The Philadelphia Museum of Art has become the official repository for the archive of Brand X Editions, a New York City-based print studio founded in 1979. Under a new agreement, 350 archival screenprints by artists including Chuck Close, Helen Frankenthaler, Rashid Johnson, KAWS, and Mickalene Thomas have been transferred to the museum, with one copy of every future print to be added over the next decade. The museum has launched the exhibition "Brand X Editions: Innovation in Screenprinting," featuring about 90 works, including Johnson's monumental "Untitled Large Mosaic" printed with 293 colors and Close's complex self-portrait using 91 colors.
This acquisition matters because it preserves the legacy of a studio that elevated screenprinting from commercial T-shirt graphics to a sophisticated fine art medium, collaborating with some of America's most prominent contemporary artists. The arrangement ensures that Brand X's experimental techniques and the artists' visions are documented and accessible for future scholarship. It also allows the PMA to significantly expand its collection with works by artists it has long sought, increasing the diversity and depth of its holdings in printmaking.