The great Pablo Picasso is joining the NFT boom — or at least his work is.
Picasso's granddaughter Marina Picasso and her son Florian Picasso will release 1,010 nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, of a painted ceramic bowl previously unseen by the public.
The legendary abstract artist died in 1973, but his work will continue to populate the art world via NFT.
"We're trying to build a bridge between the NFT world and the fine art world," Florian Picasso told The Associated Press.
The family hasn't unveiled the full piece yet — online sales of the NFTs will open Friday on the platforms Nifty Gateway and Origin Protocol.
Sotheby will host an auction in March to sell the physical bowl. The Picassos have shared images of only the underside of the piece, which dates to 1958, Marina Picasso said.
"It's a work that represents a face, and it's very expressive," she said. "It's joyful, happy. It represents life. ... It's one of those objects that have been a part of our life, our intimate lives — my life with my children."
The Picasso family said they want to reach a younger generation of fans of the artist. They plan to donate some of the proceeds: One part will go to an organization that works to overcome the nursing shortage, and the other will go to an organization working to reduce carbon in the atmosphere.
Those who buy the NFT will also receive music by Florian Picasso, a DJ and music producer. John Legend and Nas contributed to the music, which also hasn't been fully released to the public yet.
"Everything is evolving," Florian Picasso said. "I think it fits within Picasso's legacies, because we are paying tribute to him and his way of working, which was always being creative."
