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A Russian artist who previously created a series of NFTs depicting a bloodsoaked Vladimir Putin says he will destroy Picasso, Rembrandt, and Warhol masterpieces worth $45 million if WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange dies in prison. Andrei Molodkin’s art project ‘Dead Man’s Switch’ has seen him gather 16 famous artworks in a 29-tonne safe along with two barrels filled with an “extremely corrosive” substance. After 24 hours the barrels are rigged to destroy the art. Only when “someone close” to Assange confirms daily that he is still alive will the timer be reset and the acid kept at bay. If Assange is freed, the art will return to its owners.  The project is inspired by Assange’s fight against his extradition to the US where he is charged under the Espionage Act and will make his final appeal next week. If unsuccessful, his supporters say he could face 175 years in prison .  Sketches of the vault storing the artwork by Andrei Molodkin, s...

NFTs might never boom at quite the same pitch they once did. With his first solo show in 25 years, Kenny Schachter sought to demonstrate how that’s a good thing. With crypto in a state of turbulent flux, a demographic of nonfungible token (NFT) detractors in the fine art world might feel trigger-happy to, at last, declare the industry down for the count.  Meanwhile, artist, critic, dealer, educator and outspoken NFT proponent Kenny Schachter is celebrating the conclusion of Slow Food — his first New York City art exhibition in 25 years — at The NFT Gallery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, fresh off the heels of headlining NFT Art Day ZRH in Zurich, Switzerland, coinciding with the iconic annual Art Basel art fair, less than 50 miles away. In June 2022, Schachter had just presented the first-ever NFT booth wall at Art Basel with Galerie Nagle Draxler, expanding the acceptance of NFTs just before profile pictures became the face of their demise. Soon after, Schachter was spotted among th...

Pokémon Company International has taken an Australian company to court over advertising an unlicensed NFT-based Pokémon game and HSBC has filed for a host of NFT and Metaverse trademarks. NFT-friendly Japanese gaming giant Square Enix has invested 7 billion yen ($52.7 million) into game developer Gumi to create “high-quality” mobile games, blockchain games and a Metaverse initiative, among other things. Gumi mobile games: Gumi According to a translation of the press release, the partnership will help Gumi tap certain intellectual property from Square Enix, while it has also teased that the duo could be teaming up for a game-NFT-focused marketplace. “We are already considering the establishment of a platform dedicated to blockchain games and an NFT marketplace, etc. Through collaboration between the two companies, we will provide a one-stop service from the development and distribution of blockchain games to the sale and distribution of tokens and NFTs.” The company also outlined plan...