Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)

And this makes four! Will this new opus be as successful as the previous ones? Let's hope so.

Hokusai could never have imagined that the British Museum would sell 200 of his works in the dematerialized form of NFTs. The artist is ranked 165th in the Artprice rankings with $7M generated in 2021 for 160 lots sold and a record for Great Wave set at $1.6M at Christie's NY last March.

When Hokusai made the series of woodcuts depicting Mount Fuji that made him famous, he never would have thought that 190 years later the British Museum would sell 200 of them in the dematerialized form of NFTs.

To coincide with its upcoming Hokusai exhibition, opening 30 September, the museum has collaborated with French start-up LaCollection to sell NFTs of Hokusai’s works, including his most famous, The Great Wave. Sold or auctioned on their site, prices will begin at about $500 for the common NFTs.

Made in 1829 for the unpublished "Great Picture Book of Everything," and missing since 1948, the drawings resurfaced in Paris last year. They are visible online, and will soon be shown at an exhibition, adding to the museum’s already 1000-strong Hokusai collection.

On February 5-8, the first NFT fair will be held on the Ile Saint-Louis, with an auction by Aguttes closing the event. Both will take place in the former premises of the Cours Florent, quai d'Anjou and virtually in the Metaverse. On the menu: 51 lots, including the Hokusai of the British Museum and a Martian cathedral.

The start-up founded by Jean-Sébastien Beaucamps has raised $10M from investors such as Alven and ArtNova to expand its business. It quickly made a name for itself in the field thanks to a 5-year partnership with the British Museum, where it launched the NFT editions of Hokusai's The Wave.

Having found success with their recent sale of 200 Hokusai NFTs, the British Museum has once more teamed up with French start-up LaCollection.io to sell non-fungible tokens of 20 JMW Turner paintings. Prices for the NFTs range from €799 to Ultra Rare Turner editions at €4,999.

The West first discovered Japanese prints at the 1867 Internional Exposition in Paris. Since then, the number of collectors has soared, and many will be vying for these complete albums by Hiroshige.

This exhibition is built on a double paradox.