BEEPLE became the third most valuable living artist on the planet after the surprise success of his NFT collection.
But who is the graphic designer and what exactly is his net worth?
Who is Beeple?
Beeple, whose birth name is Mike Winkelmann, was born on June 20, 1981 in the US state of Wisconsin.
He now lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife Jen and two children.
Beeple first gained an interest in computers from an early age after a school teacher recommended his parents bought him a desktop to learn.
“You can draw on a computer – that was not a gimme, that was like a cool thing,” he said explaining his initial excitement at the ability to create digital art.
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Given his interest, Winkelmann’s dad, who worked as an electrical engineer, showed his son how to programme computers.
What started as a hobby developed into a passion and he studied Computer Science at Purdue University at the turn of the millennium, graduating in 2003.
After finishing his studies, Beeple got a job working as a web designer.
He has said the job gave him the chance to enjoy computer programming while also thinking about the aesthetics of website design.
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The budding artist says the also gave him the creative freedom he needed for making art alongside.
Winklemann said: “Having a day job had a great separation between ‘this is how I make money, and this is my art’.
“My art can be whatever it is because I do not need to worry about making money from that.”
On May 1, 2007 Beeple decided to start making one piece of art from scratch every single day.
Known as “everydays”, he used new digital software, photography, or even just old fashioned pen and paper to make his art.
He even made artwork on his wedding day and on days his children were born.
What was meant to be a short term project never finished, with him eventually selling a collection called “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” for $28.9million in March 2021.
In 2020, Beeple decided to start experimenting with NFTs. The Covid pandemic meant he was unable to showcase his artwork in public galleries.
NFTs seemed the perfect way to still create art and share art from home.
Much to his surprise – and many other artists – the tokens were an immediate hit, selling for tens of thousands of dollars.
Beeple went from being relatively unknown to suddenly being the third most valuable living artist in terms of auction prices.
He’s described the success of his NFT collection as “very, very crazy”.
The designer added: “It’s been such a crazy trip to have this whole new world of NFTs open up that I never even thought was possible.
“And now it’s like, ‘oh, wow, okay, I could sell my work like this’.”
Why is Mike Winkelmann called Beeple?
Mike Winkelmann decided to start selling his art under the name Beeple in 2003.
The name came from a 1980s cuddly toy which had a nose that lights up in response to light and sound.
Talking about the name choice, he joked in 2020: “I probably would have thought about it a little more if I’d known I was still going to be known as it 17 years later.”
What is Beeple’s net worth?
Beeple is estimated to have a net worth of $500million.
His NFT collection is responsible for the vast majority of his wealth.
Beeple’s most expensive artwork
1) Everydays: The First 5000 Days – $69million
2) Human One – $28.9million
3) Everydays – The 2020 Collection – $3.5million
4) The Complete MF Collection – $777,777
5) 38-second Beeple video – $66,666