Author: Mattis Meichler, Decr y pt
Compiled by: Felix, PANews
"I'm just a guy sitting behind a computer having fun, and what's happening is beyond my imagination," Dan Polko said.
The Frenchman learned about CryptoPunk by reading an article days after its initial release in June 2017 and subsequently purchased 100 coins. At their peak these CryptoPunks were worth millions of dollars, but at the time of their release, no one cared about CryptoPunks.
As an early adopter of Bitcoin and a loyal follower of Ethereum, Polko’s interest was naturally drawn to NFTs.
To him, CryptoPunks are not just another digital art collectible, but a nostalgic ode to a love of cyberpunk, science fiction, and classic rock.
“The pop art aesthetic, funky colors, and pixel art remind me of my childhood video games like Donkey Kong, Tetris, and Pac-Man . One of the most classic arcade games ) ” After taking a two-month break from computers, Polko decided to buy CryptoPunk.
“I was using ETH that I bought for less than $10, and the transaction was like buying a lithograph painting at an art gallery. By October-November, I started accumulating. I bought one, then two, three One, four, I can’t stop.” Over the next four to five months, Polko purchased a total of 100 CryptoPunks.
“CryptoPunk is cheap and you can find great elements in it, but there are probably only three buyers on the planet and no one cares. There are five people on Discord and everyone jokes that they will look like Andy Warhol in 50 years There is still success. (Note: Andy Warhol, American artist, printer, and cinematographer, is one of the founders of the visual art movement Pop Art ) "
Inspired by legendary art collector
After two years away from the cryptocurrency and NFT world, the COVID-19 lockdown brought Polko back to his computer, igniting his curiosity about CryptoPunks.
Around the same time, Polko discovered a vibrant community on SuperRare that included artists like XCOPY, Robbie Barrat, and Hackatao. However, liquidity constraints prevented Polko from investing in their artwork.
But the tables are about to turn.
“Twitter was the catalyst for the CryptoPunks explosion. I started using CryptoPunk as my avatar. There were old timers like Snowfro.”
When the price of CryptoPunks began to soar, Polko originally only hoped to obtain a certain return, but found that his gains were far beyond his imagination. “It’s so surreal. I grew up listening to idols like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, and now I see Snoop showing off CryptoPunk on his social media.”
However, when the market showed signs of weakness in mid-2022, Polko began to strategically divest. “The most expensive CryptoPunk I sold was worth 95 ETH. The buyer was the same guy who bought Punk for $24 million. He bought some from me, all priced between 80 and 95 ETH.”
Stay safe
"I considered the possibility that the market would not rebound and decided to take it easy." Although Polko sold 42 CryptoPunks, Polko still retains 58 in his collection.
After reaping huge rewards, Polko decided to stick with his old career as a digital art collector. Polko successfully acquired works by XCOPY, Sarah Zucker and many other French artists.
"I am proud to be a major collector of Pascal Boyart's work. I own a large part of the Obvious collection, as well as works by Agoria. For me it was important to bring it back to France and not have it be spoken in English owned by the country.”
New crypto art
Polko is passionate about being part of a movement and being part of a community of artists and collectors.
“I find it interesting to be involved in new things. I always go back to the Impressionists, the beginning of modern art, where artists, collectors and art dealers gathered in Paris. Now, with social networks, the Impressionists no longer gather at the Café de Montmartre Galleries, but on Twitter or other social networks, it’s kind of global.”
The relationships Polko built sometimes led to deals. After becoming friends with artist Justin Aversano, Polko sold him a CryptoPunk, with part of the payment for the transaction being one of Aversano's Twin Flames NFTs.
In addition, Polko is also a patron of the new crypto art movement, helping artists organize exhibitions.
"It's amazing. In France, our success comes from the contributions of people like Benoît Couty, Jean-Michel Pailhon, Obvious, Agoria and Pascal Boyart. Personally, I've always been committed to improving the French style, from Daft Punk Look for artists to draw inspiration from and create connections between CryptoPunk and the essence of French culture."
Polko highlighted the key role of the NFT Factory and IHAM Gallery in Paris, art centers dedicated to NFT exhibitions and education. "A vibrant French community has come together in this new digital movement. We have been competing with cities like New York, but I believe Paris is now ahead."
Polko envisions a future dedicated to traveling and collecting more digital art, and he's optimistic about the future of the field.
Pompidou National Center for Art and Culture ( Note: Currently the only museum in the world that comprehensively introduces all modern art creations from the 20th century to the present. The Pompidou Art Center is located in Paris, France, and is the most important museum in Paris along with the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay. of three museums.) The recent addition of a CryptoPunk donated by Yuga Labs to its collection has only strengthened Polko’s belief.
But Polko also stressed the value of patience.
“Pollock and Rothko’s artistic careers only began to explode after their works were acquired by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and the Pompidou Center acquired the NFT works only six months ago.”
But, he added, “We could see the development of NFT art accelerating.”
Polko again cited the legends of Paul Guillaume and Ambroise Vollard. (Note: Both are famous French art collectors and publishers )
"They supported artists like Édouard Manet and Claude Monet, giving rise to entire art movements. We aim to lead a similar renaissance, but this time in digital art."
