Rob Prior’s first-ever NFT sets art world on fire
When Mogul Productions and Rob Prior first met to discuss a potential project together, neither knew at the time that it would end this way. And by “this way” we mean with Rob burning his original painting live on camera, unveiling a unique NFT based on the painting, and then watching that NFT sell for 5,500,000 STARS tokens on the Mogul platform.
That’s ~$182,050 USD for those keeping score at home.
Yes, May 27, 2021 marked an historic day not just for blockchain and cryptocurrencies, but for the art world as a whole.
At around 4:30pm PDT, live on Mogul Productions’ YouTube channel, famed Marvel & DC Comics artist Rob Prior unveiled and then burned an original painting of his, so that it could live on forever as a single ERC-1155 NFT (Non-Fungible Token). Mogul calls this the Proof of Origin.
The painting, titled “Reign of Money…. what the f$ck,” was inspired by Wolf of Wall Street.
The event began with the audience watching Prior do what he does best, paint. Known for his live painting shows, he and his brushes (multiple) moved seamlessly to the sounds of classic rock, which grew heavier and louder as he found his groove throughout the night.
Host James Pratt, a globally recognized voice best known for his work in the Australian luxury home auction scene, flawlessly led the audience between several speaker panels and quick updates from Rob.
The esteemed panel of special guest speakers included popular YouTuber Jesse Wellens, Ted Farnsworth of ZASH Global and ex of MoviePass, Jon Karas of Akoin, Joel Comm of Bad Crypto Podcast, and many more. You can read about all the speakers here.
When he wasn’t painting a Deadpool piece for the camera, Rob was unveiling even more of his creations. First up was a Star Wars piece, during which he name-dropped his friend Mark Hamill, aka Luke Skywalker, the subject of the painting.
Next came a special painting depicting Elon Musk, CZ from Binance, and Vitalik Buterin of Ethereum. Why these three specifically? The subject matter of the painting was voted on by holders of Mogul’s STARS token.
Deadpool, Skywalker, and the community-voted painting will all be turned into NFTs and auctioned in the near future. Whether or not the original is burnt to a crisp will be up to the purchaser next time!
On May 28, 2021, just before the clock hit 5:00pm PDT, the final bid came through for 5,500,000 STARS tokens, or ~$182,050 USD. The final selling price for the first ever NFT sold on Mogul’s platform
Immediately after completing the auction, Mogul burned 50% of the total STARS tokens that the NFT sold for. That’s 2,750,000 STARS tokens burned. You can view the transaction here.
Speaking of “burned,” at the beginning of the event Prior appeared both nervous and excited about what he was going to do. So, how did the world-famous artist feel after destroying one of his paintings for the first time in his life?
“It was kind of cathartic,” he said.
