Chadwick Boseman Oscars NFT Draws Criticisms: Memes, Angry Reactions and Redesign Decision

Andre Oshea, who designed the NFT art to honor the late Chadwick Boseman in the Oscars, is under fire after several netizens accused him of stealing the idea for artwork.

Moroever, in light of the controversy, the NFT designer stated that he would be redesigning the Chadwick Boseman NFT art. Unfortunately, Twitter continues to buzz regarding the Academy Awards' choice to honor Boseman with an NFT.

Chadwick Boseman NFT Art Sparks Negative Comments Online

During the Oscars, the Distinctive Assets company gave out gift bags that included an NFT 3D art of Boseman, who passed away last year due to colon cancer. The artist responsible for this creation was Andre Oshea.

Oshea posted on his Twitter account that the Chadwick Boseman NFT 3D art was a tribute for the late actor for his acting skills. He also noted that creating the golden Boseman head "was the most rewarding experience of my life as an artist."

The artist then pointed out that half of the NFT proceeds would go to the Colon Cancer Foundation to cure the same disease Boseman fought. The designer then later updated that the "Buy It Now" price for the NFT on Rarible.com--where it was initially auctioned off--was at $1.2 million

However, Variety reported that one potential buyer on Rarible pointed out that a royalty-free license model of Chadwick Boseman's head, that features similarities with Oshea's NFT art, was for sale on CGTrader for $50. In the site's terms, any purchaser can use the artwork as an "incorporated product" in any of their artwork of physical models or NFTs if the seller did not state any contradicting licensing conditions.

Meaning, any buyer can or cannot post copyrights for his/her future works if the seller did not state any form of ownership. However, many people have noted that Oshea stole the CFTrader artist's design and used it for his own NFT art.

Andre Oshea Will Redesign the Chadwick Boseman NFT Art

With all the controversy surrounding the Chadwick Boseman NFT art, Oshea eventually took down the 3D art on Rarible and promised to redesign it. The artist stated that this was a learning experience for him as he promised to put a new NFT art to honor the late actor on the auction site.

Oshea stated on Twitter that he wanted to create a digital monument that embodied Boseman's influence as a hero for the Black community while raising awareness for colon cancer. Oshea added that he is grateful for all the love and support from both the community and netizens online.