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Rugged: CNN Edition

Gm, coolkidz.

The latest “rug” in the NFT space is a surprising one… by none other than CNN! After discontinuing developments of its NFT marketplace “Vault”, investors are crying foul at the broken promises made by CNN…

Surprising indeed. Rug-pull or not aside, welcome back to What's Brand New!

For those who are new, we bring you the biggest NFT and web3 brand news every week, keeping you well-informed on what’s brand new in the space.

Here's a quick summary of what we'll be going through today:

- Christie's 3.0 x Diana Sinclair NFT Collection: Legendary partnership between a long-standing auction house and budding visual artist

- CNN Shutting Down “The Vault”: Some are calling it the first media outlet to knowingly rug NFT investors

- Van Gogh NFT Collection: Own NFTs from Van Gogh's greatest works; with a fun 3D twist

- Anthony Hopkins Sells Out NFT Collection In 7 Minutes: Oscar winner and legendary actor partners with NFT firm to launch a hyped collection

- Barbie Partners With Balmain & Boss Beauties: Three leading brands in their own rights collaborate to launch a “timeless” NFT collection

If you’d like to see more of NFT Paris’ content, be sure to check out our website and Twitter!

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Christie's New Web3.0 Platform Unveils NFT Collection With Diana Sinclair

According to British auction house Christie's, the first sale of their on-chain NFT platform has sold out for 66.77 ETH. The auction, called "Diana Sinclair: Phases", features the first solo exhibition of talented visual artist Diana Sinclair, a popular 18-y.o artist, curator, and activist.

Christie’s 3.0 inaugural sale auction consisted of nine art pieces, each of them created by the artist, especially for the occasion. The launch of their new on-chain NFT marketplace platform (Christie’s 3.0) was made possible in partnership with Chainalysis, Manifold, and Spatial, some of the industry's leading web3 and blockchain analysis firms.

Diana Sinclair's "Phases" sale focuses on identity, technological evolution, and the human experience. The piece that sold for the most amount was "I Am That I Am”, which sold for 20.82 ETH (around $26,6k at the time of writing).

Christie’s Digital Art Sales director, Nicole Sales Giles, said that working with Diana Sinclair was an "absolute pleasure", and that her art pieces have resonated with many of Christie’s collectors, both new and existing clients of the auction house. Diana is passionate about work that involves social justice, and self-identity, and she is considered a star of the NFT art industry.

CNN Shutting Down Its NFT Platform "The Vault" After Just One Year

The multinational cable news network CNN has announced on Twitter that it would shut down its NFT project the "Vault", officially called “Vault by CNN: Moments That Changed Us”.

The move comes after less than 4 months since the non-fungible token project was launched, which prompted some members of the community to accuse the company of a practice known as a "rug pull" (which means pumping a digital asset and disappearing after). The collection was minted on the Flow blockchain, with copyrights retained by CNN.

CNN said that when it was originally launched in June 2021, the Vault was originally a six-week experiment, and the continued support of the community is what kept the project going for more than a year.

The main purpose of the project was to immortalize CNN's most important moments in the company's 41-year history, in the form of NFTs (non-fungible tokens). Among those moments, a few memorable ones are Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s being sworn in.

When explaining the decision, CNN said that the 6-week experiment was a "first foray into Web3.”, however, the firm will "no longer be developing or maintaining this community".

For The First Time Ever, You Can Own A Piece of Van Gogh's Art In Web3

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The Vincent van Gogh Sites Foundation, a non-profit organization promoting the work of the famous Dutch painter, announced on Monday the launch of the legendary artist into Web3, with its first NFT collection which commemorates the artist.

Launched in collaboration with Hong Kong-based Web3 firm Appreciator.io, the NFT collection consists of 84 copies, each a 3D animation of a van Gogh painting, and a digital scan of a leaf from a heritage site. The animation features a glass display that encapsulates the leaf, referring to the theme of the project, preservation.

There are six multi-media artworks right now, based on a location connected to the painter. The foundation plans to eventually release a total of 39 different artworks, all based on monuments from van Goh's homeland.

According to Frank van den Eijnden, the director of the Vincent van Gogh Sites Foundation, the goal is to promote van Goh's legacy to younger creators, without the restraints of traveling or distance. Emily Cheung, the founder of Appreciator.io., said that 30%-50% of the proceeds from the NFT collection will go to the Foundation and to other artists who will be invited to take part in future initiatives.

Orange Comet Partners With Anthony Hopkins To Launch A Film-Inspired NFT Collection

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Anthony Hopkins, the famous Oscar-winning actor, has sold out his first NFT collection in 7 minutes. Yes, 7 minutes! (or 420 seconds)

The debut NFT project comes in collaboration with Orange Comet, an NFT production, and promotion company specializing in art, sports, and entertainment. The collection titled “The Eternal Collection” features 1000 cinematic pieces inspired by the actor's performances over the years.

The minting price for an NFT started at 0.25 ETH ($325), and the lowest price at which an NFT can be sold, or the floor price of the collection, is currently 0.69 ETH ($885). NFT holders get some benefits, like the chance to win personalized NFTs from Hopkins, as well as an autographed art book, and a call with the actor on Zoom.

Sir Anthony Hopkins has portrayed many character archetypes in his film career, and the body of work for the project aims to conceptualize an interpretation of those archetypes, according to the description of the collection on Opensea, the NFT platform where it was launched.

In a recent Twitter post referring to the huge success of the collection, Hopkins thanked everyone, saying that he woke to the news and still "can't believe it".

Nostalgia Meets Novelty - Barbie’s New NFT Collection That Empowers Women

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The iconic brand Barbie is back, this time with a "timeless" NFT collection that aims to empower women. Barbie is no stranger to the NFT and Web3 world, as it has released projects in the past, in collaboration with Balmain (a French designer brand), and Boss Beauties (an NFT brand that focuses on scholarship and mentorship programs for students and young women).

This is Barbie's second NFT release in collaboration with Boss Beauties, and it consists of 15,000 NFT pieces meant to take collectors on a nostalgic journey through the brand's iconic moments.

According to a recent Twitter post, the Barbie brand said they will donate the amount of $250,000 to the Dream Gap Project & Boss Beauties Foundation, as a way to provide leadership opportunities to girls around the globe.

In the near future, as a leader in woman empowerment, the Barbie brand will co-host virtual mentorship programs in partnership with Boss Beauties, featuring prominent women that lead their industries and will give career advice to other ladies.

The brand's goal is to teach other women on pursuing the right career, one which they desire. The event that will take place online will have some popular guests, such as NASCAR Julia Landauer.

And that's a wrap!

Thanks for staying till the end, and we hope you’re now better informed on NFT brand activity this week in the space.

Back to the CNN saga, at least they are reimbursing 20% of original mint prices to NFT holders. Then again, is this a justified settlement, or face-saving cream covering up a rug-pull? I guess that's some food for thought.

If you have anything you'd like to see added, feel free to let us know!

Hope to see you IRL at NFT Paris, February 2023! Till next time, coolkidz.

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