Do you view NFTs as an asset bubble or as the future of collectibles? Like fine art or Pokémon Cards? It almost doesn’t matter. The discourse around crypto has been plenty polarizing, but it hasn’t changed the fact that non-fungible tokens are beginning to represent real-world assets (i.e., paintings, sculptures, and more).

What’s revolutionary about these digital assets? A lot. Why? Because practically anything can be “minted” (the process that attaches NFTs to the blockchain) and given sky-high value by a community of entrepreneurs — it seems, at least for the moment, that NFTs are the creator economy’s equivalent of the gold rush merging with cyberpunk. NFTs could even help unlock the metaverse (scroll down to Krista Kim for an exploration of this).

Disclaimer: Our list does not include investors like MetaKovan, syndicates, labs, celebrity influencers like Paris Hilton, or collections like Bored Ape Yacht Club that dominate the space. We don’t mean to invalidate their contributions, but our focus is on the creators that currently inspire us.

Below is our curated list of the 30 Most Influential NFT Creators right now. Some of them are criminally underrated; others are bonafide legends. Of note, the ordering isn’t meant to be repressive or hypercritical. So, if you think we’re missing someone, please don’t panic… we’ll be posting our supplemental list on Twitter.

1. Mad Dog Jones

Art market site Artnet described Mad Dog Jones (Michah Dowbak) as the “most expensive living Canadian artist” after the sale of his first “Replicator” NFT in April (which sold for $4.1 million), the world’s first self-replicating NFT. According to several sources, Mad Dog Jones is one of the top 10 selling NFT artists in the world. His cyberpunk-tinged style (which blends Japanese animation with dystopian atmospherics) is arguably the NFT space’s most distinctive.

2. FEWOCiOUS

A teenager who swept through a Christie’s auction and raked in over $2 million for his surrealistic pop art, FEWOCiOUS (Victor Langlois), is not just a wunderkind in the NFT space. He's also, at 18, the youngest artist to be featured by Christie's, nearly crashing their site in the process. Since entering the NFT space in 2020, FEWOCiOUS has made an astounding $18 million in sales and seems to have big plans for NFT.NYC in November. If NFTs have created a moment for young artists, then FEWOCiOUS is at the center with a giant spotlight on their every move.

3. ThankYouX

Known for his distinct LA street art, ThankYouX (Ryan Wilson) blends the physical with the digital, painting physical art pieces and combining them with 3D digital renders, which he displays in lifelike virtual galleries. Using NFTs to create more immersive experiences, he collaborated with award-winning film score composer Hans Zimmer in 2021 on an audio-visual piece titled “Sound of Color,” which incorporates the sound of the artist’s brushstrokes and brings the listener along on Wilson’s artistic journey.

4. 3LAU

The re-release of 3LAU’s album ‘Ultraviolet’ was, at the time, the biggest NFT sale ever ($11.6 million via an online auction). 3LAU has been instrumental in introducing NFTs into the music industry. Interestingly, 3LAU isn’t even the most famous person in music doing NFTs: The Weeknd, Snoop, and Steve Aoki are as well, and yet 3LAU is the music industry’s most consistently successful NFT creator.

5. SlimeSunday

A digital collage artist based in Salem, Massachusetts, SlimeSunday (Mike Parisella) has sold thousands of NFTs, many of which push the boundaries with themes that explore censorship. His highest-selling piece, "Gunky's Uprising," was a collaboration with 3LAU that sold for a whopping $1,333,333.33. SlimeSunday has also worked with artists like J. Cole and Katy Perry and, according to his website, is the sixth highest-earning NFT artist.

6. FVCKRENDER

This CG artist is something of an NFT icon. FVCKRENDER’s lineup of collaborations is impressive, to say the least. The self-taught Canadian digital artist has created works for LeBron James, Dior, Lil Nas X, Zedd, Katy Perry, and Hypebeast (just to name a few). The 3D artist’s clout has landed him in the top 15 list of highest total valued works on cryptoart.io. He’s also the architect of his own continually-updated, NFT-based 3D world: FVCKRENDERVERSE//.

7. Pak

An anonymous artist whose work focuses on monochromatic geometric shapes, Pak has become one of the digital art world’s most enigmatic figures. Pak is the source beyond Archillect, an AI created to virtually curate captivating images (they also have one of the most influential Twitter accounts in the NFT space). Pak’s mystique has only grown through NFTs. Their Sotheby’s auction generated $17 million on Nifty Gateway (setting a record for number of bids). They’re also the first artist to sell an NFT for a million dollars.

8. Beeple

The headlines around Beeple’s “The First 5000 Days” selling for $69 million at Christie's created the initial mainstream buzz around NFTs. It was, in many ways, the ground-zero moment for NFTism. Beeple remains number one on the Cryptoart.io “Top Artists List” with a total artwork value exceeding $145 million. Beeple continues to show up in unique ways — from the owner of “The First 5000 Days”, turning the piece into an immersive party with a $150 admission fee to partnering with major studios and talent agencies to launch new marketplaces.

9. Jen Stark

L.A.-based artist Jen Stark dropped her first NFT in March: “Multiverse,” which sold through the Foundation App. The multimedia piece blooms into a psychedelic kaleidoscope of colorful shapes—a menagerie of pulsating energy. Within 24 hours, it sold for roughly $400k to 3FMusic, making Stark the first female artist to enter Foundation’s top 10 selling creators.

10. JN Silva

Artist and photographer JN Silva led the charge for his peers to join the NFT space. Time Magazine said, “he has on-boarded hundreds, if not thousands, of artists into the world of NFTs via his artist collective, Animus.” Silva’s photography client portfolio includes the likes of Nike, Sony, Spotify, and Facebook. Between his solo work and collaborations with ThankYouX, his total artwork value in NFTs is north of $3 million. Silva has led the charge for photographers to start minting their collections.

11. Jose Delbo

ose Delbo is a cartoon icon. He is famous for illustrating the Beatles in 1968’s “Yellow Submarine” and for his work on some of the most notable cartoons from DC, Marvel, and Disney. Today, the 87-year-old mints NFTs. In March, he made nearly $2 million in sales for a Wonder Woman-inspired NFT that he created with Hackatao.

12. Matt Kane

Matt Kane does a brilliant job of merging traditional art sensibilities and art history with algorithmic innovation. His piece, "Right Place & Right Time," which generates a new image every day that programs to Bitcoin prices, won for “Most Innovative” at the 2020 NFT Awards.

13. Antoni Tudisco

Antoni Tudisco, the 3D artist and creative director known for his colorful and surreal aesthetic, has collaborated with Wiz Khalifa and Steve Aoki on major NFT drops (the Aoki "Dreamcatcher" collab sold for $888,888.88). The German artist has also worked with brands like Nike, Apple, Versace, Adidas, and Puma. Tudisco says that his future is going to be in NFTs.

14. Jack Butcher

Jack Butcher is an artist and entrepreneur (the founder of Visualize Value). He's listed an NFT for $76 million, sold his art for hundreds of thousands, and became an NFT community builder. Notably, Butcher created an NFT, which explains NFTs — that you can buy as an NFT (which sold for $130k). An influencer, artist, and NFT activist, perhaps no one understands the revolutionary power of NFTs better than Jack Butcher.

15. Hackatao

Nadia Squarci and Sergio Scarlet, the Italian duo that makes up Hackatao, are early adopters in the space. The self-described "OG Cryptoartist NFT Pioneers" put their $33+ million in earnings towards creating new and innovative works. "We always use the money to buy new tools, to create art, and to express ourselves in different forms," they told Wealthsimple Magazine. "Maybe we can create projects where the budgets are something we couldn't even think of earlier."

16. Olive Allen

The NY-based visual artist and tech entrepreneur has been creating NFTs since 2018. She’s an “OG” in the crypto space and a trailblazer in the push to mainstream the blockchain. Her innovative work was recently displayed and sold at Art Basel’s inaugural crypto kiosk. It was, according to Allen, “a huge milestone towards their [NFTs & crypto art] acceptance as an art medium on par with painting and sculpture.”

17. Kyt Janae

KYT (Kyt Janae) is a digital artist and NFT curator. UCLA’s School of Art and Architecture called her a leading voice in the crypto art space. After discovering NFTs in 2020, Kyt grew her influence in the space and is now the Director of Collector Relations at the NFT auction platform Foundation.

18. Anna Ridler

Artist and researcher Anna Ridler incorporates algorithmically-centered storytelling into her NFTs. Some of her most notable work focuses on the 17th century’s “Tulip Mania” (a commentary on the bitcoin gold rush), which she brought to life using algorithm-generated videos. An edition of her groundbreaking “​​Mosaic Virus” piece was featured and sold during Art Basel’s first crypto art exhibition.

19. Krista Kim

Toronto-based artist and founder of the Techism movement, Krista Kim, created what was described by SuperRare as the “first NFT digital house.” Kim’s “Mars House” digital environment (a precursor to virtual real estate and the metaverse) sold on SuperRare for $512,000. By merging NFTs with augmented reality, Kim has become one of the pioneers of an augmented reality lifestyle. She recently collaborated with Louis Vuitton for its 200th anniversary.

20. Micah Johnson

The ex-MLB star not-so-quietly won for “Best NFT of the Year” at the 2020 NFT Awards for his masterpiece: ˈsä-v(ə-)rən-tē, a programmable piece that incorporates storytelling, photography, and programming— the piece sold to a private collector for $120,000. Johnson’s vision includes representing black Americans in space and science. He also remarkably sold $1 million worth of NFT art in a minute.

21. Itzel Yard

The Afro-Caribbean artist became the world’s highest-selling female NFT artist when her artwork “Dreaming at Dusk” sold for $2 million. She’s also the co-founder of Creative Code Art, an online community that supports and facilitates networking among emerging generative artists, and remains committed to helping young artists. Just five months after entering the NFT space, Itzel Yard was ranked 11th on Fortune’s list of “NFTy 50.”

22. Shvembldr

Shvembldr created TBOA (The Blocks of Art) Club, a digital space for generative art connoisseurs. This NFT artist gamifies Club membership with tokens that unlock exclusive drop access, event participation, and access to private communities on Discord. Shvembldr recently announced that generative artists would also have the opportunity to release their work on the club’s platform.

23. Giant Swan

VR painter and sculptor Giant Swan creates colorful, dimensional, and striking works that routinely offer big returns for collectors. The artist’s meticulous process results in hundreds of hours of work per piece. Giant Swan is also uniquely selective with his collaborations, only doing about one a season and focusing most of his time on solo work that reflects his strong visual language.

24. Jason Ebeyer

The Melbourne-based 3D artist is the master of a very specific aesthetic — glossy, alien-like figures depicted in sensual poses. When it comes to 3D art in music and fashion, Ebeyer has been instrumental in foregrounding the style. In 2020, the curators at IV Gallery asked him to produce a collection for Nifty Gateway; it sold within seconds. In April 2020, Ebeyer was asked to produce a collection for the Marilyn Monroe estate. He continues to create buzzworthy NFTs, while collaborating with the likes of Playboy, Vogue, and Steve Aoki.

25. Blake Kathryn

The LA-based designer of 3D dreamscapes is one of the most popular NFT creators in the world. Her futuristic pastel-and-neon aesthetic and surrealistic androids (completely distinctive from other creators) have attracted the attention of Adidas, Lil Nas X, Fendi, The New York Times, and Paris Hilton. Blake Kathryn designed Hilton’s dreamy NFT collection, “Planet Paris.”

26. XCOPY

This anonymous London-based artist was one of the first and is still one of the most respected in the NFT space (with over $45 million in total artwork value). The chaotic motion in his pieces has become a signature of his work. Eager to cash in, celebrity collectors are all-in on the hype around XCOPY’s work. In September, Snoop bought an XCOPY NFT titled “Some Asshole” for $3.9 million.

27. Raf Grassetti

Originally a traditional sculptor, Raf Grassetti realized his passion for sculpting in digital spaces. He knew Beeple before the NFT craze, and after seeing the artist’s success in the space, he launched his first NFT: A Beeple bust that sold for $180,505.85, which launched alongside busts of other notable names, such as Elon Musk, Mark Cuban, and Snoop.

28. Trevor Jones

This Scotland-based artist is a legend in the space. If you didn't already know, Trevor Jones had a record-breaking NFT drop on Nifty Gateway: His Bitcoin Bull animation (aka "Picasso's Bull") sold for $55,555.55. Ever since entering the crypto art space in 2018, Jones has set all kinds of records and milestones. By all accounts, his “Picasso’s Bull”—winner of the “Best Art NFT” at the 2020 NFT Awards—is one of the first masterpieces in the NFT space.

29. Grimes

In March, producer, digital artist, and blockchain evangelist sold ten digital pieces for what seemed like an outlandish sum: roughly $6 million for a collection of images and short videos set to unreleased music. Grimes sold her art as NFTs through blockchain platform Nifty Gateway (founded by the Winklevoss twins). The music industry and art world were stunned. If NFTs do become the future of music, then Grimes deserves as much credit as anyone.

30. Kody BossLogic Abdo

This famed graphic artist, whose comic book “fan art” led to commissioned deals with DC and Marvel, started minting NFTs in January 2021. When the first BossLogic NFT dropped, Nifty Gateway said, “This drop will, and is already opening the floodgates for the art of the DC/Marvel/Comic book universe to enter the NFT space." His “Messiverse” collection broke the record for highest-priced sports NFT collection to date. The top piece sold for over $9 million.

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