Damien Hirst, the British artist, and printmaker HENI Leviathan have announced the release of a print run of eight Hirst paintings, which will be available for purchase with the cryptocurrencies Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH).
The report stated:
“For the first time, both HENI Leviathan and the artist Damien Hirst will be accepting Cryptocurrency for payment of editions, payments can be made by either Bitcoin or ether, as well as by credit or debit card.”
It has been reported that the prints are available right now, which has been started from February 25 and will sell through March 3.
However, Hirst, whose work has been displayed in the Museum of Modern Art, spoke of the decision to accept digital currencies as an act of faith in the ecosystem.
He said:
“It’s hard for any of us to trust anything in this life but somehow we manage it and we even find love and I love art and I love the crypto world and I am happy and proud to put my belief into Bitcoin and ether and accept them for this drop.”
Likewise, HENI Leviathan accepting cryptocurrency payments is also a sign of growing adoption from the institutional art world, as the printmaker is among the most widely respected among fine artists and collectors and has featured runs from other artists of historical significance such as Gerhard Richter.
Crypto continues its invasion of the fine art world: British art icon Damien Hirst will be accepting $BTC and $ETH for his latest print run. @Blockanalia reports. https://t.co/oOBGsblm3y — Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) February 25, 2021
It has been analyzed that the Hirst paintings in this run are inspired by the Eight Virtues of Bushido: “Justice, Courage, Mercy, Politeness, Honesty, Honour, Loyalty, Control.” Hirst has been chronicling his process in creating them on his Instagram page, and he says that the paintings “are about beauty and life and death” — themes and forces he frequently explores in his work.
Thus, Hirst said:
“They’re about desire and how we process love and why we need it, but also these prints are about the momentary, the insane transience of beauty — a tree in full crazy blossom against a clear blue sky. How can you argue with that?”
Source: Cointelegraph