Freddie Mercury NFTs Go On Sale for AIDS Charity

Four non-fungible token (NFT) artworks inspired by Freddie Mercury are to be auctioned off for charity to mark what would have been the late Queen singer’s 75th birthday.

The quartet of works by transatlantic artists Blake Kathryn, Chad Knight (US), Mat Maitland and MBSJQ (UK) will be sold in a timed auction on digital art marketplace SuperRare over 75 hours from September 20, according to the organisers.

Three are portraits of Mercury while the fourth is a dreamlike depiction of a white grand piano with a crown on its stool, surrounded by a pond of swimming goldfish (see video below).

Proceeds will go the Mercury Phoenix Trust, an AIDS charity established by Queen founding members Brian May and Roger Taylor and band manager Jim Beach in the singer’s memory.

The collection is curated by LA-based 6 Agency, whose co-founder Georgio Constantinou commented:

Six was honoured to curate an incredible collection of artists to celebrate the life and impact of Freddie Mercury. After meeting with the Mercury Phoenix Trust, we knew that if Freddie were alive today, he would be excited about the creative potential of the NFT space.

Georgio Constantinou, co-founder, Six Agency

Mercury, who studied graphic art and design before joining Queen in 1970, would have turned 75 on September 5. He died from AIDS-related pneumonia in 1991.

Mercury Was Fully Qualified When It Came to Art Appreciation

Before joining Queen, Mercury attained a degree in graphic art and design and later became an avid collector of classical and contemporary art and glass works. He was recognised as having what experts considered one of the world’s finest collections of Japanese antique woodblock prints.

The singer left a very simple creative brief to the world on his passing: “You can do whatever you want with my work, just never make me boring.” This brief was given to the four digital artists for each to create an NFT artwork inspired by different aspects of Mercury’s flamboyant persona.

The auction goes live at 0800 hrs on September 20 and the collection can be viewed at www.superrare.com/freddiemercury

As well as raising money for charity, NFTs are also being sold in support of wildlife conservation, as Crypto News Australia reported last month.