Obviously, before understanding the history of this, we must first return to these two acronyms. AFP and NFT.
I think AFP and those famous “letters” have it. This is the Agence France-Presse that collects, verifies and distributes information in an impartial manner to all media outlets.
For NFTs: non-replaceable tokens, non-fungible tokens in French. These are unique files (documents, photos, digital creations) that can be sold and purchased as artwork.
However, AFP, which also produces a lot of news photos, auctions photos that are part of its iconic heritage from 1871 to the present day. Notre Dame on fire, Zidane’s header, or the French women’s first vote, for example.
Therefore, AFP will auction unique copies of these news photos selected for their outstanding value, and ability to depict an era within a frame. Pictures that are no longer opposed to artistic photography, because they can release great formal power. And they incorporated museum collections.
But in addition to these prints, AFP is therefore auctioning files on Saturday that give exclusive access to a photo print. famous NFTs. Of course, this further institutionalizes the NFT market.
But especially when you look at the list of 3 NFTs for sale, there is another change that occurs…
We have the first AFP handout dedicated to all free newspapers in Paris on August 20, 1944 (estimated €800-1,200), a picture of Serge Gainsbourg burning a 500-franc banknote live on 7/7 March. 11, 1984 (estimated between 800 and 1200 euros): we immediately see the historical value of these two photos.
But we also have Senator Bernie Sanders with his gloves on during the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 21, 2021 (estimated between 1,200 and 1,600 euros). And there, because the image has been reproduced in countless montages on the Web, because it has become a monument to LOL culture that has acquired historical value.
In other words, if the value of the image, its strength, is also its reception, then all online conversions, all so-called memes, are counted in the case of the image.
With this NFT offered for sale by Bernie Sanders by AFP, the entire digital culture became a reference in the same way as the legendary front pages of newspapers.
The sale will take place this Saturday at 2 p.m. in Paris at the Ellia Art Gallery, and the proceeds will go to the maintenance and restoration of the AFP Photography Fund.