CryptoPunk #305 Made Her Debut At The Institute of Contemporary Art In Miami Last Night

The CryptoPunks community came together at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami this weekend after the museum debuted CryptoPunk #305.

It was a very punk environment at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami last night as CryptoPunk #305, dubbed “Virtual Lady” by the museum, was on display next to Andy Warhol’s “American Lady” from the artist’s Society portraits collection.

In the exhibit titled “Why Warhol,” the ICA explained that Warhol’s Society Portraits and today’s profile photos share many similarities; hence why Warhol!

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“Andy Warhol is fairly uncontested when it comes to the title of “Greatest Postmodern Portrait Artist.” His instantly iconic bright and bold silkscreen paintings depict the visages of any and everyone chic, famous, infamous or somewhere in between,” The ICA Miami wrote. “Warhol’s Society portraits were largely commissioned by their subjects as a kind of emblem for their status within the high society of cultural intelligentsia- one might argue they are precursors to the present-day phenomenon of prestigious PFPs. The series is uniform in format: all the paintings are square (40 X 40 in.) and display the subject from the shoulders up, reproducing their image using a combination of painterly and printing techniques. In showcasing #305 (aka. Virtual Lady) alongside Warhol’s (American Lady), our aim is to illuminate the various affinities- both aesthetic and conceptual- that exist between Warhol’s portrait painting practice and the CryptoPunks digital avatar collection.”

Following last night’s event, Yuga Labs Co-Founder Gordon Goner took to Twitter and reiterated how big of a moment it was for a Punk to be on display next to one of Warhol’s iconic pieces “Can’t get over how monumental this felt for @cryptopunksnfts and the entire NFT ecosystem,” he tweeted.

As the Bored Ape Gazette previously reported, Yuga Labs donated CryptoPunk #305 to the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami as part of the company’s “Punks Legacy Project.”

The Goal of the "Punks Legacy Project," is to get CryptoPunks into museums around the world.

CryptoPunk #305 being on display in the ICA Miami is just first of what Yuga Labs hopes will be many Punks in museums worldwide.

The Bored Ape Gazette will continue to follow the Punks Legacy Project and will continue to bring you coverage from Art Basel this weekend. Stay tuned for more reports!