Damien Hirst torches £10m original artworks after selling them as NFTs
Celebrated British artist Damien Hirst has gone ahead with plans to burn some of his own physical works of art after selling digital versions of the pieces as non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
As part of his ‘Currency’ exhibition at London’s Newport Street Gallery, the 57-year-old sold a series of prints as NFTs after telling buyers he would be destroying the original pieces by setting fire to them.
Commenting on the burning, the Yorkshire artist said: “I think they’re just an important part of our world, NFTs, of course people, some people, are going to think these are a waste of materials but some people think other people are a waste of space.”
It’s understood the burned works were worth around £10 million.
Each painting – enamel on handmade paper – was created in 2016 and given a random, computer-generated title based on Leeds-raised Hirst’s favourite song lyrics.
Before tossing them onto a stylish firepit at the gallery, the artist showed their authenticity – timestamp, signature, watermark and hologram – to a camera as he read out the name of each item.
The exhibition runs at the Newport Street Gallery in Vauxhall until October 30.