Anonymous artist XCOPY has been creating glitch art NFTs for years — so long that his earliest collections have become somewhat legendary.

Fans of his work often retell the stories of how his first NFTs were lost due to early art platforms that didn’t survive as he did. These retellings serve as tributes to the deep connection between XCOPY and the history of NFTs.

For those unfamiliar with XCOPY, there is a lot to learn about the NFTs that made him one of the top-selling artists in the space. However, very little is known about him personally. The only detail publicly available is that XCOPY has ties to London.

Who is XCOPY?

XCOPY is a highly regarded digital artist famous for his bold and distinctive NFT creations in his signature glitch style. His real identity remains unknown, which adds to the mystery surrounding his work. XCOPY’s art often features dark, futuristic, and unsettling themes that captivate audiences in the NFT world. There's also a good bit of neon colors and flashing animations. His anonymity, combined with his unique style, has made him one of the most prominent digital artists, with many of his NFTs selling for thousands of dollars on major platforms. His approach to combining technology and art has established him as a leading figure in the digital art space.

Here are five things to know about XCOPY.

Tumblr was one of his first digital art homes

While XCOPY released his first NFT in 2018, the artist shared his work on the microblogging platform Tumblr as early as 2010. XCOPY’s page is still active, and the further back one scrolls, the easier it is to see the aspects of the artist’s style that have remained the same and the elements that have grown over the last decade and a half.

For starters, XCOPY has never abandoned the glitch art movement. Glitch art is a style that deliberately distorts the medium, whether a digital image, sound file, or photograph. XCOPY’s use of glitch art includes intentional visual movements and color shifts.

The artist has also remained consistent thematically. On his website, XCOPY shared that he fuses “death, disorder, and crypto themes in chaotic visual loops.” All it takes is one look at the artist’s use of skulls, neon colors, and black backgrounds to see the themes stand out.

XCOPY's artistic style and process are inspired by glitch art

XCOPY’s artistic style is a masterful fusion of traditional and digital art techniques. He employs a combination of software tools and manual processes to create his unique digital artworks. His process is highly experimental, involving the use of different digital tools and techniques to achieve the desired effect. XCOPY’s artworks are instantly recognizable, often featuring skulls, strobe lighting, and other eerie elements that have become hallmarks of his style. His dedication to his craft is evident in the time he spends perfecting each piece, ensuring that every digital file he releases is a testament to his meticulous artistic process. This commitment to excellence has earned him a dedicated following among digital artists and collectors alike.

Many of XCOPY’s NFTs are on the list of top NFT sales ever by nft artists

More than one of XCOPY’s artworks has earned them a place on the top NFTs ever sold by art news outlet Artnet. This list includes art sold across a variety of NFT marketplaces, including OpenSea, Art Blocks, and others.

For instance, one of XCOPY’s earliest pieces, All Time High in the City, is a red-and-black NFT originally minted in 2018. Not four years later, in 2022, the NFT sold for close to $6 million. Another one of XCOPY’s NFTs that sold for a hefty price was the Right-click and Save As Guy NFT, a commentary on the common misconception that NFTs are worthless because anyone can just ‘right-click’ and ‘save as’. Digital art collector Cozomo de’ Medici purchased the NFT, originally minted in 2018, for $7 million in December 2021.

XCOPY’s open edition NFT collection, Max Pain, sold 7,394 NFTs and made $23 million in under 10 minutes. Since XCOPY is known for his 1-of-1 NFTs, the Max Pain collection allowed a wider audience to access the artist’s work.

XCOPY’s name likely references the XCOPY command

It's believed the name XCOPY nods to a command in the Microsoft operating system that copies files between directories or networks. A blog found on Edicurial, an NFT art collective website, suggests the name reflects the replication and distribution of digital art, much like the ERC-721 token standard enables on the Ethereum blockchain and across NFT marketplaces. This clever link ties XCOPY's identity to the essence of NFTs — i.e. movement and sharing collectible items in the digital world.

XCOPY shocked the NFT community by adopting a CC0 

Creative Commons Zero, or CC0, is a public domain dedication that opens up an artist or creator’s work for use in the public domain. While other NFT collections also operate under CC0, like Nouns NFTs, XCOPY’s decision was noteworthy because of when and how he applied the CC0. Instead of using it moving forward with future collections, in 2022, XCOPY shared that he would also be retroactively applying CC0 on any art he had created up until that point. 

Since embracing CC0, XCOPY has released other collections, like ‘DAMAGE CONTROL.’ Each of the five kinds of NFTs in the collection embodies XCOPY’s signature glitch style, use of neon and black colors, and multi-layered motion. Now, his glitch art can also be the foundation for another creator’s art form.