BTC
$104,975.98
-
2.72%
ETH
$2,623.02
-
4.01%
USDT
$1.0003
+
0.01%
XRP
$2.1928
-
3.92%
BNB
$669.55
-
2.26%
SOL
$163.56
-
4.90%
USDC
$0.9998
+
0.01%
DOGE
$0.2047
-
8.58%
TRX
$0.2698
-
2.32%
ADA
$0.7014
-
6.34%
SUI
$3.4378
-
5.25%
HYPE
$32.34
-
5.73%
LINK
$14.55
-
7.71%
AVAX
$21.54
-
9.05%
XLM
$0.2720
-
4.34%
LEO
$9.1186
+
0.64%
TON
$3.2547
-
2.00%
BCH
$405.59
-
3.99%
SHIB
$0.0₄1341
-
6.78%
HBAR
$0.1752
-
5.33%
Logo
  • News
  • Prices
  • Data
  • Indices
  • Research
  • Events
  • Sponsored
  • Sign In
  • Sign Up
Layer2
Share this article
X iconX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmail

CoinDesk ‘Most Influential’ Artists Sell Charity NFTs for 50 ETH

They will donate up to 20% of the $200,000 (so far) in sales to charity, in association with The Giving Block.

By CoinDesk
Updated May 11, 2023, 5:16 p.m. Published Dec 23, 2021, 1:50 p.m.
(CoinDesk)
(CoinDesk)

CoinDesk’s annual “Most Influential” list recognizes the extraordinary people who defined the year in crypto. And to do their stories justice, we illustrate them with a range of striking original portraits.

Each December we pick the subjects of these profiles through a reader survey and editorial deliberations, hoping to represent the full breadth of the crypto industry.

See also: CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2021

This year’s list featured the likes of Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX, Gary Gensler of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and Trung Nguyen of the Axie Infinity gaming phenom. It also had Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) who fought for crypto in the U.S. Congress, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who, like him or not, showed how tweeting can move markets.

The artists

CoinDesk asked 10 artists to create portraits of the top honorees. We wanted these artists to interpret these pioneers, many of whose images are well known.

The artists took varied approaches.

For his portrait of Bankman-Fried, Pindar Van Arman used a robot “cloud painting” machine to make thousands of minute strokes on a canvas.

(Pindar Van Arman/CoinDesk)
(Pindar Van Arman/CoinDesk)

For “The Melancholic Seer,” an animation of Elon Musk, Federico Solmi used a mixture of 3D rendering, painting and motion capture to create a whimsical look at the space pioneer and huge DOGE fan.

(Federico Solmi/CoinDesk)
(Federico Solmi/CoinDesk)

“I wanted to represent him as a great thinker but at the same time in a costume,” Solmi told CoinDesk TV, explaining his process. “He’s like Frederick Nietzsche, a very involved thinker. But then a spaceship leaves Earth, and he becomes like a child.”

Inspired by “Wonder Woman,” Gisel X Florez represented Cynthia Lummis as she’s probably never been represented before.

And Skygolpe did away with Gary Gensler’s face entirely, leaving it to viewers to decide whether the SEC chair is a friend of the crypto industry, or something else.

(Sky Golpe)
(Sky Golpe)

As well as showing their work as part of our package, these artists sold non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of their work on platforms such as SuperRare and Foundation. The artists have collectively raised about 50 ETH so far (about $200,000 at current prices), with roughly 20% of that going to charities of their choice.

CoinDesk thanks our NFT platform partners and The Giving Block, which facilitated the donations.

“We are thankful to partner with CoinDesk to offer the creator community a way to give back to charities and causes they care about while advancing crypto adoption and NFTs as a cultural medium,” said Duke Kim, The Giving Block’s director of crypto partnerships.

Check out the entire Most Influential 2021 list of 50 people who impacted crypto this year.

Most Influential 2021FeaturesElon MuskCynthia LummisCharitiesNFTs
CoinDesk

CoinDesk is the world leader in news, prices and information on bitcoin and other digital currencies.

We cover news and analysis on the trends, price movements, technologies, companies and people in the bitcoin and digital currency world.

CoinDesk
Latest Crypto News
Article image

Bitcoin Whales Seem to Be Calling a Top as BTC Price Consolidates

17 hours ago

Bitcoin (BTC) price on May 19 (CoinDesk)

Bitcoin Climbs to $105K; Crypto ETF Issuer Sees 35% Upside

17 hours ago

Breaking News

Breaking New test

21 hours ago

FastNews (CoinDesk)

Fast News test

21 hours ago

Article image

Ethereum Surges 4% on Massive Volume as Institutional Interest Grows.

May 27, 2025

Article image

test research article

May 22, 2025

Top Stories
President Donald Trump (TheDigitalArtist/Pixabay)

Bitcoin Poised to Top Record as Trump Inauguration Nears, Major Coins Due for 10% Swings: Traders

Jan 16, 2025

SHIB-USD 1-month chart shows 24.57% gain ending at $0.00004146 on May 15

Shiba Inu (SHIB) Price Drops 7% in 24 Hours but Remains Up 25% Over the Past Month

May 15, 2025

(CJ/Unsplash)

XRP Futures Start Trading on CME

May 19, 2025

Tax sign (The New York Public Library/Unsplash)

Crypto Capital Gains and Tax Rates 2022

Nov 14, 2022

Swap

Atomic Swaps: What Are They & How Do They Work?

Jan 11, 2024

Bitcoin (BTC) price on May 19 (CoinDesk)

Bitcoin Climbs to $105K; Crypto ETF Issuer Sees 35% Upside

17 hours ago

Only 2 articles remaining this month.

Sign up for free

About

  • About Us
  • Masthead
  • Careers
  • CoinDesk News
  • Crypto API Documentation

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Accessibility
  • Advertise
  • Sitemap
  • System Status
DISCLOSURE & POLICES
CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.
EthicsPrivacyTerms of UseCookie SettingsDo Not Sell My Info

© 2025 CoinDesk, Inc.
X icon
Sign Up
  • News
    Back to menu
    News
    • Markets
    • Finance
    • Tech
    • Policy
    • Focus
  • Prices
    Back to menu
    Prices
    • Data
      Back to menu
      Data
      • Trade Data
      • Derivatives
      • Order Book Data
      • On-Chain Data
      • API
      • Research & Insights
      • Data Catalogue
      • AI & Machine Learning
    • Indices
      Back to menu
      Indices
      • Multi-Asset Indices
      • Reference Rates
      • Strategies and Services
      • API
      • Insights & Announcements
      • Documentation & Governance
    • Research
      Back to menu
      Research
      • Events
        Back to menu
        Events
        • Consensus Hong Kong
        • Consensus 2026
        • CoinDesk: Policy & Regulation
      • Sponsored
        Back to menu
        Sponsored
        • Thought Leadership
        • Press Releases
        • CoinW
        • MEXC
        • Phemex
        • Advertise
      • Videos
        Back to menu
        Videos
        • CoinDesk Daily
        • Shorts
        • Editor's Picks
      • Podcasts
        Back to menu
        Podcasts
        • CoinDesk Podcast Network
        • Markets Daily
        • Gen C
        • Unchained with Laura Shin
        • The Mining Pod
      • Newsletters
        Back to menu
        Newsletters
        • The Node
        • Crypto Daybook Americas
        • State of Crypto
        • Crypto Long & Short
        • Crypto for Advisors
      • Webinars & Events
        Back to menu
        Webinars & Events
        • Consensus 2025
        • Policy & Regulation Conference
      Select Language
      English enEspañol esFilipino filFrançais frItaliano itPortuguês pt-brРусский ruУкраїнська uk