ARTiSTORY brings together AI firm obode and the National Gallery

Art and cultural IP specialist ARTiSTORY has brought AIoT technology eco-brand obode, a member of China’s Midea Robozone, together with the National Gallery, London, to create a smart-robot vacuum cleaner featuring designs inspired by three great artists and supported with innovative digital marketing content.

The smart robot, obode P8, launching to market this spring, will be available to purchase online at Kickstarter. P8 is one of obode’s most advanced AIoT products, and is part of what Midea Robozone calls “the new wave of tech life”, combining technology and art.

As part of ARTiSTORY’s living artists programme, Finnish designer and illustrator Janine Rewell was commissioned to create new contemporary artwork for obode P8 inspired by three masterpieces in the National Gallery: Ambrosius Bosschaert’s Still Life of Flowers in a Wan-Li Vase, Claude Monet’s The Water-Lily Pond and Vincent van Gogh’s iconic Sunflowers. The three artists shared a fascination with nature and benefitted from advances in science and technology, such as the newly invented microscope which Bosschaert may have used to study the flowers he painted in detail. Images of the new artwork will be created as stickers to be applied to the robot cleaner by the customer.

The collaboration is being supported by a digital marketing campaign arranged and led by ARTiSTORY. This includes a film shoot in the National Gallery, bespoke narrative, and interviews with the artist Janine Rewell and the National Gallery Company’s B2B and Brand Licensing Director.

“This exciting collaboration is a great example of how ARTiSTORY’s licensing programmes can bring together cultural IP with cutting-edge innovative products and immersive digital storytelling content,” says Yizan He, CEO and Founder of ARTiSTORY.

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Van Gogh Museum secured fragrance partner in Floral Street through Licensing Link Europe deal

Licensing Link Europe has secured a new partnership between the independent, clean and sustainable fragrance brand, Floral Street, and the internationally revered Van Gogh Museum. The four year deal will see a line of fragrances and scented home products celebrate the works of Vincent Van Gogh.

A first of its kind collaboration, the partnership will explore how the artist’s passion for the natural world has inspired sustainable scent creations.

“I’m honoured that Floral Street has been chosen as the first fragrance brand to partner with the Van Gogh Museum. Drawing inspiration from Vincent van Gogh’s timeless masterpieces, we discovered a shared love of nature and finding beauty in the everyday. Through this collaboration, we are able to tell our story in a new way, in which the beauty of art and fragrance meet,”  said Michelle Feeney, founder of Floral Street

The partnership will see the first global launch in August 2021, and it will bring to life the beauty and optimism of one of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous masterworks. 

Floral Street and the Van Gogh Museum share a mission to inspire a diverse audience for future generations. Our collaboration offers a fresh and different way to experience the art of Van Gogh,”  said Emilie Gordenker, General Director, Van Gogh Museum.

Blueprint Collections’ Van Gogh Museum range sees significant success online and in stores

Licensing Link Europe is celebrating the ongoing strong sales, retail support for, and significant success of Blueprint Collections’ range of stationery and gift items based on the the internationally revered art brand, The Van Gogh Museum.

The range – which consists of 21 items – launched before Christmas in John Lewis stores and online, as well as with Amazon, where it has its own dedicated page, and through which the range has achieved a sell out success.

The artwork on the products, including an umbrella, compact mirror, wash bag, jotter and pencil case, features key pieces from the Van Gogh Museum collections such as Almond Blossom, Sunflowers Pink Peach Tree, and Self-Portrait with Pipe and Straw Hat. The artist’s letters have also been utilized as design elements across the range.

In addition to launching in the UK, the range is also available internationally in Papelaria, Chile, Galaries Lafayette in France, and distributed by Jasnor in Australia.

Further product development for this year will include office accessories and storage items.

The deal with Blueprint Collections was secured by Licensing Link Europe, the UK and Ireland agent for the Van Gogh Museum.

Lisa Shand, MD, Blueprint Collections, said: “We have had a tremendous response to the launch of the Van Gogh Museum stationery and gift range not only in the United Kingdom but internationally. The range itself developed alongside the museum’s team has proved a great success in terms of sell-through. And we look forward to extending the range later this year, focusing on working from home, including storage and office accessories.”

Chris Taday, director Licensing Link, said: “From signing the license to launching the product range, this has been a collaborative effort with all parties. As we move forward into this year, we are pleased with how the Van Gogh Museum licensing programme is maturing – supported by best-in-class licensees and partners.”

Elsewhere, ASOS is continuing to support a range of Van Gogh Museum t-shirts from The Collective, designs including Sunflowers.

Further new launches for 2021 will come from Danilo (diaries, calendar, and greeting cards) as well as the launch of Ecoffee Cup with its range of reusable cups available from March.

Van Gogh Museum paints new partnership with US fashion house Robert Graham

America’s eclectic fashion house, Robert Graham, has teams with the Van Gogh Museum to interpret the work of the iconic post-impressionist Vincent van Gogh in its Fall20 / Winter 21 collection. The range will be anchored around the brand’s Wearable Art pillar.

The deal has been managed by IMG, who has been working extensively with Robert Graham on the development and launch of the collection.

Dubbed as a “Brush with Greatness” and also featuring collaborations with Leroy Neiman and Ryan McGinness, the collection offers fans collectible artistry with a signature Robert Graham hand.

Andrew Berg, president of Robert Graham, commented: “The brand’s 20-year legacy, centered around fashion that is meant to be discussed, admired and collected, deeply ties us back to the world of art. That is who we are as a brand. The ability to feature iconic artists such as Vincent van Gogh through these collaborations allows us to officially marry art and fashion and make it our own.”

Sean Chadwick, VP of design at Robert Graham, added: “This anniversary collection intertwines masterpieces in the art world while celebrating signature Robert Graham design expertise: vivid #WearableArt prints, tracer embroidery, contrast motifs under the cuff and yarn-dyed details. The art of the detail in the details, is always the unexpected with our designs.”

Starting this November, the collection pieces will be available at select Robert Graham Stores across the US, and online via www.robertgraham.us and other high-end specialty boutiques.

IMG is the exclusive licensing representative for the Van Gogh Museum across various countries, including the US and countries in Asia, while its successful European programme is handled by Licensing Link. Van Gogh Museum houses the world’s largest collection of works by the artist and serves as the official curator of the Van Gogh legacy.