Mike Winklemann, known as Beeple, is an American digital artist. Also known as a NFT and crypto influencer, he currently has a net worth of approximately $50 million.
Beeple Origins
Born on May 20, 1981, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Beeple's early career took him on a different path. He pursued computer science at Purdue University and worked as an electrical engineer. While balancing a full-time job, his passion for digital art emerged as a hobby.
Now residing in North Charleston, South Carolina, Beeple leads a life enriched by family, with a spouse and two children by his side.
The "Everydays" Project
Beeple's standout achievement is his "Everydays" project.
Source: CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD
This venture saw him creating a new piece of digital art every day for over 13 years, commencing on May 1, 2007, and culminating on January 7, 2021.
It became a platform for style experimentation, thematic exploration, and skill development, amassing a considerable online following.
WATCH: Beeple interviewed on his Everydays project
Influenced by artist Tom Judd's daily drawing project, you can see how Beeple's art has evolved through the years, traversing various styles, mediums, and software like Adobe Illustrator and Cinema 4D.
In fact, you can see each individual image in Beeple's Instagram feed.
Everydays NFT Sale
This particular project, "Everydays: The First 5000 Days," was auctioned at Christie's London, and was acquired for an astounding $69.3 million by Indian crypto investor Vignesh Sundaresan.
This marked a historic high in NFT sales. Today this record remains unbroken for physical NFT sales.
Beeple's Net Worth
With a current estimated net worth of $50 million, Beeple's fortune primarily stems from his digital art and NFTs. His foray into NFT auctions commenced on Nifty Gateway in 2020.
Beeple's recorded holdings by Arkham Intel in the form of cryptocurrency (not including NFTs) currently stand at $1.4 million as of time of publishing.
Among his early NFTs, "Crossroad," a commentary on the 2020 U.S. presidential election, made headlines by selling for $6.6 million in February 2021.
Beeple Collaborations
Beyond his individual ventures, Beeple has collaborated with a range of brands, including Apple, SpaceX, Adobe, Samsung, and even Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer collection in 2019.
Beeple's digital creations are known for their arresting and surreal imagery.
They often incorporate pop culture allusions, social and political commentary, as well as futuristic and dystopian themes, making his work thought-provoking and visually captivating.
Beeple's NFT collections can still be found on secondary marketplaces like Nifty Gateway, Rarible, and OpenSea.
These include "The First Drop", the "Beeple Genesis Collection," "The 2020 Collection," and the "Beeple Spring Collection."