Art Licensing Grows Bigger in India

Sid Maurer, an 87-year old New York-based painter, gained international recognition for his portraits of international and Indian celebrities including Elvis Presley and Shah Rukh Khan, respectively, and many of these artworks are available for licensing here. Maurer’s collection includes more than 500 ‘pieces’, and in Italy, PepsiCo had earlier tied up with this artist for a limited edition collection - Marilyn Monroe cans, to commemorate the 50 th anniversary of the death of this legendary actress. It does not end there, and his collection including ‘Sid’s Americana Icons’ and ‘Endangered Species’ have also been used to create licensed merchandise for apparel, back to school products, and mobile accessories, amongst others.

In India, Maurer is represented by Bradford License India, and plans are on the anvil for licensing merchandise in diverse categories like kitchenware, tableware and F&B. Chitra Johri, Vice President, Bradford License India, said, “Celebrity Icons by Sidney Maurer offer opportunities for licensing in different categories, and enables retailers to easily expand their product portfolio with a ‘stroke’ of artistic genius.” Maurer’s technique Maurer combines ‘bold’ and ‘dynamic’ colours with painstaking layouts and typographical elements, and also explores his themes with symbols and photographic collages. And, he shot to fame as a leading graphic artist in the early sixties for translating British pop star Donovan’s “concepts” on album covers.

Maurer continued his work for the music industry with leading players including The Rolling Stone, as well as for Bob Guccione, founder of Penthouse magazine, and poster designs for Warner Brothers. It was during this period that Maurer’s work gained recognition and appeared in galleries in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris.

Maurer is currently working on the ‘Star Spangled Banner series’ and it includes artwork related to US Presidents right from Abraham Lincoln to Barack Obama, as well as iconic symbols like the national flag and the Statue of Liberty.