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5,000 days, then $69 million
He started in 2007 with sketches, moved to Photoshop in 2011, and picked up Cinema 4D in 2014, so the work changed as the software did. He had read a book arguing that anyone who does something every day can only get better at it, and he treated that as a plan. People paid attention, made fun of the posts, congratulated him, or jumped against them. Nothing sold.
In 2021, after about 14 years, the first 5,000 days sold for 69 million dollars. He did not slow down. He built a studio and started making work he could not have made before, and he is now one of the most prolific artists alive. All of it is digital.
How does a digital file sell for millions?
The work was sold as a non-fungible token, or NFT, a record on the Ethereum blockchain that points to a specific digital file and names its owner. Christie's auctioned it in March 2021, and bidding opened at 100 dollars before closing at about 69.3 million dollars with fees. The buyer received the token rather than exclusive access to the image, which anyone can still view online. Christie's accepted cryptocurrency payment for the sale.
Why did artists adopt Cinema 4D?
Cinema 4D is 3D software made by the German company Maxon. It became a staple of motion graphics and broadcast design thanks to its MoGraph toolset, which makes it easy to clone and animate many objects at once. It was also widely praised for being easier to learn than rival 3D programs, which drew illustrators moving into 3D. Maxon became part of the Nemetschek Group in 2021.
How did the sale change the art world?
Christie's said it was the first purely digital artwork offered by a major auction house with an NFT attached. According to Christie's, the result placed the artist among the three most valuable living artists at auction, behind Jeff Koons and David Hockney. Other auction houses followed with their own digital art sales later in 2021.
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