Commission
An art commission is when an individual or institution requests that an artist make an artwork especially for them.
In art, a commission refers to the formal act of requesting the creation of a specific piece, usually done on behalf of another party. This practice extends across various domains, including private individuals, governmental bodies, and businesses. These types of commissions bear similarities to endorsements or sponsorships, as they involve a deliberate arrangement where an artist is entrusted with the task of crafting a work to meet particular specifications or desires. This collaborative process allows for the realisation of customised and bespoke artworks that cater to the unique visions and preferences of the commissioning party.
15 results found for "Commission"
Ai Weiwei – Everyone is a dragon
It's the year of the dragon. Dragons wield godlike power in myths and folklore, but Ai Weiwei insists that everyone is a dragon. Here's why.
Meet the artists shaping the future of tarot
The humble yet powerful tarot card has inspired artists for centuries. Today, tarot is more popular than ever, so we take a look at its long history and the creatives celebrating it now. Along the way, we speak to two of our favourite artists and tarot creators, Claire Yurika Davis and Marcella Kroll.
Cai Guo-Qiang – Explosive serenity
Explosive serenity is the paradox at play in Snow Lotus, a new collaboration with Cai Guo-Qiang. Hear his reflections on reflections, and discover the printmaking processes involved in transforming one of his gunpowder paintings into a limited edition print.
Bridging the gap: how 50 years of hip-hop has changed the artworld
This is the story all about how hip-hop and art have propelled each other to global domination. From graffiti on the streets of the Bronx to record breaking auction results, hip-hop giants continue to make waves in the artworld.
Kehinde Wiley
Kehinde Wiley, born in 1977 in Los Angeles, is a prominent American artist acclaimed for his vibrant and reimagined portraits that fuse contemporary subjects with classical European painting styles.
Is racism the price we pay for representation?
Tschabalala Self’s sculpture was vandalised by racists who painted her skin white – symbolically erasing exactly what it was intended to represent.
Gemma Rolls-Bentley's Collection
For Gemma Rolls-Bentley, collecting begins with understanding your own values and what you represent. As a curator and creative consultant, this is how she approaches her own collection as well as those she builds for others – guided by the idea that art should hold real meaning for those who spend time with it. The art that fills her South London home is a reflection of the queer family she is creating with her wife, poet and dementia specialist, Danielle Wilde.
Sensory Inspiration
The origin story for a new collaboration with New York legend José Parlá got us thinking about some of the unexpected places where artists find their art.
Butt plugs, Santa Claus & Paul McCarthy
"A joke, but serious."
Cai Guo-Qiang
What do you know about the art of blowing things up? Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang has been doing it for fifty years…
Tschabalala Self in London
We all do it, but what does it mean to sit?
In conversation: Tyler Hobbs
"Can I write a program that creates a painting?"
Christine Wong Yap
Christine Wong Yap was born in 1977 in California's San Francisco Bay, where she has recently relocated after a decade spent living and working in Queens, New York.
Elliot Dodd
Elliot Dodd was born in 1978 in Jersey, Channel Islands, and now works and lives in London.
Santa with Butt Plug Bronze 11.4 inches
With an assembly of red bronzes, Paul McCarthy imparts a lewd lesson on the duality of an object.From early performances to pop-up Parisian confectioners and 80-foot inflatables, sex toys and Santa Claus have a storied past in the work of seminal American artist Paul McCarthy. Short of a signature, the two belong to a perverse lexicon of icons and archetypes which McCarthy has revisited, re-invented and combined at will over the course of his five decade career. In this case, questioning the commodification of Christmas and the associations of a derided object which – in another context – might be considered a masterstroke of minimalism.Santa with Butt Plug Bronze 11.4 inches revisits a 2001 public sculpture commissioned by the city of Rotterdam. A foam replica, created during the casting process and subsequently left to rot for five years outside McCarthy’s studio, provides the form for a new and smaller incarnation. Cracks, fissures and imperfections are preserved as testament to the artwork’s ongoing history. A sanguine finish completes the edition – heightening the fidelity of its surface and fulfilling McCarthy’s vision for his original, large-scale Santa.For the full picture, read an accompanying journal – Butt plugs, Santa Claus & Paul McCarthy.
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Building your collection? We can help.
Your questions, answered
We collaborate with artists to create both limited editions and works on paper.
A limited edition is a set number of similar or identical artworks. The size of the edition denotes the total number of artworks that will ever be made, underscoring their value.
Framing options vary for each piece and are listed on the individual artwork pages. Our standard glazing offer is a minimum 90% UV acrylic plexiglass, or you can upgrade to an anti reflective Optium museum plexiglass.
Yes, 100%. We work directly with our artists to create editions that accurately represent their body of work. Additionally, every artist personally reviews and approves their final editions.
Every artwork is signed or stamped, and individually numbered. You will also receive a stamped and numbered certificate of authenticity.
No—the copyright is not transferred to the purchaser of the edition.
All the ins and outs can be found on our orders and shipping page.
