NFTs are an ideal medium to explore provocative themes, alternative perspectives, and counter-culture ideas. One digital artist has embraced each of these to become one of the most notorious NFT artists today. That artist is XCOPY.
In 2025, XCOPY will celebrate 15 years as an online creator. Through every glitch effect, neon colour stroke and dystopian creation, he has forged a reputation as one of the most well-respected, highly-regarded and revered digital artists in the NFT industry.
Today, XCOPY is regarded as one of the leading figures in both the digital art and NFT art realms – but what sets his work apart, how did he rise to prominence, and what can we expect from him in future?
Here’s our complete guide to the NFT artist known as XCOPY.
Key Insights
- Pseudonymous London-based digital artist
- First emerged on Tumblr in August 2010
- Sold Right-Click and Save As Guy for $7 million USD in December 2021
- Sold his Max Pain open edition for a total of over $24 million USD in March 2022
- Regarded as one of the world’s most notorious NFT artists
Who is XCOPY?
XCOPY is a pseudonymous digital artist, based in London, UK.
He first emerged in August 2010, crafting digital art on Tumblr that developed into critiques of modern society, embracing dystopian outlooks and dark humour. His art often grapples with themes such as death, societal decay, and the anxieties brought about by the digital age.
XCOPY’s work often drawn from counter-culture movements, with punk, anarchism and horror influences. His style is unmistakable: distorted static and animated pieces brimming with a brooding ambience, deep shadows, and vibrant neon accents. This unique style has become his hallmark – and is one that has been widely imitated.
His work has a certain rebellious edge – and the critique of societal norms goes hand-in-hand with Web3’s values of transparency, decentralisation and digital freedom.
Though the visual impact of his work is striking, XCOPY’s work is celebrated as much for its profound messaging as its aesthetics. His pieces often have an unsettling nature to them, leaving viewers to confront this discomfort to find the true meaning behind his work.
XCOPY began to mint his creations as NFTs in 2018. Being one of the first notable artists to enter the NFT industry, he immediately became one of its faces. Since his blockchain debut, he’s created more than 70 NFT collections, totalling over 13,000 individual NFTs – with some of his artworks fetching millions of dollars.
His digital collectibles can be found across various platforms, including:
- SuperRare. XCOPY was one of the first artists to mint an NFT on SuperRare, which is home to his RΞMNANTS series and many of his early 1-of-1 NFTs.
- OpenSea. NFT marketplace OpenSea features secondary market trading for collections such as FRESH HELL, DAMAGE CONTROL, and GRIFT SZN.
- Nifty Gateway. Art-focused site Nifty Gateway is home to XCOPY’s MAX PAIN series, TRAITORS, DISRUPTOR and various burn-focused collections.
- Async Art. A now-closed NFT marketplace, Async Art held programmable art collections of interactive works such as The Rabble and DOOM Party.
Collaborations have played a significant role in his portfolio. Through partnerships with artists such as @neonglitch86, XCOPY has produced the likes of RELICS and SPORES, blending various art styles to create thoroughly unique works.
Beyond sales, XCOPY has garnered praise for his support of other creators in the industry. He’s been a long-time advocate for creator royalties, with the aim to foster a more sustainable ecosystem, and has been known to publicly praise other high-quality works in the space, such as those behind the book CryptoPunks: Free to Claim.
What has XCOPY accomplished so far?
The rise of XCOPY runs parallel to that of the NFT industry itself.
XCOPY minted his first NFT on April 7, 2018. Titled Echoes of a Dead Earth, it was the first of what would become many unique 1-of-1 NFTs to be launched on SuperRare.
Highlights include Some Asshole, which would later fetch 1,300 ETH ($3.9 million USD), A Coin for the Ferryman, which would later fetch 1,330 ETH ($6.0 million USD), and All Time High in the City, which would later fetch 1,630 ETH ($6.2 million USD) – all of which were minted in 2018.
Another of XCOPY’s 2018 works is arguably his most well known. Right-Click and Save As Guy, a 1-of-1 NFT that tackled the criticism that saving an NFT is comparable to owning it on the blockchain, was reshared by XCOPY in August 2020, noting “they said it at $100 they’ll still say it at $100,000”. It was sold to Cozomo de’ Medici for 1,600 ETH ($7.0 million USD) in December 2021.
2022 was a prolific year for XCOPY. March 2022 saw XCOPY debut two high-profile NFT collections. The first of these was Grifters, a collection of 666 digital characters on Ethereum – which as of January 2025, have a floor price above 15 ETH ($48,000 USD).
The second of which was MAX PAIN, an 10-minute time-limited open edition that would raise an astounding $24 million USD. This open edition would later become the focal point of future collections, such as 2023’s DAMAGE CONTROL – a unique experiment in perceived value and digital scarcity.
DAMAGE CONTROL saw fans burn MAX PAIN NFTs to acquire new NFTs – which then themselves could be burned to receive rarer editions. The DAMAGE CONTROL burn phase – which marked the conclusion of the experiment – ended on January 1, 2025.
August 2022 saw the announcement that all of XCOPY’s prior and future solo works would be issued under a CC0 license. This meant that he relinquished all copyright claims to his works, allowing anyone to reuse or build upon what he had created.
XCOPY has continued to release regular works since the heights of 2022, and has been especially active across late 2024 and early 2025.
September 2024 saw XCOPY’s 2019 artwork Bad Flavour sell for 280 ETH ($665,000 USD) on SuperRare – a notable sale given the general decline in the price of NFT art over the preceding years.
October 2024 saw XCOPY release a new collection titled Cope Salada, consisting of 250 unique 1-of-1 NFTs launched on the debuting Ethereum Layer-2 blockchain Shape. XCOPY described this collection as “stripped back, raw, unadulterated, undiluted, and pristinely presented grade-A copium,” – his latest criticism of the digital art world, and the state of society more generally.
November 2024 brought the ICXN Collection, serving as XCOPY’s debut in the Art Blocks ecosystem. The collection was created using the Art Blocks Engine – a code-based generative art platform – with 500 unique 1-of-1 NFTs made available.
What does the future hold for XCOPY?
Given XCOPY’s history of innovation, creativity and unfiltered critiques, there’s no doubt that he’ll continue to push the boundaries of digital art, anti-establishment debate, and the NFT medium.
XCOPY has confirmed that 2025 will see the debut of his FRESH HELL collection – a rumoured 42-piece collection that, as of January 2025, is yet to see an announced date.
Some of the areas in which we could see XCOPY contribute in future include:
- Interactive and immersive art. XCOPY has had notable collaborations with 3D artists in the past, and his previous releases on Async Art were highly praised.
- Artist advocacy. XCOPY has been a stalwart supporter for artists and creatives around the world over the years – and if an opportunity comes up to push this further, you can be sure XCOPY will be there.
- Global culture. XCOPY has been the catalyst for discussion and debate not just on Web3-centric topics, but on wider societal issues too. We anticipate that his future works are likely to continue this trend, and provoke all-new conversations around the issues of the day.
XCOPY has had an impact on both NFTs and digital art that rivals that of highly-regarded figures such as Beeple and Pak.
With his artistic vision, striking style and thought-provoking work, XCOPY has become a movement unto himself – and one that continues to gather pace to this day. His work challenges us to consider different perspectives on the role of art in society – digital or otherwise – as well as the fabric of modern life itself.
Whether you’re new to his work or a long-time follower, one thing is clear: XCOPY is a name that will continue to shape the future of art in the digital age. His influence is undeniable, his work is indisputable, and his legacy continues to grow in size, stature and prominence before our very eyes.
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