• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
FinanceCryptocurrency

He sold a piece NFT art for $69 million. Now this digital artist declares the market is a giant ‘bubble’

By
Ros Krasny
Ros Krasny
and
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Ros Krasny
Ros Krasny
and
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 22, 2021, 8:05 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

NFT art is “absolutely” in a bubble, said the digital artist who this month sold a non-fungible token of his piece “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” for an eye-watering $69.3 million.

“I absolutely think it’s a bubble, to be quite honest. I go back to the analogy of the beginning of the internet. There was a bubble. And the bubble burst,” Beeple, whose real name is Mike Winkelmann, said on “Fox News Sunday.”

“But it didn’t wipe out the internet. And so the technology itself is strong enough where I think it’s going to outlive that.”

The record-setting NFT is a collage of images made each day for 13 years. “It’s really something that sort of catalogs both my life over that time and sort of things that have happened in the world over that time,” he said.

Subscribe to The Ledger for expert weekly analysis on fintech’s big stories, delivered free to your inbox.

Winklemann, or Beeple, said watching the conclusion of the Christie’s online auction on March 11 was “very surreal. It sort of jumped from like 27 million to 50 million. It was literally just like a bomb went off in the room.”

The sale was a record for digital art, and catapulted Winklemann to third place on the list of works from a living artist, behind the Jeff Koons sculpture “Rabbit” and and David Hockney’s painting, “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures).”

NFTs are virtual collectibles that use similar technology to that behind cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to create a certificate of ownership over a specific digital file.

The South Carolina artist’s work was purchased by anonymous digital asset investor known as Metakovan, Bloomberg News reported. Christie’s accepted payment in Ether, the world’s second-biggest digital coin, which the artist quickly converted to cold cash.

“By Friday night, the guy — it’s a guy in Singapore — he had the artwork and I had the money,” he said. “$55 million in my bank account. Like, boom, done, the next day.”

More must-read tech coverage from Fortune:

  • Tiger Woods returns to video games, exclusively with Take-Two Interactive
  • Why Russia is cracking down on social media
  • France refuses to block Apple’s big privacy changes
  • The r/WallStreetBets crowd has a new target: Saving gorillas
  • Commentary: To fix the cybersecurity talent shortage, we need smarter product design
About the Authors
By Ros Krasny
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Bloomberg
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Finance

Sea’s Maribank wants to export its Singapore digital banking playbook—first stop, the Philippines
BankingBanks
Sea’s Maribank wants to export its Singapore digital banking playbook—first stop, the Philippines
By Angelica AngAugust 3, 2026
48 minutes ago
Palantir CEO Alex Karp
AIpalantir
Palantir shares jump 13% as U.S. AI demand sends revenue soaring past targets
By Preston ForeAugust 3, 2026
1 hour ago
The Danube is running dry, and Europe’s power grid is suffering as a result
EnvironmentEuropean Union
The Danube is running dry, and Europe’s power grid is suffering as a result
By Justin Spike and The Associated PressAugust 3, 2026
2 hours ago
Conventional vs. FHA home loans: Which is better for you?
Personal Financemortgages
Conventional vs. FHA home loans: Which is better for you?
By Joseph HostetlerAugust 3, 2026
2 hours ago
ph
EconomyRestaurants
The real reason a Pizza Hut frozen in the 1990s still draws crowds isn’t nostalgia
By The ConversationAugust 3, 2026
2 hours ago
Ukraine uses business principles to maximize Russia’s casualties and economic costs, potentially crushing its will to keep fighting, RAND says 
EconomyUkraine invasion
Ukraine uses business principles to maximize Russia’s casualties and economic costs, potentially crushing its will to keep fighting, RAND says 
By Jason MaAugust 3, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

Bars, bowling alleys, and movie theaters cost too much to run and visit. Americans have run out of places to hang out and we're paying with our health
North America
Bars, bowling alleys, and movie theaters cost too much to run and visit. Americans have run out of places to hang out and we're paying with our health
By Catherina GioinoAugust 2, 2026
2 days ago
The labor market could become so backward that the economy will have to shed jobs to keep unemployment steady
Economy
The labor market could become so backward that the economy will have to shed jobs to keep unemployment steady
By Jason MaAugust 1, 2026
2 days ago
As Trump balks again at escalating war, Iran smells ‘blood in the water’ and looks to exploit its newfound strategic advantage, experts say
Middle East
As Trump balks again at escalating war, Iran smells ‘blood in the water’ and looks to exploit its newfound strategic advantage, experts say
By Jason MaAugust 2, 2026
1 day ago
Trump just invoked a 1930 tariff law no president has ever used — against Canada
Commentary
Trump just invoked a 1930 tariff law no president has ever used — against Canada
By Caleb PetittAugust 2, 2026
1 day ago
Sam Altman says a 'cool use case' for ChatGPT is a daily AI podcast about your kids. The replies were brutal
AI
Sam Altman says a 'cool use case' for ChatGPT is a daily AI podcast about your kids. The replies were brutal
By Holly Van Leuven and Morning BrewAugust 3, 2026
11 hours ago
He was homeless at 16. Now he sits on the board of David Beckham's wellness company and his business is about to hit $1 billion in revenue
Success
He was homeless at 16. Now he sits on the board of David Beckham's wellness company and his business is about to hit $1 billion in revenue
By Emma BurleighAugust 2, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.