Takashi Murakami’s NFT apology to fans: launching just before the 2022 crypto market crash, the Japanese contemporary artist saw his Murakami Flowers’ value drop from US$260,000 to a mere US$2,000



An understandably dejected Murakami took to Twitter to apologise to his fans. “Dear holders of Murakami Flowers, I appreciate your continuing patronage, although the project’s floor price and transaction prices remain stagnant. I am very sorry,” he tweeted.
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The most affordable Murakami flower NFT is worth 2.8 WETH (US$2,600, at current value) on OpenSea. Apparently, a false start over a year ago was getting the artist hefty bids north of US$260,000, per Yahoo. But the artist decided to withdraw his work temporarily so that he could further improve the designs.

The Japanese contemporary artist enjoys a following of over 320,000 fans on Twitter and got lots of support and encouragement despite the situation. One user commented, “We [heart emoji] you. Don’t be sorry.” Another wrote, “Sensei we are here to follow and appreciate you and your art. I’ll be there to the end.”

- The NFT market saw a record high last year when Beeple’s artwork sold for US$69 million at a Christie’s auction, which piqued interest among creatives, celebrities and luxury brands alike
- Renowned artist Murakami joined the hype but missed out on the crypto boom by opting to spend a year perfecting his project – nevertheless, his fans have his back