The Tintin illustration that set the world record for the most expensive comic art ever sold is up for sale again – as an NFT
NFTs
Owning a Tintin NFT unlocks exclusive fan content.
When Hergé submitted his cover illustration for The blue lotus in 1936, the cartoonist’s publisher said it was too expensive to reproduce in color. But the gouache and watercolor illustration, which shows a skinny dragon laughing at Tintin and his dog Snowy cowering inside a qinghua vase, would receive delayed validation when it sold at auction for $3.9 million in 2021.
Now the image that never made the cover of the Belgian reporter’s adventure through Japanese-occupied China is up for sale again, this time as part of an NFT collection.
It is the first such attempt by Tintinimaginatio, the rights holder and main promoter of Hergé’s work, and aims to take fans of the most famous quiff in comics into the Web3 world. To do so, NFTs are offered alongside exclusive collectibles, and the company has partnered with artèQ, the blockchain investment fund that partnered with the Belvedere Museum to drop Gustav Klimt NFTs in 2022, and Crossmint, a blockchain startup that enables fiat – checkout solutions, which means that Tintin fans can pay by credit card.
A certificate of authenticity for The blue lotus NFT. Image courtesy of arteQ.
There are two versions of The blue lotus NFT. One is a limited edition limited to 777 copies. The second a digital print limited to 1777 copies. The number seven nods to the subtitle of Tintin’s magazine, which reads: “The super journal of young people from 7 to 77.”
Both versions include an NFT proof of ownership, a booklet created by Hergé expert Philippe Goddin exploring the fifth volume of Tintin’s adventures, and inside access to the next Tintin NFT drop. The purely digital NFT comes with a trio of digitized editions of The blue lotus cartoon and a one-time family pass to the Hergé Museum in Belgium.
“The blue lotus marks a very important creative step in Hergé’s work, both in terms of graphics and storytelling,” Farbod Sadeghian CEO of arteQ told Artnet News. “Regarding the taxes [connected to the NFTs], we felt it was important to reveal the story behind this work. Hergé would have been very impressed.”
Herge, “Tintin in America” 1942. Photo: © Hergé/Tintinimaginatio 2023
The NFT project marks the latest venture aimed at expanding the modern presence of Tintin, one that spans films, video games, immersive experiences and dedicated stores from Shanghai to London.
The market for Tintin art has been growing steadily for years, with an original black and white drawing for the cover of Hergés Tintin in America fetched $2.3 million at auction earlier this year. How strong the demand is for comparable digital Tintin collectibles remains to be seen.
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