In a recent tweet Canadian photographer, Andrew Miller recently announced an exclusive NFT auction featuring the first professional portrait of Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin, taken in 2014 before he gained popularity in the blockchain network.
The auction began on July 1st and continues until July 30th on Manifold.xyz, presenting a singular opportunity for collectors to secure a piece of Ethereum’s early history. The starting bid is pegged at 333 ETH.
In a surprising turn of events, a unique NFT (non-fungible token) featuring Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin in formal attire has captured the attention of crypto enthusiasts.
The portrait, a departure from Buterin’s usual casual appearance, has an intriguing backstory shared in the NFT listing.
Photographer Brian Miller, who met Buterin in Toronto before his fame, was inspired by the young founder’s vision and wanted to contribute to enhancing his public image and marketability.
To achieve this, Miller orchestrated a photo shoot with Buterin, hoping to capture a more polished and professional look.
However, during the session, Buterin showed up in his typical “distressed casual clothing,” displaying no inclination for formal photos.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, Miller made an unconventional decision. He generously offered his own striped shirt to Buterin to create the desired formal look for the portrait.
The auction takes place on the tenth anniversary of the Ethereum idea, an open-source, decentralized blockchain known worldwide for its smart contract capability.
This is not the first time, in August 2021 portraits of Vitalik Buterin were also sold as NFT and that picture is captured by Matthew Reamer.