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Bragging rights - The ownership of original, one-of-a-kind or authentic pieces of art (from songs to paintings, videos to virtual items of clothing) is a large part of what fuels this new market. Think of how popular celebrity items are at auctions in real life.

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But it's also about art in the digital realm -

As more of our world shifts into the virtual arena, NFTs pose an interesting question about digital art and authenticity, about ownership of digital content, and more. They present a way for creators to make money on digital art that could be duplicated or shared online for free.

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Madonna -

Madonna created a series of NFTs in collaboration with the famous digital artist Michael Winkelmann, better known as Beeple, in May 2022. As you might expect from the Queen of Pop, the three pieces were quick to spark controversy. They depict a graphic, three-dimensional view of Madonna giving birth to a series of objects including a tree, a butterfly, and even robot insects. Online critics were quick to criticize the bold imagery, with one tabloid calling it a “a filthy attention grab." Madonna spoke out in defense of the series, stating that she's simply exhibiting “what women have been doing since the beginning of time, which is giving birth.” Proceeds from the sales of the NFTs will be donated to nonprofit organizations that help women and children.  

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Justin Bieber -

Justin Bieber purchased a Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT for US$1.29 million, which he shared on his Instagram on January 31 along with lyrics from his song 'Lonely.' The BAYC #3001 features a cartoon ape in a black T-shirt with tears in its eyes, but many fans were confused at why Bieber paid such an eye-watering price. The pop star purchased the NFT for 500 ethereum cryptocurrency, which Page Six reports is the equivalent to US$1.29 million. The estimated value of the NFT, however, was just US$208,237 as of January 29, 2022. That means the 27-year-old bought the NFT for around 300% above its valued price. People took to social media to ridicule Bieber for his unnecessary splurging. "Justin Bieber really paid 5x the Bored Ape floor price for an ape with no rare traits. He just got finessed,” one person tweeted. "Next time you think you’re down bad, just remember that @justinbieber just bought a floor ape for 500 ETH,” another added. This isn't his first NFT, however, as Bieber has reportedly purchased 619 NFTs from 49 different collections.

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Stan Lee -

In honor of what would have been the late Stan Lee’s 99th birthday on December 28, 2021, his digital estate announced via Lee's official Twitter account that they would be promoting likenesses of both the Marvel legend and Marvel's first superhero of Indian descent, Chakra the Invincible, in NFT form. “From championing diversity to embracing new tech, Stan was 1 step ahead of the curve," the tweet read, though fans were not so convinced. "Can't believe Stan Lee came back from the dead just to promote an NFT," one tweet with over 84,000 likes read. Even better, however, was a reply from Dictionary.com with more than 166,000 likes, which simply said: “The verb ‘defile’ was first recorded in 1275–1325, and comes from the Old French word ‘defouler,’ meaning ‘to trample on, violate.’" Marvel fans criticized the way Lee's legacy was being used so shamelessly.

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Quentin Tarantino -

'Pulp Fiction' is getting the NFT treatment as Quentin Tarantino announced that he’s putting seven uncut scenes from his famous film up for auction as Secret NFTs on OpenSea, which is the world's largest NFT marketplace. Secret NFTs are “enhanced with privacy and access control features to create hidden content and experiences” and “give the choice to the owner between publicly displaying ownership or keeping it secret,” says the press release, as per Dazed magazine. The never-before-seen clips include the uncut first handwritten scripts for the film, as well as commentary from Tarantino, revealing secrets about the film and its creator. 

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Andy Warhol -

A collection of five previously unavailable artworks called 'Amiga,' created on Warhol's Commodore’s Amiga 1000 computer in 1985, sold for a record-breaking amount at auction as NFTs. The works (two self-portraits, a picture of his signature flower, a banana, and his iconic Campbell’s Soup can) were processed from floppy disks and minted by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visible Arts before they sold at Christie’s for a staggering US$3.38 million.

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The Britney-Madonna kiss -

The famous shot of Madonna kissing Britney Spears on stage at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards got the NFT treatment. Hollywood photographer John Shearer is responsible for the widely shared photo of their iconic kiss, and he auctioned it through Cryptograph, but for a good cause. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will benefit the LGBTQ+ non-governmental media monitoring organization GLAAD. 

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Paris Hilton -

Paris Hilton has a legacy of setting trends and a knack for getting ahead of them, so it's no surprise she auctioned her first NFT (a drawing of her cat) back in August 2020. She donated the proceeds of the 40 Ethereum coins to charity. Then, in collaboration with designer Blake Kathryn, Hilton created a series of three unique pieces, titled 'Hummingbird in My Metaverse,' 'Legend of Love,' and 'Iconic Crypto Queen.'

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Paris Hilton -

As of April 2021, Hilton sold the entire collection for around US$1.1 million. When asked about her interest in NFTs, Hilton stated that she is deeply invested in the new media as a space for new creations, and praised its democratization of art.

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Emily Ratajkowski -

On May 14, 2021, Emily Ratajkowski auctioned off an NFT titled 'Buying Myself Back' to reclaim the Instagram photo of herself that artist Richard Prince appropriated for his 'New Portraits' series in 2014, for which she and her boyfriend had paid a cool US$81,000.

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Emily Ratajkowski -

The composite image shows the model standing in front of the blown-up Richard Prince “artwork” of her Instagram post in her living room. She wrote on Instagram: “NFTs carry the potential to allow women ongoing control over their image and the ability to receive rightful compensation for its usage and distribution.”

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Grimes -

Experimental pop musician Grimes, partner to Elon Musk, embraced the nature of NFTs and created 10 pieces of futurist, extraterrestrial, ethereal art, some with thousands of copies and some one-of-a-kind, and auctioned them off.

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Grimes -

She sold them through Nifty Gateway and earned around US$6 million in less than 20 minutes! Her highest-selling piece, 'Death of the Old,' sold for nearly US$389,000.

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Lindsay Lohan -

Lindsay Lohan sold her first NFT on Rarible for US$57,290 in February 2021, and has since released a single called 'Lullaby' in collaboration with DJ Manual Riva as an NFT as well. She has praised NFTs for enabling better copyright claims for creators.

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Lindsay Lohan -

The electronic song ‘Lullaby’ and its accompanying visuals were auctioned off for upwards of US$85,000 on FansForever. Lohan stated that she predicts that the future of entertainment will be rooted in blockchain technology.

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Snoop Dogg -

Snoop Dogg announced his first NFT collection in late March 2021. It’s titled 'A Journey with the Dogg,' and is a culmination of the rapper’s early memories in NFT form. The collection included eight pieces available in limited quantities, including original tracks 'NFT,' 'Snoop Doge Coins,' and 'Diamond Joint.'

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Snoop Dogg -

The auction lasted 48 hours and garnered over US$100,000 for just one of the pieces sold. A portion of the proceeds were donated to Snoop's Youth Football League. An established supporter of Doge coin, the rapper has been vocal about exploring how art has moved from analog to digital, and how technology will change the way artists do business.

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Jack Dorsey -

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey pushed the envelope a little further when he turned his first tweet into an NFT in March 2021. The 15-year-old tweet, posted in March 2006, simply said “just setting up my twttr,” but ended up making him a whopping US$2.9 million through the NFT platform Valuables.

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Jack Dorsey -

Dorsey stated that all proceeds would be donated to GiveDirectly, a charity helping those in poverty and aiding in COVID-19 response in Africa.

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Ellen DeGeneres -

Ellen DeGeneres hopped on the NFT bandwagon in late April 2021, auctioning off her explanation of NFTs on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ along with a physically drawn picture of a cat that was featured in the video clip.

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Ellen DeGeneres -

The auction was open for 24 hours, and earned the talk show US$33,495, which she then donated to the World Central Kitchen, the food-relief organization founded by Chef José Andrés.

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Steve Aoki -

It wasn’t a far jump for DJ Steve Aoki to move from electronic music to electronic collectibles. In March 2021, he partnered with creative director and 3D visual artist Antonio Tudisco to create 'Dream Catcher,' a piece that also came with physical copies, which earned more than US$4.25 million.

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Steve Aoki -

Aoki then partnered with motivational speaker Tom Bileus to launch the 'Neon Future' NFT set, which includes a sci-fi comic created by digital artist Maciej Kyciara and which went live on Nifty Gateway on April 27, 2021. Aoki has stated that he has always been a passionate collector, and now he can combine art, music, and collectible culture into one realm.

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Cara Delevingne -

Cara Delevingne made a pointed statement about female empowerment with her NFT collaboration with artist Chemical X, which showed the model naked and reading a poem about her vagina and notions of ownership.

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Cara Delevingne -

All the proceeds of her one-of-a-kind NFT were donated to Delevingne’s foundation that supports vulnerable women around the world.

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Shawn Mendes -

Canadian musician Shawn Mendes collaborated with Genies—a company that creates digital avatars for numerous celebrities— to sell unique wearables on the NFT marketplace OpenSea.

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Shawn Mendes -

Those one-of-a-kind NFTs incorporated Mendes's signature Fender guitar, gold ring, and embellished vest. They fetched more than US$600,000, and Mendes donated his proceeds to the Shawn Mendes Foundation Wonder Grants, designed to help young activists with big ideas.

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Eminem - In late April 2021, Eminem shared his first NFT collection titled 'Shady Con,' which took the form of a digital festival that gave fans the chance to own an NFT collectible through Nifty Gateway. It featured comic books, trading cards, action figures, and original music.

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Eminem -

The one-of-a-kind tracks included original instrumental beats made by Eminem himself, and the auction raised almost US$1.8 million. The rapper has spoken about his love for collectibles as a young boy and said he was happy to now participate in creating collectibles.

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Kate Moss -

Kate Moss joined the NFT craze with a very avant-garde piece: a video of herself sleeping. 'Sleep with Kate,' which gives an intimate look at the model, shows how crypto art and digital ownership can empower women’s ownership of their own image.

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Kate Moss -

The supermodel made US$17,000 from the NFT, and donated the proceeds to nonprofit organization Gurls Talk, which is dedicated to girls’ mental health.

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William Shatner -

William Shatner was an early NFT enthusiast and started minting digital trading cards (NFT packs) back in July 2020. The cards, about 125,000 NFTs in total, featured images of his life and career.

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William Shatner -

A 25-card pack only cost US$25, but the rarer cards were sold for around $6,800. The resale value, however, is higher now. William Shatner has spoken about blockchains representing the future.

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Kings of Leon -

American rock band Kings of Leon changed the game by selling their new album ‘When You See Yourself' as an NFT, marking a music industry first and earning an impressive US$2 million in sales. The sale also featured moving album covers and front row concert tickets.

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Tony Hawk -

Legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk turned a video of himself performing a 540-degree Ollie—a trick he first landed in 1989—into an NFT and marketed it as the “last ollie” he’d ever do.

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Tony Hawk -

The clip, announced in mid-May 2021, is going to be auctioned on NFT marketplace Ethernity Chain. It’s uncertain how many editions will be available, but it’s sure to fetch a high price.

Sources: (L'Officiel) (CoinsCapture) (Art Rights) (Harper's Bazaar)

See also: These celebrities all invested in cryptocurrency

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