30/09/2026
Before the , there was already blockchain art: Kevin McCoy’s Quantum, Rare Pepes on Bitcoin and early Ethereum projects such as Curio Cards.
But in June 2017, something changed.
Matt Hall and John Watkinson of released 10,000 algorithmically generated, 24×24 pixel characters on Ethereum. 9,000 could initially be claimed for free. They weren’t the first NFTs — but they became the blueprint for an entire culture.
CryptoPunks combined generative art, verifiable ownership, scarcity, identity and community in a way that had never existed before. They helped inspire the ERC-721 standard and established the idea of the PFP as both artwork and digital identity.
Almost a decade later, their significance goes far beyond the NFT boom. CryptoPunks have entered the collections of institutions including , , — and most recently ,which acquired eight Punks.
From a weird experiment in digital ownership to a piece of art history.
Not the beginning of blockchain art.
But one of the moments when everything changed. 😎
