Looking to make someone (or just yourself) happy this yuletide holiday? Give the gift of crypto art.
As part of the launch of this year’s “Most Influential People in Crypto” list, CoinDesk is auctioning off 12 original artworks featuring the honorees.
The list includes Juan Benet (who launched Filecoin this year), Andre Cronje (a prime mover in the emergence of decentralized finance) and Amiti Uttarwar (the first female Bitcoin Core developer).
CoinDesk also recognizes Balaji Srinivasan for early and prescient calls to take COVID-19 seriously; Linda Lacewell, the head of the New York State Department of Financial Services, for an open approach to crypto regulation; Michael Saylor, who started the trend of listed companies buying bitcoin for treasury management; and Kraken co-founder Jesse Powell, for winning a banking license in Wyoming.
Read more: The Most Influential People in Crypto 2020
Also recognized: Zhou Xiaochuan (the “father of the digital yuan”), Cathie Wood, Bitcoin Protesters, Hayden Adams and Charles Cascarilla.
The NFTs were created by the following leading digital artists: Alotta Money, XCopy, Osinachi, Matt Kane, Sarah Zucker, Yonat Vaks and Olive Allen.
NFT platforms are auctioning the art now on Nifty Gateway (until Dec. 31) and Super Rare (Matt Kane: the end of this week). The artists have agreed to donate 50% of the proceeds to charities (of their choice) working with cryptocurrency donations company The Giving Block.
CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2020 list honors 12 people who defined the year in crypto and blockchain, who come from all quarters of the crypto and Web3 universe.
How the art auction works
Collectors will be able to bid on 12 unique 1-of-1 portraits of this year’s honorees.
Proceeds of the auction will go to charities including the Rainforest Foundation, No Kid Hungry, The Bail Project, Gamers Outreach, International Medical Corps, She’s the First and SOS Children’s Villages.
“We’re thrilled to be a part of this year’s Most Influential series, giving collectors the opportunity to own a unique piece of digital art that looks back on a historical year for the crypto industry while giving back to the community around them,” said Nifty Gateway co-founder Duncan Cock Foster.
“The NFT community has been incredibly generous when it comes to supporting amazing causes. Our first few NFT auctions have raised a combined $50,000+ for participating nonprofits. We’re excited to be working with the Nifty Gateway and CoinDesk team again to raise money for seven great causes,” said Alex Wilson, co-founder, The Giving Block.
