Anthony Anzalone holds a lighter to a $95,000 Banksy print. He doesn't hesitate. Watches it char. Documents it. Mints the ashes as an NFT, and sells it for $400,000.
Anzalone (internet alias "Burnt Banksy") purchased a limited edition Banksy print for $95,000. Not his life savings, but not pocket change either. Then he did what nobody expected, he burned it. On camera, with witnesses and with documentation.
But here's the twist, he didn't just destroy it, he minted the act of destruction as an NFT. The video, the ashes, the metadata, the proof of burn itself was all tokenized. Then he sold it for $400,000.
Most art pranks end with a shrug, a fine, or a lecture. This one ended with a Forbes list.
In 2026, Anthony Anzalone is 28 years old and featured on Forbes 30 Under 30 Finance. He's not just a provocateur anymore, he's a founder and his company, XION, is building what they call "the first walletless blockchain," trying to make crypto accessible to normals.
So is it a serious statement or a daft prank?
The art world spent decades debating whether destruction could be art. Duchamp's readymades. Rauschenberg's erasure. The K Foundation's million-pound bonfire.
For Anzalone, he turned the question into a transaction. And it paid well.
Share
Comments
Loading...
