For anyone shocked by this (as I am) it's interesting to reflect on what about physical objects makes us value them so much. I'm of the opinion that it's better to digitize most things (I prefer digital books and documents over physical copies for example), but burning a one-of-a-kind artwork from a historical figure is painful to read about.

At the same time, something new has been created. The value of anything is really subjective, and surely people are going to consider these NFTs valuable for intangible reasons, much like the rest of art.

It's surprising he didn't donate the painting to charity directly though, as that would probably reduce his tax burden.