Works of Cuban Artist Amelia Peláez to Be Turned into NFTs to ‘Liberate Her Art’

In a bid to protect acclaimed Cuban artist Amelia Peláez’s legacy from the government, The Amelia Peláez Foundation is turning her works into NFTs. Peláez is touted as one of the greatest Cuban artists in history. Strikingly, her works greatly defined Cuba and generations of artists. However, after her death in 1968, the Castro-led regime confiscated her artworks. Furthermore, a vast number of forgeries and unofficial composites of her works have turned up over the years.

Now, The Amelia Peláez Foundation, headed by Peláez’s family members, is launching an NFT collection – AmeliasNFT. “Amelia will always belong to Cuba and Cubans wherever they may find themselves,” wrote Carmen Peláez, a relative of the artist. “Were she alive now, I know she wouldn’t stand by quietly as the dictatorship jailed artists, poets and innocent Cubans demanding their freedom. She would do whatever she could to support them.”

All about Amelia Peláez NFT collection

Amelia Peláez NFT collection consists of a total of 1,000 NFTs. The collection will feature 20 ‘Amelias’ (her works) with each being 1 of 50. The Foundation will reveal the Amelias in the NFT collection only after all the pieces are sold. Thus, the buyers will receive a random Amelia. The NFTs will go live on AmeliasNFT at 6 pm EST on December 8.

Furthermore, the Foundation will use all proceeds from the sale to support two causes. Firstly, it will create “the definitive Catalogue Raisonné” of Amelia’s works to wipe off fake Amelia paintings from the market. Secondly, the funds will support groups such as Miami Freedom Project and Cubalex in their efforts to create a democratic Cuba. 

Amelia Peláez is not the first acclaimed artist to have their works turned into NFTs posthumously. Recently, The British Museum launched NFTs featuring paintings of the legendary Japanese artist, Katsushika Hokusai.