cryptopenks

The Infinite Node Foundation (NODE) is pleased to announce the acquisition of the intellectual property of @cryptopunks from @yugalabs. Launched by Larva Labs in 2017, CryptoPunks are widely regarded as the catalyst for the modern digital art movement. Their $3.07B in sales have established Matt Hall and John Watkinson as the highest-selling living artists of our time. The pioneering collection of 10,000 unique, algorithmically generated pixel art characters now lives within the most well-capitalized nonprofit dedicated solely to digital art in the United States. Formed in 2025 by Micky Malka and Becky Kleiner, NODE’s purchase of the the IP and additional $25M endowment outpaces the digital art funding of all major U.S. institutions. NODE exists to build networked architecture for digital works like CryptoPunks to be studied, exhibited, and contextualized within the art-historical canon. This transition isn’t about ownership, but liberation. Freed from corporate friction and limitations, the Punk ethos can now thrive through a decentralized, community-driven future. To guide this journey, NODE has assembled a Punks advisory board led by Matt Hall and John Watkinson (Larva Labs) along with visionary voices in the project’s history, Wylie Aronow (Yuga Labs), and Erick Calderon (Art Blocks). In addition, we are happy to share that we will be enlisting Natalie Stone as a consultant to support the NODE team during this transition. This vision begins with a major exhibition of the full 10K collection, to debut alongside the opening of NODE’s permanent hub and exhibition space in Palo Alto. Here, NODE will host a full Ethereum node to contribute towards the permanence of the works housed within. Under our stewardship, CryptoPunks will remain as the artists intended, while continuing to stand as the defining collection of this century’s defining art movement. Thank you to all who have been a part of the Punks journey. Our new chapter together begins now.