The studio visit is one of the art world’s most treasured rituals. An artist’s studio can be a sacred space for one or a humming factory with dozens of assistants doing administrative work or helping to fabricate works, but in either case it’s mostly VIPs who get access, not the hoi polloi.

But now you don’t have to be in the inner circle to gain admission to the inner sanctum of some renowned artists. Eleven stars are offering access to their studios, and you can get in with just a click of the mouse and an outlay of a bit of cash, as tickets go on sale November 9 (though you can register now), priced at only $1,000. 

The hosts, all in New York, are Katherine Bradford, Leonardo Drew, Jeffrey Gibson, Rashid Johnson, Jeff Koons, Vera Lutter, Joel Mesler, Marilyn Minter, Tschabalala Self, Joel Shapiro, and Mickalene Thomas. These will be intimate group visits, with only five spots available for each visit. Tickets will be available not for auction but on a first-come, first-served basis and will remain on offer through November 19—though it seems unlikely that they won’t sell faster than that.

Jeffrey Gibson. Courtesy of Tandem Press.

The sale is an initiative of the IFPDA Foundation, a nonprofit supported by the annual International Fine Print Dealers Association fair, which recently moved back to the Park Avenue Armory after two years at the Javits Center. 

New York art advisor Sharon Coplan, also a curator, publisher, and print expert, curated the sale. 

From left, Sharon Coplan, curator of STUDIO VISIT, and Jenny Gibbs, executive director of the IFPDA Foundation and Print Fair, at the 2024 IFPDA Foundation Benefit hosted by Christie’s. © BFA 2024. Courtesy IFPDA Foundation.

“The IFPDA is the cornerstone organization for galleries and publishers of limited-edition prints and multiples, and it’s prestigious to be vetted as a member,” said Coplan in an email. “The IFPDA Print Fair is the go-to resource to see what’s hot off the press from publishers like Two Palms Press, Gemini G.E.L., and Pace Prints as well as renowned dealers like Hill Stone for old master prints.”

The proceeds, presumably tallying $55,000, will go to curatorial internships, exhibitions and research, and gallery and printmaking internships for students from historically Black colleges and universities aimed at fostering connoisseurship in the field. Past grants have gone to organizations including the Cincinatti Art Museum, the Flint Institute of Arts, and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum.

“Sometimes we have trouble getting due attention for prints,” said Jenny Gibbs, executive director of the IFPDA Foundation, in a phone interview. “This list is a testament to how many A-list artists love prints and printmaking so much that they’re giving up their time, their most valuable resource, to talk about their printmaking practice. Artists love making and collecting prints. For example, Jeff Koons is a serious Old Master print collector.”

Katherine Bradford. Photo: Vincent Tullo. Courtesy of David Zwirner/Utopia Editions

Gibbs was eager to debunk some misconceptions. For one thing, prints are themselves the work; they’re not a reproduction of something else (“That’s a poster,” she said). And they’re not just inexpensive consolation prizes for those who can’t afford a painting. Sure, she said, you can find examples at the IFPDA fair that are priced in the three digits, but you’ll find some priced in the seven-digit range as well.

Coplan pointed out that the studio visit roster grew out of pre-existing connections.

“The common thread with this incredible list of artists is that they have all created prints with IFPDA members, so it was an organic process,” said Coplan. “We were overwhelmed by the artists’ generosity to open up their studios for supporters of the IFPDA Foundation—these are going to be fun and memorable behind-the-scenes experiences. I have also worked with many of them on other projects like the one I’m working on now with Mickalene Thomas for the March IFPDA Print Fair at the Park Avenue Armory with the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation. It’s really going to expand the way people think about prints and printmaking!”