Blockchain
Artprice: Big Is Beautiful! Expected Record at New York Auction for Louise Bourgeois
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One of Louise Bourgeois’s six Spider sculptures, measuring more than 7 meters across and 3 meters tall, will be offered for sale at Christie’s on 15 May 2019 in New York. Numbered 3/6 in the series, the work already fetched $28.2 million in 2015 and Louise Bourgeois’s prices have stayed steady since then.
It could become the most expensive artwork by a female artist ever sold at auction.
“Like it or not, when it comes to art, size is very important. Giant works fascinate us because they transcend our own scale. Who isn’t impressed by huge paintings like Pablo Picasso’s Guernica (at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid) or Veronese’s Les Noces de Cana (at the Louvre Museum in Paris)?” says thierry Ehrmann, Artprice’s Founder/CEO.
In general, an artist’s largest works attract the strongest demand. For equivalent quality, the larger works will almost always be worth more than the smaller works.
This week, Artprice picks out a selection of 10 monumental works auctioned in 2018 in each of the major artistic mediums.
PAINTINGS
Zao Wou-Ki – Juin-Octobre 1985
10 x 2.8 meters
On 30 September 2018, Zao Wou-Ki’s Juin-Octobre 1985 triptych – his largest work still in circulation – caused a major sensation when it was re-offered for sale at Sotheby’s. In May 2005, Christie’s sold the same work in Hong Kong for $2.3 million. Thirteen and a half years later, its value exceeded $65 million, i.e. no less than 28 times its previous value.
Mark Bradford – Helter Skelter I (2007)
10 x 3.65 meters
American painter Mark Bradford had a particularly good year in 2018. In 2017, he represented the United States at the Venice Biennale. But it wasn’t until the first half of the following year that his prices began to inflate rapidly, generating three new auction records.
On 8 March 2018, his Helter Skelter I (2007) came close to $12 million at Phillips in London. This huge piece was a key element in the exhibition Collage: The Unmonumental Picture organized by the New York Museum in New York in 2008.
Osgemeos – It is Supposed to be Raining But… (2008)
2.5 x 2.5 metres
This large format canvas allowed the Brazilian duo of graphic artists to express their art in superb style. Accustomed to large facades, the two street artists have produced a large number of reasonably dimensioned paintings for the market. However, their very large canvases capture all the power of their street art. On 26 June 2018, the painting fetched $132,000 at Phillips in London.
DRAWINGS
Takashi Murakami – Dragon in Clouds-Red Mutation (2010)
18 x 3.6 meters
Takashi Murakami’s imaginary world stands at the crossroads of manga culture and Sino-Japanese mythology. In April 2018, the auction house Council sold one of his three large-scale interpretations of Asia’s most popular mythical creature, the dragon. His colossal drawing – red ink on paper – titled Dragon in Clouds-Red Mutation seduced Chinese collectors in Shanghai, fetching more than $8.8 million.
Giuseppe Bezzuloli – Folly driving the cart of Love
481 x 344 cm
Commissioned in 1848 to paint the ceiling of the Palazzo Gerini in Florence, Giuseppe Bezzuloli executed this study on the theme of Love and Madness. The final fresco still adorns the ceiling of the famous Tuscan Palace.
Estimated between $50,000 and $80,000, the drawing was purchased for $275,000 at Christie’s in New York on 30 January 2018. Nowadays, very large-scale historical works are extremely rare on the market and this post-Renaissance drawing – which still retains all its power – was a superb acquisition.
SCULPTURE
KAWS – Clean Slate (2014)
5.5 x 5.5 x 7.5 meters
Kaws is currently an in vogue artist par excellence… from New York… to Hong Kong. The American street artist has conquered the international art market with his colorful paintings, his large-scale figurines and his monumental sculptures. Clean Slate (2014) was shown all around the world (Shanghai, Ibiza, Hong Kong and Fort Worth) before being put on sale by Phillips in New York, where it was acquired for nearly $2 million.
Philippe de Buyster (Attrib.) – Vierge de pitié (c.1650-60)
1.6 x 0.5 x 1.3 meters
This 17th century Pietà was one of the very few large-scale Old Master works sold last year. In perfect condition, the terracotta sculpture came from the Chapel of Château d’Autricourt in Burgundy (France). Christie’s sold the piece for $58,000 (including costs) in Paris on 19 June 2018.
Joana Vasconcelos – Betty Boop (2010)
4.1 x 1.5 x 3 meters
This huge high-heeled shoe made of stainless steel pots and concrete is a perfect example of Joana Vasconcelos’s taste for oversize. The Franco-Portuguese artist has never been afraid to invest large places like the Bon Marché department store in Paris or the Palace of Versailles where Betty Boop (2010) was presented in the Hall of Mirrors in 2012.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Gilbert & George – Thirty-Five Locations (2003)
422 x 361 cm
The British duo Gilbert & George is not doing as well on the secondary market as in 2008, but their unique large-format photos continue to fetch very good prices. Consisting of 24 rectangular sections, Thirty-Five Locations resembles a huge stained glass window in black, white and red. It was the largest photographic work sold during 2018 and fetched $150,000 at Sotheby’s in New York (17 May).
MIXED MEDIA
Tracey Emin – Dark Dark Dark (2007)
3.6 x 1.6 x 1.5 metres
In 2007 Artwise commissioned Tracey Emin to customise four Fiat 500s (each unique) for a charity sale. On 5 December 2018 at Phillips’ New Now sale, one of them fetched $8,000. In the catalogue Phillips warned Please note this lot is offered as an art work, and not a motor vehicle…
The use of motor vehicles as an artistic medium may seem bizarre, but several major artists have lent themselves to the exercise in the past. The BMW Art Car project, for example, allowed Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Jeff Koons to completely transform the exteriors of cars.
Copyright ©2019 thierry Ehrmann – www.artprice.com
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Blockchain
Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – May 5, 2025 – Arkham, Blockchair, Worldcoin, Maldives
In an ecosystem defined by perpetual innovation and high-stakes regulatory scrutiny, the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry never pauses. Today’s briefing—“Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – May 5, 2025 – Arkham, Blockchair, Worldcoin, Maldives”—dives into five compelling stories shaping the narrative: a transformative $9 billion blockchain hub in the Maldives; Sam Altman’s Worldcoin orbs arriving stateside; AI‑enhanced onchain visibility via Arkham and Blockchair; the Blockchain Association’s plea for flexible SEC oversight; and Telegram’s blockchain‑inspired encryption for massive group calls.
Together, these developments spotlight five interlocking themes: diversification of traditionally tourism‑dependent economies, identity and trust models in Web3, the fusion of AI with onchain data, the evolving policy landscape, and privacy‑centric encryption. Across these stories, recurring SEO keywords—blockchain, cryptocurrency, Web3, DeFi, NFTs, tokenization, decentralized identity, onchain analytics, regulation, and privacy—underscore the connective tissue binding today’s headlines.
1. $9 Billion Blockchain Hub on Track to Transform Maldives
Source: U.Today
The Maldives, an archipelagic nation whose economy is heavily tethered to tourism (approximately 30 % of GDP) and fishing (around 10 %), is confronting mounting fiscal challenges: public debt has breached national GDP levels (circa $7 billion), and deficits threaten sovereign stability. In a strategic pivot, Maldivian authorities signed a joint venture with MBS Global Investments—a $14 billion UAE family office—earmarking an $8.8 billion investment in a cutting‑edge blockchain hub. This initiative aims to catalyze a 200 % GDP surge within four years, spawning thousands of jobs and potentially averting sovereign default.
On the surface, relocating blockchain infrastructure to paradise may seem incongruous. Yet by repurposing the country’s geographically dispersed islands into a decentralized Web3 nexus, the Maldives could host data centers powered by renewable oceanic energy, attract DeFi startups, and incubate NFT marketplaces catering to affluent tourists. This diversification blueprint underscores a broader trend: small economies leveraging blockchain to transcend traditional growth constraints. However, critical questions loom—regulatory clarity, environmental footprint, and cybersecurity resilience will determine whether this hub becomes a scalable model or a stranded asset.
Implication: If executed judiciously, the Maldives’ blockchain hub could set a precedent for emerging economies seeking to harness decentralized infrastructure. But success hinges on transparent governance, sustainable energy sourcing, and robust legal frameworks.
2. Altman’s Eyeball‑Scanning Worldcoin Orbs Land in the U.S.
Source: The Register
On May 1, six Worldcoin “Orb” retail locations opened across the United States—Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco—offering biometric iris scans in exchange for WLD crypto tokens. Co‑founded by Sam Altman (OpenAI CEO), Alex Blania, and Max Novendstern, Tools for Humanity champions World ID, a blockchain‑based proof‑of‑personhood system designed to authenticate humans versus bots or AI‑generated avatars. Users who scan their irises receive roughly $16 in WLD, enabling them to later verify identity on participating platforms.
While touted as a breakthrough in decentralized identity, the initiative has incited privacy regulators worldwide: South Korea fined the project over $800,000, Hong Kong prohibited operations, and legal probes are active in Germany, Kenya, and Spain. Yet Worldcoin maintains that biometric data is encrypted on-device and purged post‑scan, and with 26 million users globally (12 million scanned), the network seeks to deploy 7,500 Orbs in the U.S. by year’s end.
Opinion: Worldcoin’s retail push exemplifies the friction between innovative identity solutions and privacy norms. The on‑chain distribution of WLD tokens may democratize crypto access, but it also risks normalizing biometric collection without exhaustive regulatory guardrails. The debate between security and civil liberties intensifies as Web3 projects blur lines between voluntary onboarding and pervasive surveillance.
3. AI and Blockchain Explorers ‘Arkham’ & ‘Blockchair’ Reshape Onchain Visibility
Source: Bitcoin News
Blockchain explorers have evolved from static transaction trackers to dynamic investigative platforms, especially with generative AI integration. Two frontrunners—Arkham Intelligence and Blockchair—are pioneering tools to render cryptographic ledgers comprehensible. Arkham’s AI correlates onchain flows with off‑chain entities, enabling analysts to dissect a Binance transaction involving 0.3065 BNB routed through WBNB and Pancakeswap in seconds. Blockchair’s AI assistant, Cuborg, fields natural‑language queries (e.g., “Which Bitcoin address dormant since 2017 just moved funds at block 895,197?”), surfacing actionable intelligence with remarkable speed.
The convergence of machine learning and onchain analytics promises unprecedented transparency for DeFi protocols, NFT markets, and compliance teams. Yet this visibility shift also rekindles the age‑old privacy dilemma: as attribution sharpens, users may flee to privacy coins (e.g., Monero, Zcash) or sophisticated mixers, fracturing onchain provenance. Thus, the community must strike a balance—leveraging AI for due diligence without undermining pseudonymity, a bedrock of decentralization.
Takeaway: Enhanced onchain visibility emboldens regulators and institutional custodians to adopt crypto, but it simultaneously pressures privacy advocates to innovate. The trajectory of DeFi scalability and AML compliance will pivot on how explorers calibrate the transparency‑privacy spectrum.
4. Blockchain Association Urges SEC to Adopt Flexible Crypto Regulation
Source: The Block Binance
On May 2, the Blockchain Association—representing heavyweights such as Coinbase, Ripple, and Uniswap Labs—submitted formal comments urging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to embrace an “incremental, flexible approach” under new Chair Paul S. Atkins. The association argued that equity‑style rule frameworks ill‑fit blockchain’s decentralized architecture, and that overly restrictive policies risk ceding global leadership in Web3 innovation. Key recommendations included:
-
Modernizing “best execution” by prioritizing diligence over prescriptive equity norms.
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Leveraging public exchange APIs for oversight, eschewing bulk personal data collection.
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Convening public‑private roundtables to iteratively refine tokenization guidelines.
As the SEC grapples with litigation against major crypto firms, the association’s plea underscores a broader policy shift—from adversarial enforcement to collaborative rulemaking. If embraced, this could catalyze a regulatory renaissance, aligning U.S. competitiveness with nascent markets such as the EU’s MiCA and Singapore’s digital asset frameworks.
Analysis: A flexible U.S. regime could anchor global capital flows in American markets. However, in the near term, ambiguity may persist, prompting projects to seek out friendlier jurisdictions. The evolution of DeFi, tokenized securities, and NFT financialization hinges on whether the SEC transitions from litigation‑driven oversight to principles‑based governance.
5. Telegram’s Blockchain‑Inspired Encryption Empowers Massive Group Calls
Source: CCN.com
Messaging titan Telegram has rolled out a major security upgrade: blockchain‑inspired encryption for voice and video group calls, scaling to tens of thousands of participants. Published May 5, 2025, the update employs a distributed architecture reminiscent of blockchain’s consensus model, paired with end‑to‑end encryption and a novel four‑emoji verification system. Users can join calls via links, QR codes, or invites, accommodating up to 200 guests in peer‑to‑peer calls and vastly more in server‑mediated group sessions.
This enhancement cements Telegram’s Web3 orientation—from in‑app NFT galleries to integrated crypto wallets and June’s Grok AI chatbot. By emphasizing decentralized encryption, Telegram seeks to differentiate itself from legacy platforms and curry favor with privacy‑minded Web3 users. The $100,000 unclaimed bounty for encryption breaches further testifies to the platform’s confidence.
Perspective: As social channels become conduits for DAO assemblies, token launches, and remote governance, Telegram’s upgrade anticipates Web3 ’s communal demands. Secure, large‑scale calls could host multichain hackathons, decentralized grant panels, and NFT minting drop parties—ushering in an era where encrypted communications seamlessly integrate with onchain action.
Conclusion: Charting Tomorrow’s Web3 Horizon
Today’s headlines—from island‑wide blockchain sanctuaries to AI‑powered explorers, from biometric orbs to regulatory overtures and encrypted megacalls—illustrate the multifaceted momentum driving blockchain and crypto into mainstream orbit. Key takeaways include:
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Economic Diversification via Blockchain: Smaller nations can pivot from tourism to tech‑led growth, provided they embed sustainability and legal clarity.
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Identity & Privacy Trade‑Offs: Worldcoin’s iris scans provoke essential dialogue on biometric ethics versus Sybil‑resistance in decentralized networks.
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AI‑Driven Transparency: Arkham and Blockchair spotlight the accelerating fusion of AI and onchain analytics, demanding new privacy paradigms.
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Adaptive Regulation: The Blockchain Association’s SEC proposal signals burgeoning alignment between policymakers and innovators—critical for U.S. leadership.
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Web3‑First Infrastructure: Telegram’s encryption upgrade underscores the imperative for platforms to bake decentralized security into every layer.
As the industry hurtles forward, stakeholders must navigate these cross‑currents with pragmatic vision—embracing decentralization, protecting user sovereignty, and fostering constructive policy engagement. Tomorrow’s decentralized economy may hinge as much on robust encryption and AI transparency tools as on visionary regulation and sustainable infrastructure projects.
The post Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – May 5, 2025 – Arkham, Blockchair, Worldcoin, Maldives appeared first on News, Events, Advertising Options.
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