Not for his wedding or the birth of his two children or a cross-country move from Appleton, Wisconsin, to Charleston. Villa, Angelica (13 October 2021). "A Collecting Category Emerges: How NFTs Took the Art World By Storm". ARTnews.com . Retrieved 9 November 2021. The series captures a moment in time of one of the great fashion photographers of his generation and the queen of pop. While there's playfulness and campiness, there's also a classical nude study thing going on. I think they resonate across multiple generations,” Himes says.