Artist's multiple

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Artist's multiple is a series of identical art objects produced or commissioned by artist according to his idea, usually a signed limited edition made specifically for selling.

Multiples have been called the most accessible and reasonably priced contemporary art on the market, value for money and fun. They could be multiples of a 2D print, 3D sculpture or installation piece. The multiple offers artists a way of selling work without compromising their artistic integrity and makes their work accessible to a wider market.

Multiples are united by their lack of uniqueness, usually regarded as a prerequisite in a work of art. Many are by artists who work solely with the concept of the multiple. The challenge to the artist is in finding ways of realizing an idea that can be repeated time and again. Thus part of the creative challenge comes in researching new methods and sourcing new materials, leading to some unlikely collaborations between artist and fabricators.

History

Multiples are not a new idea. Many artists in the 20th century tinkered with the concept. Spurred on by Marcel Duchamp's ready-mades, the multiple became a subversive art-form. Hand-made, limited edition books were around long before that - William Morris and Walter Crane were using mass production methods to take art to the masses true to their socialist ideals in the 19th century. Joseph Beuys (1921–1986) took the multiple idea further. Disillusioned by the approach to everyday objects manifested by Fluxus, Beuys wanted to reclaim the role of the object as art. He felt that as an artist he could channel energy from everyday objects and imbue them with new power and meaning.

In 1993, artists Sarah Lucas and Tracey Emin took over a disused shop in London's East End and, with other artists friends including Damien Hirst, sold T-shirts, mugs and other customized items as works of art. This artist-led approach to selling art directly to the public not only re-popularised the artists multiple, but was a key moment in the subsequent Young British Artist era, culminating in the Charles Saatchi collected "Sensation" exhibition.

Since 2005, there have been vending machines produced by the association Un Certain Detachement that has been selling multiples, displayed in shows throughout France, including the 2011 Biennale d'art contemporain de Lyon.

External links

• Two articles by René Block and Barbara Heinrich providing a historical overview of Artist's Multiples and Editions

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