“NFT is an international scam” by David Hockney, a global painter

The British newspaper The Times reported that David Hockney, 83, a world-renowned painter, referred to Biffle’s NFT work, which was sold for 78 billion won at a Christie auction, as “silly”. According to The Times, in an interview with art critic Waldemar Januszczak and Bendy’ Grosvenor, the art podcast’The Adventures of Worldy and Bandy’, Hockney said, “I really understand NFT art. I can’t,” he said.

At the Christie’s auction in New York on the 11th of last month, Biffle refers to the situation in which an unknown artist’s work was sold for $69.3 million and about 78 billion won. At this auction, Biffle’s “Everydays: The First 5000days” was sold at the third most expensive price after Jeff Koons and David Hockney, a work of a living artist, and attracted attention.

NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is a digital asset with a unique password given to an object, and NFT Art refers to a digital asset of a work using this technology. This digital work, which proves to be the only original (original) in the world by blockchain technology, is issued only in the form of Ethereum tokens and is bought and sold in cryptocurrency. The winning bid for Biffle’s work is a collage made of photos that have been posted online for the past 13 years, and the buyer paid for the digital file of the work in cryptocurrency and bought it.

Hockney termed the people leading the NFT phenomenon these days as “ICS, or International crooks and swindlers.” “I saw reports about the NFT, but it wasn’t interesting at all,” he said. “What do they own after all?” Hockney also said, “NFT art makes no sense. Isn’t it something you can lose someday on your computer?” “I saw Biffle’s work and it looked stupid. In fact, I couldn’t figure out what it was.” “I’m not looking for money (through my work),” said Hockney.

Hockney’s painting’Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)’ was sold for $90.3 million at Christie’s auction in November 2018. At that time, it was about 102 billion won, including a fee, in Korean currency, which is alive. The record was the highest for the artist’s work.

The Times said, “Hockney is also an artist who works digitally.

Eunjoo Lee, Senior Reporter of Culture [email protected]