Nelson Mandela watercolors to be sold as NFTs

Author:Mandee McFerren

The Window, Nelson Mandela, Source: Bonhams

https://www.bonhams.com/press_release/33947/

NFTs of the famous anti-apartheid revolutionary and former South African president Nelson Mandela will soon be sold by UK based international auction house Bonhams. The sale of the collection, titled “My Robben Island” is to take place on Wednesday, March 9. The collection will consist of 5 watercolors painted by Mandela after he stood down as president in 1999, plus The Motivation, a handwritten text that explains his depiction of prison life. The NFTs will be offered through the Nifty Gateway platform, with a six hour sale period in which buyers can buy the My Robben Island collection for $3,495, or $699 for a single image. While there is no set amount of NFTs to be sold, there will be a maximum limit of 10,000 NFTs.

The My Robben Island collection is being sold by Bonhams in collaboration with Nelson Mandela’s oldest daughter, Makaziwe Mandela, who has supported NFTs as a way to democratize the art market. With the online sale of the collection, fans and buyers who would not have access to a physical museum or auction house will be able to partake in the sale and be exposed to the artwork. The sale of the My Robben Island collection is a landmark in the continued overlap of the virtual and physical art worlds, illustrating the possibilities between physical historic art and NFTs. A portion of the proceeds from the sale are planned to be used for a memorial garden being created at Qunu, where Nelson Mandela is buried.