Since 2021, NFTs (non-fungible token) have conquered the public and the (art)world with headlines found its way into international headlines. The sale of Everydays: The First 5000 Days has made Beeple the third most valuable living artist, behind Jeff Koons and David Hockney, displacing Gerhard Richter from the Top 3.
Kolja Reichert, art critic and curator, critically questions in one of his articles the most expensive illustrator and thereby points to a significant problem. The crypto market, originally part of online trading, had until then mainly dealt with sports trading cards, fan merchandise and products from the gaming industry. With the entry of NFTs into the traditional auction system, the collective name "NFT art" has formed, without quality standards, entry barriers, or criticism.
Based on this problem, this Bachelor thesis deals with the overarching question of what makes an NFT creator an artist and how does this concept of an artist relate to historical concepts of artists. To answer these questions, case studies of two NFTs will be conducted. While their producers have very different artistic backgrounds, both NFTs were auctioned at renowned auction houses in 2021.
Starting from the overarching question, these two examples will be used to examine whether the work can be related to historical concepts of artists, to what extent NFT technology has created a new concept of the artist, and if there are features outside of NFT technology that connect these two artworks.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. NFT (related) art
2.1. Non-fungible token – NFT
2.2. Differentiation of NFT (related) art
2.3. Dread Scott and his NFT related artwork White Male For Sale
2.4. Beeple and his NFT related artwork Everydays: The First 5000 Days
3. Concept of the artist in a historical perspective
3.1. The influence of technical inventions on art in a historical perspective
3.2. Concepts of artists in a historical perspective
3.3. Dread Scott in the context of historical concepts of artists
3.4. Beeple in the context of historical concepts of artists
4. NFT related art in a critical view
4.1. The original purpose of the link between art and NFTs
4.2. Opportunities and limitations for artists producing NFT related art
4.3. Decentralization vs. Recentralization
4.3.1 Historic perspective on centralization in the art ecosystem
4.3.2 Attempts of decentralization via blockchain
4.4. NFT related art market and price mechanisms
4.4.1 Motives and drivers behind the market for NFT related art
4.4.2 Speculative aspect of buying NFT related art
4.5. Ecological impact of NFT related artworks
4.6. Impact of NFT related artworks on the art ecosystem
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Topics
The primary objective of this thesis is to explore the definition of an NFT creator as an artist and to examine how contemporary notions of the artist relate to historical art-historical concepts. Through the analysis of two distinct case studies, the work investigates whether NFT technology has fundamentally redefined the artist's role or if it merely repackages established historical paradigms within a digital and speculative framework.
- Analysis of the relationship between NFT technology and historical art concepts.
- Case studies on the differing approaches of Dread Scott and Beeple.
- Critical investigation of the NFT art market, speculation, and economic drivers.
- Evaluation of the ecological impact and potential for decentralization within the art ecosystem.
Excerpt from the Book
2.3. Dread Scott and his NFT related artwork White Male For Sale
The first artist and his NFT related artwork were chosen for this case study because unlike other NFT related artworks Dread Scott does not just tokenize a digital file of his artwork, but it becomes integral part of the whole artistic concept.
Scott Tyler, known as an artist under the adopted name Dread Scott, was already a visual artist before the NFT hype met the art world. His works have been included in exhibitions as MoMA PS1 and international Galleries and are presented in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum, The National Gallery of Art and the Brooklyn Museum as well. He works with a range of media from performance to installation, video and photography as well as printmaking and painting. His work focuses on the experience of African Americans in contemporary America.
With his conceptual artwork White Male For Sale Scott produced his first NFT related artwork in 2021. The NFT is linked to the file of a perpetually looped video of a white male person on an auction block in a black neighborhood in Brooklyn and incorporates a live auction of the NFT video. This artwork connects the term “fungible” as found in NFT with its use by scholars of the history of slavery. People, inherently non-fungible, were made fungible by enslavers all over the world and were sold at auction. The title refers to common advertisements announcing “Negros for sale”. With the seamlessly looping video Scott creates the illusion of an action that is going on in perpetuity and questions the whole history of slavery, capitalism and the ideology of white supremacy.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the research focus on the definition of an NFT artist and sets the stage for comparing different artistic backgrounds within the NFT space.
2. NFT (related) art: Defines the technological foundations of NFTs and provides case studies of Dread Scott and Beeple to highlight varying artistic content.
3. Concept of the artist in a historical perspective: Examines how technological shifts historically influenced art, placing contemporary NFT creators into a long-standing discourse of artistic development.
4. NFT related art in a critical view: Discusses the market mechanisms, ecological consequences, and the debate surrounding decentralization versus recentralization in the digital art economy.
5. Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, arguing that NFT technology has not created a new concept of the artist but rather utilizes and adapts historical concepts.
Keywords
NFT, NFT related art, blockchain, art market, artistical concept, conceptual art, decentralization, digital art, provenance, speculation, Beeple, Dread Scott, art history, ecological impact, ownership
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this thesis?
The work examines what defines an "NFT creator" as an artist and how this contemporary phenomenon connects to historical concepts of the artist.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Central themes include the intersection of blockchain technology and art, the nature of artistic value, market speculation, and the ongoing historical discourse regarding the role of the artist.
What is the fundamental research question?
It asks whether NFT technology has generated an entirely new concept of the artist or if it relies on and reinterprets historical artistic paradigms.
What methodology does the author employ?
The thesis utilizes case studies of two prominent NFT producers with different artistic backgrounds—Dread Scott and Beeple—to compare their approaches in relation to historical art movements.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main sections provide a definition of NFT-related art, a historical overview of artist concepts, a critical evaluation of market mechanisms, and an analysis of the environmental impact of blockchain technology.
Which keywords best describe this research?
Key terms include NFT-related art, blockchain, conceptual art, art market, ownership, provenance, and the historical concept of the artist.
How does the work distinguish between Dread Scott and Beeple?
The author contrasts Scott, a established conceptual artist, with Beeple, a designer whose rise to prominence is deeply tied to the specific emergence of the NFT hype.
Does the author conclude that NFTs have revolutionized the art market?
The thesis suggests that while NFTs provide new logistical tools for provenance and digital distribution, they generally perpetuate existing power structures and market behaviors rather than creating a radical new art movement.
- Quote paper
- Lisa Wolf (Author), 2023, NFT related art and the concept of the artist in a historical perspective, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1402410
