FC Barcelona exhibits its first two NFTs at Moco Museum with the exhibition 'Masterpiece. A digital tribute to Johan Cruyff and Alexia Putellas'

FC Barcelona is exhibiting its first two NFTs, In a Way, Immortal (starring Johan Cruyff) and Empowerment (dedicated to Alexia Putellas), at the Moco Museum. They form part of the ‘Masterpiece’ collection consisting of ten artworks, which is being presented piece by piece. These audiovisual works pay tribute to emblematic moments and figures from Barça that enrich its legacy and historical heritage, and the renowned museum will exhibit them in two of its rooms dedicated to digital art. The exhibition can be visited in Barcelona from tomorrow, Thursday 25 April, until 25 June, and soon in Amsterdam.

The exhibition that opens for visiting at the Moco Museum in Barcelona (C/ Montcada, 25) from tomorrow, - on the late birthday of Johan Cruyff – on Thursday 25 April and is called ‘Masterpiece. A digital tribute to Johan Cruyff and Alexia Putellas’. A launch event was held today at the museum to present the exhibition, which was attended by the vice-president of FC Barcelona's Institutional Area, Elena Fort, as well as executives, other representatives of FC Barcelona and former Barça player, Jesús Angoy. Also, there were Lionel Logchies and Kim Logchies, co-founders of the Moco Museum, and Birthe Faessen, Chief Exhibition and Collection Officer of the Moco Museum, among other members of the renowned museum.

They were joined by the artists and creators of the NFTs, Eric Sas and Alan Company, founders of BCN Visuals, who collaborated with Barça and with the involvement of World of Johan Cruyff on producing the piece In a Way, Immortal, as well as Danny Cruyff, widow of Johan Cruyff, plus representatives from World of Women and Rhiana Madeline, the creator of the masterpiece Empowerment.

Moco Museum is an independent museum with a wide range of inspiring modern, contemporary and digital art in Barcelona and Amsterdam, with London opening this summer. Their collection includes artworks from Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, Kaws, Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama, Andy Warhol and more and now also FC Barcelona. In this sense, this exhibition of two blaugrana digital artworks highlights the Club’s clear strategic commitment to adopt technology and innovation, while also creating unforgettable cultural moments - from the past and the present, male and female - with the aim to inspire its millennial, Xennial and Generation Z followers, among others.

‘The Flying Dutchman’ recreated as an NFT

The Club’s first ever NFT recreates Johan Cruyff’s legendary moment in the stadium when the iconic Dutch player ‘flew’ to score a crucial goal against Atlético de Madrid goalkeeper Miguel Reina on 22 December 1973. It was acquired for $693,000 at a live auction held at the historic Sotheby’s in New York, the world’s leading destination for art, luxury and collectibles.

The piece entitled In a Way, Immortal (inspired by a quote from Johan Cruyff) will be exhibited on a large screen in the main room dedicated to digital art at the Moco Museum from tomorrow, which is also where one of the blaugrana legend’s many inspirational phrases will be displayed on its walls, namely “It’s better to go down with your own vision than with someone else’s”.

The production on display recalls the iconic moment in a poetic animation of molten gold and was created by a team of 40 of Hollywood’s most talented computer graphics (CG) and visual effects (VFX) artists. Lasting 40 seconds, the film is accompanied by an original soundtrack performed by a 30-piece orchestra and incorporates real sounds from the Spotify Camp Nou and FC Barcelona fans.

Empowerment of women in sport

The second Barça NFT masterpiece, entitled Empowerment, represents Alexia Putellas’ exceptional performance in that Champions League semi-final against Wolfsburg before a record crowd of 91,648 fans, when she scored two goals and continued to uphold the empowerment of women in sport. It was acquired for $300,231.36 at a digital auction on OpenSea, the leading marketplace for digital collectibles.

The second room the renowned museum has allocated to the exhibition ‘Masterpiece. A digital tribute to Johan Cruyff and Alexia Putellas’ features the Barça women’s first team player and the Club’s commitment to the empowerment of women in sport. FC Barcelona is leading this movement, through which it defends gender equality and offers equal opportunities to women and girls in sport and in society as a whole, and where talent, passion and determination stand out.

The ‘Barça Lilac’ colour, a symbol of equality and created by mixing the Club’s original blue and maroon colours, covers the walls of the space that exhibits the digital sculpture of Putellas, enriched with digital painting, special effects and authentic chants from passionate Barça supporters. In addition, the different screens display images praising the player’s character and the Club’s commitment to women’s football. It also showcases one of the most renowned phrases from the two-time Ballon d’Or winner: ‘Football has no gender’.

Statements by Elena Fort, vice-president of FC Barcelona's Institutional Area

"For FC Barcelona, it is a matter of pride to be able to have an exhibition in a museum as renowned as the Moco Museum, giving continuity to the Club’s clear strategic commitment to adopting technology and innovation, while also creating unforgettable cultural moments with the aim of inspiring its followers. This exhibition is also an example of the Club's clear commitment to the empowerment of women in sport and women's football."

Statements by Lionel Logchies, founder of Moco Museum

"Through this partnership, we're fortunate to showcase the digital artworks of legends Johan Cruyff and Alexia Putellas. This collaboration merges the realms of contemporary art and sport, uniting both worlds. Displayed in Barcelona and Amsterdam, this temporary exhibition stands as a testament to the power of unity and self-empowerment. It reflects Moco's values as a modern-day museum, echoing the voice of a new generation."