ICON ARTIST ART BASEL AWARD

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ICON ARTIST ART BASEL AWARD

Icon Artists Who Redefined the Boundaries of Contemporary Art

Across five decades of radical experimentation, Joan Jonas, Adrian Piper, Betye Saar, Cecilia Vicuña, David Hammons, and Lubaina Himid have reshaped the landscape of contemporary art through practices that are at once fiercely inventive, philosophically grounded, and socially transformative. Though distinct in medium and cultural context, these six artists are bound by a shared commitment to confronting entrenched systems of power and reimagining the possibilities of artistic expression.

Jonas revolutionized performance and video art, expanding the relationship between body, myth, and technological space. Piper merged conceptual rigor with political urgency, redefining how art interrogates race, identity, and personal ethics. Saar transformed assemblage into a powerful vessel for memory, spirituality, and Black liberation. Vicuña revived ancestral Indigenous knowledge while pioneering ecofeminist aesthetics that resonate profoundly in today’s ecological crises. Hammons subverted the art world from within, exposing the structures of market value, visibility, and racial politics through acts of conceptual mischief and poetic provocation. Himid reframed European art history by centering the African diaspora, challenging colonial narratives while celebrating cultural resilience and Black presence.

Together, these artists form a canon of resistance and renewal. Their practices do not simply reflect the world—they intervene in it. They open new spaces for marginalized voices, critique dominant systems, and expand the very definition of what art can be. Their legacies live in the hybrid, fluid, socially engaged art of today, and their influence continues to guide conversations around identity, ecology, politics, and imagination.

This constellation of iconic figures offers more than a history; it offers a blueprint for art that refuses silence, embraces multiplicity, and insists on transformation. Through their visionary approaches, they illuminate pathways toward a more expansive, just, and interconnected cultural future.

Joan Jonas

Joan Jonas (b. 1936, New York, NY) is a foundational figure in performance, video art, and interdisciplinary practice. Since the late 1960s, Jonas has fused movement, drawing, ritual, and myth to create poetic visual languages that transformed how performance and media art are understood today. Her influence spans generations of artists exploring embodiment, narrative fragmentation, and the relationship between the human body and technological mediation. As one of the first artists to use video as an expressive tool, Jonas helped define the possibilities of time-based art in the contemporary era.

Joan is a world-renowned artist whose work encompasses a wide range of media including video, performance, installation, sound, text, and sculpture. Jonas’ experiments and productions in the late 1960s and early 1970s continue to be crucial to the development of many contemporary art genres, from performance and video to conceptual art and theatre. Since 1968, her practice has explored ways of seeing, the rhythms of rituals, and the authority of objects and gestures.

Jonas has exhibited and performed extensively around the world. Her notable exhibition history includes Documenta 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 13; the 28th Sao Paolo Biennial; the 5th Kochi-Muziris Biennale; and the 13th Shanghai Biennale. She has recently presented solo exhibitions at the United States Pavilion for the 56th Edition of the Venice Biennial; Tate Modern, London; Museu Serralves, Porto; Pinacoteca de São Paulo; Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid; Dia Beacon; Haus der Kunst, Munich; The Drawing Center, New York, Gladstone Gallery, New York and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Naples, Italy. The Museum of Modern Art in New York hosted a retrospective of Jonas’s work in 2024.

Jonas is the recipient of many awards including The Whitechapel Gallery Art Icon (2016); the Maya Deren Award given by the American Film Institute (1989); and the Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (2009). In 2018, Jonas was awarded the prestigious Kyoto Prize, given to those individuals who have contributed significantly to the scientific, cultural and spiritual betterment of mankind, and in 2024 she was presented with the Nam June Paik Prize, awarded to artists who have contributed to the development of contemporary art, mutual understanding, and world peace.

Adrian Piper

Adrian Piper is one of the most groundbreaking conceptual artists and philosophers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Her work interrogates race, gender, identity, and systems of power with intellectual rigor and emotional precision. Through performance, text, participatory structures, and analytic frameworks, Piper exposed the mechanisms of racism and xenophobia long before such discourse became mainstream. Her confrontational yet deeply humane practice redefined what political art can achieve and continues to shape contemporary debates around ethics and social identity.

Adrian produces artwork in a variety of traditional and nontraditional media, including photo-text collage, drawing on pre- printed paper, video installation, site-specific sculptural installation, digital imagery, performance and sound works. Piper’s works locate the viewer in a direct, unmediated and indexical relation to the concrete specificity of the object of awareness. They consistently explore the nature of subjecthood and agency, the limits of the self, and the continuities and discontinuities of individual identity in the metaphysical, social and political contexts. In 1968 Piper’s Parallel Grid Proposal for Dugway Proving Grounds introduced explicit political content into Minimalism. In 1970-73, her Catalysis and Mythic Being series introduced issues of race and gender into the vocabulary of Conceptual art. In 2000 her Color Wheel Series introduced Vedic philosophical concepts into political art. Her mixed media installation + participatory group performance, The Probable Trust Registry (2013-15), won the Golden Lion Award for Best Artist in the 56th Venice Biennale 2015 .

For her artwork Piper has also received Guggenheim, AVA, and NEA Fellowships, as well as the Skowhegan Medal for Sculptural Installation and the New York Dance & Performance Award (the Bessies) for Installation & New Media. She received the 2012 College Art Association Artist Award for a Distinguished Body of Work, for having “since the late 1960s, … profoundly influenced the language and form of Conceptual art;” and in 2014, a Women’s Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2018 she became the first American to be honored by Germany’s Kaethe Kollwitz prize, and was elected to membership in the Akademie der Künste. In 2021, she was the winner of the Goslarer Kaiserring and was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2023 she was the recipient of the Harvard Arts Medal.

Piper’s artwork is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Centre Pompidou, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Generali Foundation, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Los Angeles, and the Museum Ludwig, among others. From March to July of 2018, her seventh traveling retrospective, Adrian Piper: A Synthesis of Intuitions 1965-2016 , was hosted by the Museum of Modern Art in New York , the largest retrospective ever for a living artist. It was dubbed “the most important exhibition of the year” by ARTNews. Her eighth retrospective (and first European retrospective in over twenty years), RACE TRAITOR, opened at PAC Milan in March 2024.

Betye Saar

Betye Saar is a pioneering force of the Black Arts Movement and a master of assemblage. Her transformative works use found objects, family archives, and symbolic materials to challenge racist imagery and reclaim African American spirituality, memory, and resistance. Saar’s iconic assemblages—charged with mysticism and political critique—reframe domestic objects into powerful cultural monuments. Her influence on generations of artists working with memory, identity, and social justice is immeasurable.

As one of the artists who ushered in the development of Assemblage art, Betye Saar’s practice reflects on African American identity, spirituality and the connectedness between different cultures. Her symbolically rich body of work has evolved over time to demonstrate the environmental, cultural, political, racial, technological, economic, and historical context in which it exists.

For over six decades, Saar has created assemblage works that explore the social, political, and economic underpinnings of America’s collective memory. She began her career at the age of 35 producing work that dealt with mysticism, nature and family. Saar’s art became political in the 1970’s namely with the assemblage The Liberation of Aunt Jemima in 1972. Activist and scholar Angela Davis has cited this work as the beginning of the Black Women’s movement. Like many women who came to political consciousness in the 1960s, Saar takes on the feminist mantra “the personal is political” as a fundamental principle in her assemblage works. Her appropriation of black collectibles, heirlooms, and utilitarian objects are transformed through subversion, and yet given her status as a pioneer of the Assemblage movement, the impact of Saar’s oeuvre on contemporary art has yet to be fully acknowledged or critically assessed. Among the older generation of Black American artists, Saar is without reproach and continues to both actively produce work and inspire countless others.

Saar received a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1949 and has received six honorary doctorates. Her contributions to art and community activism have earned her numerous accolades, including two National Endowment for the Arts Awards, the W.E.B. Du Bois Award (2022), and the Wolfgang Hahn Prize (2022).

In 1975, Saar’s first solo museum show was held at the Whitney Museum of Art in New York where she was the first African American woman to have her art on display there. Recent solo exhibitions include Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2019); The Museum of Modern Art, New York (2019); Institute of Contemporary Art Miami (2021); and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (2023); The Huntington Library (2024); and The Neubauer Collegium (2025.) Saar’s artwork is in numerous public and private collections, including The Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, Hammer Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Tate Modern and Museum Ludwig, among many others.

Cecilia Vicuña, Artist — Cecilia Vicuña,
Artist

Cecilia Vicuña

Cecilia Vicuña is an icon of ecofeminism, Indigenous knowledge, and expanded poetry. Working across performance, installation, sculpture, and text, she reconnects ancient Andean traditions—such as the quipu—with contemporary ecological and political urgencies. Her precarios (precarious sculptures) and monumental textile installations embody fragility, resilience, and ancestral continuity. Vicuña’s work sits at the intersection of activism and visionary poetics, offering a radically interconnected worldview urgently relevant to our time.

Cecilia s a poet, artist, activist and filmmaker whose work addresses pressing concerns of the modern world, including ecological destruction, human rights, and cultural homogenization. Born and raised in Santiago de Chile, she has been in exile since the early 1970s, after the military coup against the president Salvador Allende. In London, she was a co-founder of Artists for Democracy in l974.

She coined the term “Arte Precario” in the mid-1960s in Chile, as a new independent and non-colonized category for her precarious works composed of debris, structures that disappear in the landscape, which include her quipus (knot in Quechua), envisioned as poems in space. Vicuña has re-invented the ancient Pre-Columbian quipu system of non-writing with knots through ritual acts that weave the urban landscape, rivers and oceans, as well as people, to re-construct a sense of unity and awareness of interconnectivity. These works bridge art and poetry as a way of “hearing an ancient silence waiting to be heard.” Her poetry and Palabrarmas (word-weapons) stem from a deep enquiry into the roots of language. Her early work as a poet in the 60’s was simultaneously celebrated by avant-garde poetry magazines as El Corno Emplumado, Mexico City (l961–1968), and censored and/or suppressed for many decades in Chile and Latin America.

Solo exhibitions of Vicuña’s work have been organized at a number of major institutions, including, most recently, the Museo de Bellas Artes, Santiago de Chile, Chile (2023); Tate Modern, London, United Kingdom (2022); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY (2022); Museo de Arte Miguel Urrutia (MAMU), Bogotá, Colombia (2022); Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo (CA2M), Madrid, Spain (2021); CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art, San Francisco, CA (2020); and Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City, Mexico (2020). Her work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions, including in documenta 14, Athens and Kassel (2017), and the 59th Venice Biennale (2022), and is part of major museum collections around the world.

The author of more than 30 volumes of art and poetry published in the United States, Europe, and Latin America, her most recent books are: PALABRARmas, USACH, Editorial de la Universidad de Santiago (2023); Word Weapons, Co-published by RITE Editions and Wattis Institute, San Francisco (2023); Libro Venado, Direcciones, Buenos Aires (2022); Sudor de Futuro, Altazor, Chile (2021); Cruz del Sur, Lumen Chile (2020), Minga del Cielo Oscuro, CCE, Chile (2020), and New & Selected Poems of Cecilia Vicuña, edited and translated by Rosa Alcalá, Kelsey Street Press (2018), among many others.

Cecilia Vicuña was the winner of the 2023 Premio Nacional de Artes Plásticas 2023, one of the most prestigious awards given by her homeland. Preceding this recognition, Vicuña was elected a foreign honorary member of the United States Academy of Arts and Letters and also received the Gold Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2022 at the 59th Venice Biennale.

DAVID HAMMONS

David Hammons was born in Springfield, Illinois on July 24, 1943. He is a legendary and elusive figure whose practice critiques systems of race, class, market value, and cultural appropriation with unmatched conceptual sharpness. From body prints using his own hair and grease to street-based actions and found-object sculptures, Hammons inverts art-world hierarchies and exposes their contradictions. His resistance to institutional expectations and his strategic use of invisibility have made him one of the most respected—and enigmatic—artists in American art history.

David moved to Los Angeles in 1962, attending CalArts from 1966-1968, and the Otis Art Institute from 1968-1972, where he was inspired by artists such as Bruce Nauman, John Baldessari, Charles White, and Chris Burden. In 1974, Hammons settled in New York City.

Over the past five decades, Hammons has created a versatile body of work that explores the experience of African-American life and the role of race within American society. He began his career in Los Angeles in the late 1960s, where he was influenced by the politically charged imagery of the Black Arts Movement, the found-object assemblages of Dada, and the humble materials of Arte Povera. His first notable work is his series of Body Prints done in the 1960s and ’70s. Life-size representations of his own figure would be transferred to the support by coating his skin and hair with margarine and pressing his greased body onto the paper, then covering those sections with pigment powder. These images would be paired with politically charged symbols such as the American flag.

After his move to New York in the mid-1970s, Hammons disengaged from two-dimensional works, preferring to devote his practice entirely to sculptural assemblage, installation, and performance, in which he would employ provocative materials such as elephant dung, chicken parts, strands of hair, and bottles of cheap wine. Centered in the Black urban experience, Hammons often uses sarcasm and humor as a means of confronting the cultural stereotypes and racial issues at the core of his practice. In recent years, Hammons returned again to two-dimensions in series such as his Kool Aid drawings, which use the popular drink as a medium for mark-making, and the Basketball Drawings, which are composed through repeatedly bouncing a basketball covered with charcoal onto the paper. As in so many of Hammons’ works, the title and physical object work together as a verbal and visual pun to generate meaning – in this case, an allusion to the unrealistic dream of basketball providing an escape from urban poverty, and encouragement for black youths to seek loftier goals than athletic prowess. In the 1980s, Hammons became known for his public sculptures and installations, such as the 1986 work “Higher Goals,” a group of five, 20-30 foot tall telephone poles topped with basketball hoops and covered in mosaics of discarded beer bottle caps.

Hammons was the recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship in July 1991. His work is collected by major public and private institutions internationally, among them: Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo; Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge; Glenstone, Potomac; Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; SMAK, Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Ghent; Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris; Francois Pinault Foundation, Venice; and Tate Britain, London.

Lubaina Himid

Lubaina Himid is a central figure in the British Black Arts Movement and the first Black woman to receive the Turner Prize. Her paintings, installations, and theatrical tableaux foreground the histories and contributions of the African diaspora, challenging the erasure of Black presences from European art history. Himid’s work is known for its bold color, incisive narrative strategies, and its ability to critique colonial histories while celebrating cultural resilience, community, and creativity.

Lubaina, CBE, lives and works in Preston, England. A two-person exhibition with Magda Stawarska is currently on view at Mudam Luxembourg – Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean through August 24. In 2026, she will represent the United Kingdom at the 61st Venice Biennale with a solo exhibition of new work at the British Pavilion.

Himid received the Turner Prize in 2017 and was the subject of a major survey at Tate Modern in 2021–22. Other recent solo and two-person exhibitions include MUDAM Luxembourg (through August 24, 2025); FLAG Art Foundation, New York (2024–25); Greene Naftali, New York (2024); The Contemporary Austin (2024); Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE (2023–24); Glyndebourne Opera Festival, East Sussex, UK (2023); Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland (2022); Tate Britain, London (2019); Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, The Netherlands (2019); CAPC Bordeaux, France (2019); New Museum, New York (2019); Spike Island, Bristol, UK (2017); and Modern Art Oxford (2017). Her work is in the collections of the Baltimore Museum of Art; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Hessel Museum of Art, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; Museum Ludwig, Cologne; National Museums, Liverpool; Rhode Island School of Design, Providence; Royal Academy, London; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Tate, London; and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, among others.

ESTABLISHED ARTIST ART BASEL AWARD

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ESTABLISHED ARTIST ART BASEL AWARD

Connecting Cao Fei, Delcy Morelos, Ho Tzu Nyen, Ibrahim Mahama, Nairy Baghramian, and Tony Cokes

Across continents and artistic languages, these six internationally acclaimed artists—Cao Fei, Delcy Morelos, Ho Tzu Nyen, Ibrahim Mahama, Nairy Baghramian, and Tony Cokes—collectively map the urgencies, transformations, and contradictions of contemporary life. Their practices expand the boundaries of sculpture, film, installation, and digital media, offering new vocabularies through which to understand identity, history, and social responsibility.

Cao Fei imagines the psychological landscapes of a digitized world; Delcy Morelos grounds viewers in the spiritual and ecological weight of the earth; Ho Tzu Nyen resurrects fragmented histories through layered cinematic fictions; Ibrahim Mahama activates public space and social memory through collective labor; Nairy Baghramian destabilizes sculptural form to reveal vulnerability and power; and Tony Cokes disrupts media narratives through text, color, and sound to expose the mechanics of ideology.

Together, they form a constellation of voices that redefine how art reflects and intervenes within the global present. Their works challenge viewers to reconsider the infrastructures—technological, political, material, and historical—that shape our lived experience. This grouping, while geographically diverse, is unified by a profound commitment to questioning the systems that govern perception, belonging, and truth. Each artist offers an invitation: to confront complexity, to embrace critical imagination, and to envision alternative futures.

Cao Fei

Cao Fei (b. 1978, Guangzhou) is one of the most influential artists working at the intersection of virtual reality, gaming culture, and the sociopolitical realities of contemporary China. Her films, digital environments, and speculative narratives examine how technology reshapes identity, labor, and urban life. Through imaginative world-building—ranging from Second Life avatars to future dystopias—Cao Fei captures the psychological atmosphere of a rapidly digitizing society.

Cao is an internationally renowned Chinese contemporary artist currently living and working in Beijing. She mixes social commentary, popular aesthetics, references to surrealism, and documentary conventions in her films and installations. Her works reflect on the rapid and developmental changes that are occurring in Chinese society today.

Cao Fei’s works have been exhibited at a number of international biennales, triennales, and major art museums including MoMA and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, Tate Modern in London, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Cao Fei’s recent projects include a major retrospective at the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing (2021); solo exhibitions at the MAXXI, the National Museum of 21st Century Arts, Rome (2021), Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen (2022), Pinacoteca Contemporânea, São Paulo (2023), Lenbachhaus, Munich (2024), SCAD Museum of Art (2024), Museum of Art Pudong, Shanghai (2024)，Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (2024), Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (2024).

Cao Fei was nominated for the Hugo Boss Prize and the Future Generation Art Prize in 2010. She received the “Best Young Artist” award at the China Contemporary Art Award (CCAA) in 2006 and the ‘Best Artist’ award in 2016. In 2021, she won the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, and in 2024, she was awarded the SCAD deFINE ART Award.

Delcy Morelos

Delcy Morelos (Born in 1967 in Tierralta in Colombia) is internationally recognized for her immersive installations made from soil, natural fibers, pigments, and scents. Her work bridges Indigenous cosmologies with contemporary ecological discourse, emphasizing the spiritual and political agency of the earth itself. Morelos transforms exhibition spaces into tactile, sensorial environments that confront colonial histories, land dispossession, and the healing potency of material connection.

Delcy studied at the Cartagena School of Fine Arts. She lives and works in Bogotá. Her practice is rooted in ancestral Andean cosmovision, and her works inspire rumination on the interplay between human beings and earth, the human body and materiality.

In her early works, Morelos focused primarily on the intersection between body and violence. Over time, her material investigations extended into ceramics and textiles, developing a more sculptural practice and large-scale multisensory installations.

Ho Tzu Nyen

Ho Tzu Nyen (Singapore) produces conceptually rich films, theatrical installations, and algorithmic artworks that explore Southeast Asian histories, mythologies, and political imaginaries. Blending archival research with speculative narrative, he reanimates ghosts, rebels, tigers, and historical figures to investigate how power is constructed and remembered. His work stands at the forefront of contemporary moving image practice.

Steeped in numerous Eastern and Western cultural references ranging from art history to theatre and from cinema to music to philosophy, Ho Tzu Nyen’s works blend mythical narratives and historical facts to mobilise different understandings of history, its writing and its transmission. The central theme of his œuvre is a long-term investigation of the plurality of cultural identities in Southeast Asia, a region so multifaceted in terms of its languages, religions, cultures and influences that it is impossible to reduce it to a simple geographical area or some fundamental historical base. This observation as to the history of this region of the world is reflected in his pieces which weave together different regimes of knowledge, narratives and representations. From documentary research to fantasy, his work combines archival images, animation and film in installations that are often immersive and theatrical.

One-person exhibitions of his work have been held at the Mudam Museum of Modern Art (2025), Hessel Museum of Art (2024), Art Sonje Center (2024), Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (2024), Singapore Art Museum (2023), Hammer Museum (2022), Toyota Municipal Museum of Art (2021), Crow Museum of Asian Arts (2021), Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM] (2021), Edith-Russ-Haus for Media Art (Oldenburg, 2019), Kunstverein in Hamburg (2018), Ming Contemporary Art Museum [McaM] (Shanghai, 2018), Asia Art Archive (2017), Guggenheim Bilbao (2015), Mori Art Museum, (2012), The Substation (Singapore, 2003). He represented the Singapore Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale (2011).

Ibrahim Mahama

Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama is known for monumental, socially engaged installations using jute sacks, rescued materials, and architectural interventions. His collaborative approach transforms discarded objects—often tied to histories of trade, migration, and labor—into powerful symbols of collective resilience. Mahama’s large-scale public works question global supply chains while empowering local communities through shared making and cultural infrastructure.

Ibrahim is an artist interested in the redistribution of materials forms through the making of artistic interventions. his current work focuses on building various institutions to connect new audiences to contemporary art. the artist’s studio isn’t just a place for production but a space for collective reflection about the conditions of the body across time. the artist’s studio can be a space of miracles.

Nairy Baghramian

Nairy Baghramian (Iran/Germany) is a leading figure in contemporary sculpture, recognized for her explorations of the body, architecture, and material instability. Working with cast metal, resin, wax, and industrial components, she creates forms that appear simultaneously fragile and authoritative. Her sculptures probe vulnerability, support structures, and the politics of display, offering a nuanced critique of modernist sculptural traditions.

Nairy’s work traverses the realms of sculpture, installation, photography and drawing with fearless experimentation, historical acuity and conceptual rigor. Particularly in her prime medium of sculpture, the artist employs an extensive repertoire of techniques, materials and forms to address the spatial, architectural, social, political and contextual conditions of contemporary art. Using an abstract vocabulary that often combines geometric shapes and organic matter, industrial process and gestural procedure, Baghramian’s abstract yet eminently allusive works subtly explore the ligatures between art and other fields of object production (most notably interior design, dance and theater) in order to evoke and address bodies of all variants in both their vulnerability and obstinacy. Through her innovative use of materials and manipulation of familiar forms, Baghramian’s work invites viewers to reconsider their sense of self, space, object and site.

German artist Baghramian was born in Isfahan in 1971 and had to flee post-revolutionary Iran as a teenager and has been living and working in Berlin since 1984.

Recent solo exhibitions include those at South London Gallery, London UK (2024); the the Nivola Museum, Sardinia IT (2024); the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York NY (2023 -24);the Aspen Art Museum, Aspen CO (2023); Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas TX (2022); Carré d’Art, Nimes, France (2022); Secession, Vienna, Austria (2021); Galleria d’Arte Moderna (GAM), Milan, Italy (2021); MUDAM Luxembourg, Luxembourg (2019); Palacio de Cristal, Madrid, Spain (2018); the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis MN (2017); Statens Museum for Kunst, National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark (2017); Museum of Contemporary Art, Ghent, Belgium (2016); Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Zürich, Switzerland (2016); Museo Tamayo, Mexico City, Mexico (2015); The Art Institute of Chicago IL (2014); Serralves Museum, Porto, Portugal (2014); MIT Visual Arts Center, Cambridge MA (2013); Kunsthalle Mannheim, Germany (2012); the Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada (2012); and Serpentine Gallery, London, UK (2010); Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland (2006).

Baghramian has also participated at Venice Biennale, Italy (2019 and 2011); Yorkshire Sculpture International, Wakefield, UK (2019); Documenta 14 in Kassel, Germany and Athens, Greece (2017); Skulptur Projekte Muenster, Germany (2017 and 2007); Lyon Biennale, France (2017); Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art, UK (2012); and the Berlin Biennale, Germany (2014 and 2008).

Baghramian has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Aspen Art Award (2023); the Nivola Award (2022); Nasher Prize Laureate (2022); the Malcolm-McLaren-Award with Maria Hassabi (2019); the Zürich Art Prize (2016); the Arnold-Bode Prize, Kassel (2014); the Hector Prize, Kunsthalle Mannheim (2012); and the Ernst Schering Foundation Award (2007).

Her works are held in institutional collections, including Museum of Modern Art, New York NY; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York NY; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles CA; Salomon Guggenheim Collection, New York NY; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis MN; Tate Modern, London, UK; Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; MUDAM Luxembourg, Luxembourg; Tamayo Museum, Mexico City, Mexico; Jumex Museum, Mexico City, Mexico; Nasher Art Center, Dallas TX; Art Institute Chicago, Chicago IL; MOCA, Los Angeles CA.

Upcoming projects are the contribution to the sculpture garden Kistefos, Oslo, NO and a solo exhibition at Wiels, Brussels, BE both in 2025.

Tony Cokes

Tony Cokes (USA) is celebrated for his incisive text-based video works that remix political speeches, pop music, media theory, and found footage to critique race, capitalism, and state violence. Using bold typography and saturated color fields, Cokes deconstructs the language of power and propaganda. His work has shaped new directions in moving image art, offering a radical reconsideration of how narrative and authority function in contemporary culture.

Tony received a BA from Goddard College (1979) and an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University (1985). He joined the faculty of Brown University in 1993 and is currently a professor in the Department of Modern Culture and Media. His work has been exhibited at national and international venues, including Haus Der Kunst and Kunstverein (Munich); Dia Bridgehampton (New York); Memorial Art Gallery University of Rochester; MACRO Contemporary Art Museum (Rome); and the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts (Harvard University), among others.

EMERGING ARTIST ART BASEL AWARD

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Art Basel 2025 — Art Basel Miami Beach Closes Year on a High Note with Strong Sales, Expansive International Engagement, and Vibrant Programming in a Standout Edition

ART BASEL AWARD CATEGORIES A new model of recognition

Art Basel Awards seek to support the future of the industry by democratically honoring those who move and make art from vision to reality. The first of its kind, Art Basel Awards span the full spectrum of artistic and cultural impact, covering nine categories.

EMERGING ARTIST

Commending an exciting new or early-career artist making initial, yet impressive strides into the industry.

Lydia Ourahmane

Lydia Ourahmane (Algeria/UK) is known for conceptually rigorous works that examine borders, displacement, and the lingering effects of colonialism. Her practice spans installation, sound, video, and sculpture, often incorporating bureaucratic processes or personal artifacts as material. She creates environments that feel both intimate and geopolitical, revealing how political structures infiltrate the most private layers of existence.

Ourahmane is a conceptual artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans installation, sound, video, performance, and sculpture. She graduated from Goldsmiths University in 2014 and has exhibited internationally since with recent solo exhibitions at MACBA, Barcelona, SculptureCentre, New York; rhizome, Algiers; Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland; S.M.A.K Ghent; Portikus, Frankfurt; De Appel, Amsterdam; Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco and Chisenhale Gallery, London. Her work was included in the 60th Venice Biennale and 15th Gwangju Biennale (2024), 15th Istanbul Biennial (2017), 34th Bienal de São Paulo (2021), New Museum Triennial and Manifesta 12, Palermo (2018).

Meriem Bennani

Meriem Bennani (Morocco/NYC) merges humor, digital animation, documentary, and social satire to explore identity in the age of surveillance, migration, and internet culture. Her surreal video worlds—featuring talking animals, reality-TV aesthetics, and fractured narrative timelines—challenge orientalist stereotypes and propose new hybrid identities born from global digital life.

Meriem Bennani makes groundbreaking video installations and sculptures informed by the circulation of global cultures online. Frequently rooted in the specifics of Moroccan life offline and online, her work speaks to the hybrid nature of contemporary cultural flows. Bennani combines elements of reality television, documentary film, telenovela, music videos, science fiction, and animated cartoons in her videos. Exaggerating media tropes in what Bennani describes as a “hyperactivity of genre,” her works reflect the disjointed state of contemporary mediation, an effect she amplifies in installation settings where her moving images are mapped to sculptural projection structures or viewing stations. Using strategies of immersion, duplication, multiplicity, and remix, Bennani blends a powerful mix of humor and critique, reaffirming the power of family and home while analyzing larger systems of power across a networked world. Meriem Bennani earned her BFA from Cooper Union in New York, and her MFA at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Her video series 2 Lizards, produced in collaboration with Orian Barki, has been hailed by writers and curators as a preeminent document of life under quarantine. Recent solo presentations include Fondazione Prada, Milan, Italy, Fondation Kamel Lazaar, Tunis, Tunisia; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA; The High Line, New York, USA; The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, Chicago, USA; Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham, UK; Kunstverein Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden, Germany; François Ghebaly, Los Angeles, USA; Julia Stoschek Collection, Berlin, Germany; Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France; and MoMA PS1, Queens, USA. Bennani’s work was featured in the 2019 Whitney Biennial, the 2018 Biennale of Moving Images, and the 2016 Shanghai Biennale. She has an upcoming exhibition at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris.

Bennani’s work is held in the collections of the Guggenheim Museum, New York USA; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA; Kadist Foundation, Paris, France; and Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France.

Mohammad Alfaraj

Saudi artist Mohammad Alfaraj creates poetic film-based works that focus on ecology, memory, and the fragility of human and non-human life. Often using found objects, rural landscapes, and slow-paced cinematography, his practice reflects on environmental degradation and the emotional weight of regional change. His work stands out for its quiet, meditative tone and deep sensitivity to place.

Mohammad Alfaraj: Having studied engineering and growing up loving the camera in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia: A palm tree oasis which is also the oil source of the country, Alfaraj’s work can be described as a cinematic collage of mediums, practices and ideas that create a world charged with stories, poetry and search for truth by exploring documentation and interpretation, which results in works that the artist hopes to nurture imagination and empathy in the experiencer. His use and reuse of organic and manmade waste plays as a physical capsule of memories and time, where these materials and their histories hold a spiritual quality too. A visual artist that works in film, photography, sculpture and poetry, that’s influenced by his hometown and his travels, in an attempt to capture the trace, imprint and impact of life both literary and metaphorically. Mohammad also engages in workshops and action based activities with the community as a belief in collective creativity.

Pan Daijing

Pan Daijing (China/Berlin) is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice moves fluidly across performance, sound, opera, and film. She constructs immersive psychological environments where the human voice—raw, fragmented, or operatic—becomes an instrument of emotional architecture. Her work probes intimacy, trauma, and the unconscious, expanding the boundaries of sound art.

Oscillating between visual art and music, Pan Daijing (b. 1991, Guiyang) works across various media such as film, sound, performance, choreography, installation, and sculpture. Her work demonstrates a strong psychological sense of space, evoking physical, emotional, and sonic depths. She has held solo exhibitions at the Walker Art Center (2025), Haus der Kunst, Munich (2024), Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong (2021), and Tate Modern, London (2019), among others.

Saodat Ismailova

Uzbek filmmaker and artist Saodat Ismailova is a central figure in bringing Central Asian narratives to contemporary art. Her films and installations draw from regional mythologies, women’s histories, ritual practices, and the spiritual dimensions of everyday life. Through a lyrical and atmospheric visual language, she preserves cultural memory while confronting modern social tensions.

Saodat is an Uzbek filmmaker and artist who came of age in the post-Soviet era. Interweaving rituals, myths and dreams within the tapestry of everyday life, her films investigate the historically complex and layered culture of Central Asia. Frequently based around oral stories in which women are the lead protagonists, and exploring systems of knowledge suppressed by globalized modernity, these consciousness expanding works hover between visible and invisible worlds. Graduated from Tashkent State Art Institute and Le Fresnoy, National Studio of Contemporary Arts, France she has established artistic lives between Paris and Tashkent. In 2021 she initiated Davra research collective in Central Asia to develop local art scene. In 2022 Saodat Ismailova participated both in 59th Biennale of Venice and documenta fifteen. In 2022, she received The Eye Art & Film Prize, Amsterdam. Her new film “Melted into the Sun” is presented at Nebula collective exhibition, commissioned by Fondazione in between Art and Film, during Venice Biennale of Arts, 2024.

Sofia Salazar Rosales

Sofía Salazar Rosales (1999, Quito, Ecuador) explores themes of migration, diaspora, and cultural hybridity through sculpture, drawing, and installation. Her work often incorporates textiles, organic materials, and references to Andean cosmology, creating symbolic systems that bridge ancestral knowledge with contemporary concerns. She has emerged as a vital voice in expanding Latin American diasporic narratives in global art.

Sofía lives and works between NYC, Paris, France and Quito, Ecuador. She is currently participating in the two-year residency at De Ateliers in Amsterdam, having previously obtained a master’s degree with distinction at the School of Fine Arts (ENSBA Paris) in the ateliers of Tatiana Trouvé, Petrit Halilaj and Álvaro Urbano. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with distinction from School of Fine Arts of Lyon (ENSBA Lyon) where she worked in the studios of Pauline Bastard and Niek Van de Steeg. In 2023, she was nominated for Premio illy Sustain Art Prize and Emerige-CPGA Prize and in 2022, she won the SARR Prize. Her first publication Hay cuerpos cansados por el viaje que buscan enraizarse (There are bodies tired from the journey seeking to root) was published by ChertLüdde on the occasion of her 2022 solo exhibition at Bungalow, Berlin and contains letters from her diary addressed to her sculptures. Collection: Moderna Museet, Stockholm; Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, Madrid; Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, St. Gallen.

Art Basel Miami Beach 283 leading galleries 2025

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Editorial

Bringing together 283 leading galleries from 43 countries and territories—including 48 first-time exhibitors—this year’s edition of Art Basel Miami Beach attracted more than 80,000 visitors across its VIP and public days. The fair welcomed prominent private collectors, museum patrons, and cultural leaders from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, further affirming its position as the premier marketplace and discovery platform for Modern and contemporary art in the Western Hemisphere.

A

Miguel Abreu Gallery
ACA Galleries
Acquavella Galleries
Afriart Gallery
A Gentil Carioca
Alexandre Gallery
Alisan Fine Arts
Galerie Allen
Almeida & Dale
Altman Siegel
Ames Yavuz
Galería Isabel Aninat
AOTM
El Apartamento
Galeria Raquel Arnaud
Art Blocks
Alfonso Artiaco
Piero Atchugarry Gallery

B

Barro
von Bartha
Gallery Baton
Nicelle Beauchene Gallery
Beeple Studios
Livia Benavides
Ruth Benzacar Galeria de Arte
Berggruen Gallery
Berry Campbell
bitforms gallery
Peter Blum Gallery
Marianne Boesky Gallery
Tanya Bonakdar Gallery
Bortolami
Bradley Ertaskiran
Luciana Brito Galeria
Broadway
Ben Brown Fine Arts
Matthew Brown

C

Rebecca Camacho Presents
Canada
Cardi Gallery
Casa Triângulo
David Castillo
Cayón
Central Fine
Galeria Pedro Cera
Chapter NY
Catharine Clark Gallery
Erin Cluley Gallery
James Cohan Gallery
Commonwealth and Council
Galleria Continua
Paula Cooper Gallery
Crèvecœur
Crisis
Cristea Roberts Gallery

D

Thomas Dane Gallery
Dastan Gallery
David Peter Francis
Massimodecarlo
Jeffrey Deitch
Luis De Jesus Los Angeles
Tibor de Nagy
Dimin
Document

E

Anat Ebgi
Edel Assanti
Andrew Edlin Gallery
galerie frank elbaz
Derek Eller Gallery
Thomas Erben Gallery
Larkin Erdmann
Espacio Valverde

F

Galerie Cécile Fakhoury
Daniel Faria Gallery
Fellowship
Eric Firestone Gallery
Konrad Fischer Galerie
Franz Kaka
Peter Freeman, Inc.
Freight+Volume
Stephen Friedman Gallery
James Fuentes

G

Gaga
Gagosian
Galatea
Gavlak
Gemini G.E.L.
François Ghebaly
Gladstone Gallery
Sebastian Gladstone
Gomide&Co
Galería Elvira González
Goodman Gallery
Marian Goodman Gallery
Gray
Alexander Gray Associates
Garth Greenan Gallery
Galerie Karsten Greve

H

Hales Gallery
Hauser & Wirth
Heft Gallery
Heidi
Leila Heller Gallery
Galerie Max Hetzler
Hirschl & Adler Modern
Edwynn Houk Gallery
Pippy Houldsworth Gallery
Xavier Hufkens
Gallery Hyundai

I

Ingleby Gallery
Instituto de visión
Isla Flotante

J

Alison Jacques
Charlie James Gallery
rodolphe janssen
Jenkins Johnson Gallery
Nina Johnson
Johyun Gallery
Galerie Judin

K

Kalfayan Galleries
Casey Kaplan
Jan Kaps
Karma
Kasmin
kaufmann repetto
Sean Kelly
Anton Kern Gallery
Tina Kim Gallery
kó
Michael Kohn Gallery
David Kordansky Gallery
Andrew Kreps Gallery
kurimanzutto

L

Pearl Lam Galleries
Leeahn Gallery
Lehmann Maupin
Galerie Lelong
Lévy Gorvy Dayan
Library Street Collective
Josh Lilley
Lisson Gallery
Locks Gallery
Lodos
Lohaus Sominsky
Lomex

M

Candice Madey
Madragoa
Magenta Plains
Maisterravalbuena
Mai 36 Galerie
Galeria Mapa
Matthew Marks Gallery
Philip Martin Gallery
Martos Gallery
Maruani Mercier
Barbara Mathes Gallery
Max Estrella Gallery
Mayoral
Mazzoleni
Miles McEnery Gallery
Anthony Meier
moniquemeloche
Mendes Wood DM
Mennour
Mignoni
Victoria Miro
Galerie Mitterrand
Mnuchin Gallery
The Modern Institute
mor charpentier
Galeria Elvira Moreno
mother’s tankstation

N

Edward Tyler Nahem
Helly Nahmad Gallery
Nanzuka
Proyecto Nasal
Nazarian/Curcio
neugerriemschneider
Nicodim Gallery
Nicoletti
Night Gallery
Carolina Nitsch
Galerie Nordenhake
Gallery Wendi Norris

O

Galerie Nathalie Obadia
OMR
Onkaos
Ortuzar
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery
Galleria Lorcan O’Neill Roma

P

Pace Gallery
Pace Prints
Paci contemporary
Galerie Alberta Pane
Paragon
Parallel Oaxaca
Parker Gallery
Parrasch Heijnen Gallery
Franklin Parrasch Gallery
Pasto
Patron
Pavec
Pequod Co.
Perrotin
Petzel
The Pit
PKM Gallery
Polígrafa Obra Gràfica
Proyectos Monclova
Proyectos Ultravioleta
P.P.O.W

R

Galeria Dawid Radziszewski
Galeria Marilia Razuk
Almine Rech
Regen Projects
Rele Gallery
Galería RGR
Roberts Projects
Nara Roesler
Rolf Art
Thaddaeus Ropac
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery
Diane Rosenstein Gallery
Meredith Rosen Gallery
Ross+Co
Ryan Lee

S

Richard Saltoun Gallery
Margot Samel
Sapar Contemporary
SCAI The Bathhouse
Esther Schipper
Schoelkopf Gallery
Galerie Thomas Schulte
Marc Selwyn Fine Art
Jack Shainman Gallery
Chris Sharp Gallery
Susan Sheehan Gallery
Sicardi Ayers Bacino
Sies + Höke
Sikkema Malloy Jenkins
Silverlens
Jessica Silverman
Bruce Silverstein
Simões de Assis
Skarstedt
Smac Art Gallery
Fredric Snitzer Gallery
Société
SOLOS
Paul Soto Gallery
Southern Guild
Sperone Westwater
Sprüth Magers
STPI
Marc Straus
Galería Sur

T

Timothy Taylor
Templon
Cristin Tierney Gallery
Tornabuoni Art
Leon Tovar Gallery
Travesía Cuatro
Two Palms

U

Uffner & Liu
ULAE
Union Pacific

V

Vadehra Art Gallery
Van de Weghe
Van Doren Waxter
Tim Van Laere Gallery
Nicola Vassell
Vedovi Gallery
Vermelho
Verve
Vielmetter Los Angeles
Visualize Value
Voloshyn Gallery

W

Galleri Nicolai Wallner
Weinstein Gallery
Welancora Gallery
Wentrup
Kate Werble Gallery
Michael Werner Gallery
White Cube
Wooson
W—galería

Y

Yares Art
YveYang

Z

Zielinsky
David Zwirner

The 2025 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach

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Editorial

Art Basel Miami Beach Closes Year on a High Note with Strong Sales, Expansive International Engagement, and Vibrant Programming in a Standout Edition

The 2025 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach

The 2025 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach — the second led by Director Bridget Finn — concluded today to enthusiastic acclaim from galleries, collectors, institutions, and visitors across the Americas and around the world.
Bringing together 283 leading galleries from 43 countries and territories, including 48 first-time exhibitors, this year’s show attracted an attendance of more than 80,000 across its VIP and public days. The fair welcomed prominent private collectors and patrons from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, underscoring Art Basel Miami Beach’s position as the premier market and discovery platform for Modern and contemporary art in the Western Hemisphere.
Exhibitors reported dynamic sales across all sectors and market segments, with placement of works by postwar and Modern masters, leading contemporary artists, and rising talents into major public and private collections. Standout acquisitions included works by Ruth Asawa, Sam Gilliam, Alice Neel, Andy Warhol, and Martin Wong. Notable successes also came from rediscoveries by Emma Amos, Eva Olivetti, and Juliette Roche as well as emerging voices such as Kelsey Isaacs, Cisco Merel, and Adriel Visoto. The breadth of activity reflected the strength and diversity of gallery programs across the show floor.
The fair welcomed representatives from more than 240 museums and foundations worldwide, including the Art Gallery of Ontario (Canada); Aspen Art Museum (CO); Brooklyn Museum (NY); Carnegie Museum of Art (PA); Centre Pompidou (France); Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (AR); Dallas Museum of Art (TX); El Museo del Barrio (NY); Fondation Beyeler (Switzerland); Fralin Museum of Art (VA); Getty Museum (CA); Guggenheim Museum (NY); Groeninghe (Belgium); Istanbul Museum of Modern Art (Turkey); LACMA (CA); Malba (Argentina); MALI – Museo de Arte de Lima (Peru); MCA Chicago (IL); The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY); MFA Boston (MA); MFA Houston (TX); MOCA Los Angeles (CA); MoMA and MoMA PS1 (NY); Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM) (Brazil); Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal (Canada); Norton Museum of Art (FL); Palais de Tokyo (France); Seoul Museum of Art (Korea); Serpentine (UK); SFMOMA (CA); Städel Museum (Germany); Studio Museum in Harlem (NY); Tate (UK); Toledo Museum of Art (OH); Whitney Museum of American Art (NY); Zeitz MOCAA (South Africa), and more. Their presence reaffirmed the fair’s significance as a premier platform for institutional discovery, acquisition, and engagement across the Americas and beyond.
Meridians, now in its sixth edition, returned as the fair’s epicenter of curatorial ambition — a platform where artists and galleries from across the Americas and beyond push the limits of form. Curated by Yasmil Raymond, former Rector of the Städelschule and Director of Portikus, the 2025 edition — The Shape of Time — brought together 19 works by multigenerational and international artists whose practices probe how art can embody, distort, and suspend time. Ambitious large-scale installations, immersive media works, and monumental sculptures deepened this year’s expanded narrative of the Americas, reinforcing Meridians as one of the fair’s most anticipated and boundary-breaking sectors. Notable placements include Kye Christensen-Knowles’ mural-scale Cycle of Additional (2025) and Silva Rivas’ immersive video installation Buzzing (2009).
The inaugural edition of Zero 10, Art Basel’s new global initiative dedicated to art of the digital era, emerged as one of the defining successes of this year’s show. A dynamic hub of experimentation and cross-media exchange, the sector, curated by Eli Scheinman, drew strong interest from established collectors, new buyers, institutions, and the wider public — affirming the growing centrality of digital practice within contemporary art. Presentations by Beeple Studios, Heft, Nguyen Wahed, AOTM Gallery, Art Blocks, Asprey Studio, Fellowship x ARTXCODE, Pace Gallery, SOLOS, Visualize Value, and others registered exceptional momentum, with multiple works placing quickly across generative, computational, and hybrid physical-digital forms. Highlights included Beeple Studios’ sold-out editions of Regular Animals and significant engagement with leading digital artists such as Tyler Hobbs, Kim Asendorf, Joe Pease, and XCOPY, whose Coin Laundry attracted over 2.3 million NFT claims. Together, these results position Zero 10 as a breakout narrative of the 2025 edition and a vital platform for an expanded digital ecosystem ahead of its next iteration at Art Basel Hong Kong.
Conversations, Art Basel’s flagship talks program, recorded exceptionally robust attendance in Miami Beach. Held in the Auditorium of the Miami Beach Convention Center from December 4–6 and free to the public, this year’s program opened with a day dedicated to the intersection of art and sport, featuring artists, athletes, and collectors including Malcolm Jenkins and Elliot Perry, who explored the shared dynamics of endurance, legacy, and representation. In parallel with the debut of Zero 10, this year’s Digital Dialogues brought together emerging Web3 communities with established collectors, artists, and curators to examine the rapidly evolving relationship between art and technology.
The Art Basel Awards — presented in partnership with BOSS — marked a major highlight of show week with the inaugural Art Basel Awards Night, supported by the City of Miami Beach and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. Hosted by Grammy Award–winning producer Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean, the evening took place at the New World Center — the celebrated Frank Gehry–designed landmark — and brought together leading figures from the worlds of art, design, fashion, music, and entertainment. Selected by their peers through a unique voting system, the first class of Gold Awardees included Ibrahim Mahama, Nairy Baghramian, and Cecilia Vicuña, who received the Icon Artist Gold Award. The evening also introduced the inaugural BOSS Award for Outstanding Achievement, presented to Meriem Bennani, underscoring the initiative’s mission to honor the visionaries shaping the future of art and culture. For the full list of Gold Awardees and further details, click here. Event photography is available here.
Reflecting its longstanding partnership with Art Basel, the City of Miami Beach continued its Legacy Purchase Program for a seventh year, acquiring Modulations – Sequence XXIX by Peruvian artist Ximena Garrido-Lecca, presented by Livia Benavides, for its public art collection. Selected through a public vote, the initiative invited participation from exhibitors in Nova and Positions, as well as newcomers and recent entrants to the Galleries sector presenting emerging or early-career artists. The program underscores the city’s commitment to fostering the next generation of artists and galleries and to building a cultural legacy that affirms art’s power to shape the future.
The CPGA–Villa Albertine Étant donnés Prize — presented by the Comité Professionnel des Galeries d’Art (the French Professional Committee of Art Galleries) in collaboration with Villa Albertine — returned for its fifth edition, recognizing excellence in contemporary creation and highlighting the essential role of galleries in championing the French art scene internationally. At Art Basel Miami Beach 2025, Kelly Sinnapah Mary and James Cohan Gallery received this year’s award, selected by a jury of international curators and collectors and supported by a $15,000 prize from the CPGA.
The Art Basel Shop returned to the West Lobby of the MBCC with a new USM design, offering limited-edition collaborations, artist-designed products, and bespoke Art Basel pieces that bridge art, design, and contemporary culture. Highlights included the AB by Artist capsule by Sanford Biggers — featuring jewelry created with Dodo and a suite of exclusive objects — alongside new additions to the Art Basel Core Collection. Special collaborations drew significant attention, among them the limited-edition Art Basel Miami Beach Labubu; the Art Basel x Inter Miami Jersey, an authentic pink kit released in a hand-numbered edition of 305; the Marc Jacobs JOY capsule designed with Derrick Adams, David Shrigley, and Hattie Stewart; a print from Iconic Moments by Emily Xie; and two colorways of Takashi Murakami’s Ohana Full Bloom and Surripa slides. Additional exclusive items rounded out a vibrant offering that connected visitors with the creative spirit of the fair.
Bridget Finn, Director of Art Basel Miami Beach, said: “Looking back on the 2025 edition, I am thrilled by the energy, ambition, and creativity that reverberated within and beyond our halls. With standout presentations, innovative projects, and record engagement, the fair reinforced its leadership in the Americas and its power to influence the global art market. Through the fair’s core sectors, as well as initiatives like Zero 10 and the Art Basel Awards, and our revitalized Conversations program, we celebrated diverse artistic voices — from Latinx, Indigenous, and diasporic practices to emerging digital forms — creating moments of joy, discovery, and meaningful cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary exchange that will resonate well into the year ahead.”
John Mathews, Head of Private Wealth Management Americas at UBS, said: “This year’s fair was another standout example of Art Basel’s progressive commitment to artists and UBS’s longstanding support for cultivating ideas and dialogue that deepen public engagement with contemporary art. UBS was proud to present Beyond Pop: Art of the Everyday, featuring works that bridge the gap between fine art and pop culture. They reflect the core of the UBS Art Collection’s values that contemporary art can challenge us and inspire innovative thinking.”
Testimonials from participating exhibitors of this year’s edition are available for the media here.
Art Basel, whose Global Lead Partner is UBS, took place from December 5–7, 2025, with VIP Days on December 3–4 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The 2026 edition of the show will take place December 4–6.

A Guide to Acrylic Painting

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Editorial

A Guide to Acrylic Painting

Acrylic paint has revolutionized the art world since its introduction in the 1950s. What began as an experimental medium has become the choice of millions of artists worldwide—from beginners taking their first brushstrokes to professionals creating museum-worthy masterpieces. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about acrylic painting, from understanding the paint itself to mastering techniques and choosing the right supplies.

What is Acrylic Paint?

Acrylic paint is a water-based medium that consists of pigment suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion. When the water evaporates, the polymer particles fuse together, creating a flexible, durable, and water-resistant film. This chemical composition gives acrylics their unique characteristics.

The chemistry behind it: Unlike oil paints that dry through oxidation (a chemical reaction with air), acrylics dry through evaporation. As water leaves the paint, the tiny plastic particles bind together permanently. This is why acrylics dry so quickly and why dried acrylic is nearly impossible to reactivate with water.

Key properties:

Fast-drying: Most acrylics dry to the touch in 10-20 minutes and cure completely within 24 hours
Water-soluble when wet: Cleans up easily with soap and water while painting
Water-resistant when dry: Creates a permanent, durable surface that won’t smudge or run
Versatile application: Can be used thin like watercolors or thick like oils
Flexible when dry: Won’t crack or yellow over time like oil paints
Adheres to many surfaces: Works on canvas, paper, wood, fabric, and more

Historical context: Acrylic paints were developed in the 1940s and became commercially available to artists in the 1950s. Artists like David Hockney, Andy Warhol, and Roy Lichtenstein helped popularize the medium, appreciating its vibrant colors, quick drying time, and modern aesthetic. Today, acrylics are the most popular painting medium for beginners and remain a favorite among contemporary artists.

What Do I Need to Start Painting in Acrylics?

Starting with acrylics doesn’t require a huge investment. Here’s a practical starter kit that will get you painting without breaking the bank:

Minimum essentials:

Basic paint set: Six to twelve colors including primary colors (red, blue, yellow), white, black, and a few earth tones
Brushes: Three to five brushes in different sizes and shapes (flat, round, filbert)
Painting surface: A few stretched canvases, canvas panels, or acrylic paper
Palette: A disposable paper palette or a plastic palette for mixing colors
Water containers: Two jars or cups for rinsing brushes
Paper towels or rags: For wiping brushes and cleaning up
Workspace protection: Old newspapers, plastic sheeting, or a dedicated painting surface

Recommended additions as you progress:

Easel (tabletop or floor-standing)
Palette knife for mixing and applying paint
Gesso for priming surfaces
Spray bottle to keep paint moist
Painting apron or old clothes
Basic mediums (gloss medium, matte medium)
Varnish for protecting finished work

Budget considerations: You can start with a basic student-grade paint set for $20-30, a few brushes for $10-15, and canvas panels for $15-20. For under $75, you can have everything needed to begin your acrylic painting journey. As your skills develop, you can gradually invest in higher-quality materials.

What’s The Difference Between Professional, Artist, and Student Grade Acrylic Paint?

Understanding paint quality helps you make informed purchasing decisions and manage expectations about results.

Student Grade:

Pigment content: Lower pigment concentration, often with fillers and extenders added
Color range: Limited palette, usually 20-40 colors
Permanence: May fade over time when exposed to light
Price: Most affordable, typically $3-8 per tube
Best for: Beginners, practice work, large-scale projects where cost matters, teaching environments
Popular brands: Liquitex Basics, Amsterdam Standard, Arteza, Reeves, Daler-Rowney System3

The colors may appear slightly chalky or less vibrant, and some hues can shift slightly as they dry. However, modern student-grade paints are surprisingly good quality and perfectly adequate for learning.

Artist Grade (also called “Professional Grade”):

Pigment content: High pigment concentration with minimal fillers
Color range: Extensive palette, often 80-100+ colors including single-pigment formulations
Permanence: Lightfast pigments rated for archival quality
Price: Mid to high range, typically $8-20 per tube depending on pigment rarity
Best for: Serious hobbyists, professional artists, gallery-worthy work, commissions
Popular brands: Golden Heavy Body, Liquitex Professional, Winsor & Newton Professional, M. Graham, Sennelier

These paints offer richer, more intense colors that mix cleaner without muddying. The higher pigment load means you use less paint to achieve full coverage.

Key differences explained:

Pigment load: Artist-grade paints might contain 40-60% pigment by volume, while student grades contain 15-30%. This means artist-grade paint goes further—you need less to achieve the same color intensity.

Color naming: Student grades often use “hue” designations (like “Cadmium Red Hue”), which means the color mimics the named pigment but uses cheaper alternatives. Artist grades more frequently use actual pigments.

Consistency: Professional paints maintain uniform consistency across the color range, while student grades can vary significantly—some colors might be runny while others are thick.

Permanence ratings: Artist-grade tubes display lightfastness ratings (how resistant to fading), while student grades often don’t provide this information.

Should you start with student or artist grade? For beginners, student grade is perfectly suitable. It allows you to practice techniques, experiment freely, and learn color mixing without anxiety about wasting expensive materials. Once you understand the medium and want to create work for exhibition or sale, transitioning to artist-grade paints will noticeably improve your results. Many artists use a hybrid approach: artist-grade paints for key colors they use frequently, with student-grade for underpainting or less critical applications.

What Are The Different Types of Acrylic Paint Available?

Acrylic paint comes in various formulations, each designed for specific applications and effects. Understanding these differences helps you choose the right paint for your project.

Heavy Body Acrylics:

Consistency: Thick, buttery texture similar to oil paint
Characteristics: Retains brush and palette knife marks, excellent for impasto techniques
Drying time: Moderate (15-30 minutes depending on thickness)
Best for: Traditional painting techniques, texture work, palette knife painting
Examples: Golden Heavy Body, Liquitex Heavy Body, Winsor & Newton Professional

Heavy body is the most popular formulation and what most people picture when thinking of acrylic paint.

Soft Body (Fluid) Acrylics:

Consistency: Smooth, cream-like texture that flows easily
Characteristics: Same pigment concentration as heavy body but more fluid, excellent for detail work
Drying time: Fast (10-20 minutes)
Best for: Glazing, watercolor techniques, airbrush work, smooth applications
Examples: Golden Fluid Acrylics, Liquitex Soft Body, Amsterdam All Acrylics

Don’t confuse these with “craft acrylics”—fluid acrylics maintain professional pigment loads despite their thinner consistency.

High Flow Acrylics:

Consistency: Ink-like, very thin but intensely pigmented
Characteristics: Excellent flow and leveling properties
Drying time: Very fast (5-15 minutes)
Best for: Fine detail work, calligraphy, staining techniques, airbrushing
Examples: Golden High Flow, Liquitex Acrylic Ink, Daler-Rowney FW Acrylic Inks

These are sometimes marketed as “acrylic inks” and come in bottles rather than tubes.

Open Acrylics:

Consistency: Similar to heavy body but with extended working time
Characteristics: Remains workable for hours rather than minutes
Drying time: Slow (can remain wet for hours depending on humidity and thickness)
Best for: Blending, glazing, plein air painting, artists transitioning from oils
Examples: Golden OPEN, Atelier Interactive

These revolutionary acrylics allow blending and reworking more like oils while maintaining acrylic’s other benefits.

Interactive Acrylics:

Consistency: Similar to traditional acrylics
Characteristics: Can be reactivated even after drying with water or special mediums
Drying time: Normal when left alone, can be kept wet indefinitely with misting
Best for: Artists who want flexibility in working time
Examples: Atelier Interactive, Chroma Atelier

These can be “unlocked” with water spray to blend even after the surface appears dry.

Acrylic Gouache:

Consistency: Creamy and opaque
Characteristics: Dries completely matte and flat, can be reactivated slightly with water
Drying time: Fast (10-20 minutes)
Best for: Illustration, graphic design, flat color application, poster work
Examples: Holbein Acryla Gouache, Turner Acryl Gouache

This hybrid medium combines acrylic’s permanence with traditional gouache’s matte finish.

Craft Acrylics:

Consistency: Varies, usually thin to medium
Characteristics: Lower quality pigments and binders, less durable
Drying time: Fast
Best for: Children’s projects, decorative crafts, surfaces that won’t be displayed long-term
Examples: Apple Barrel, Folk Art, Ceramcoat

While adequate for casual projects, these lack the permanence and color quality for serious artwork.

Specialty Acrylics:

Interference and iridescent: Contain mica particles for shimmer and color-shifting effects
Metallic: Contain metal flakes for gold, silver, copper appearances
Fluorescent: Glow under UV light
Phosphorescent: Glow in the dark after light exposure
Texture paints: Pre-mixed with sand, fibers, or pumice for dimensional effects

Adding Mediums to Acrylic Paint

Acrylic mediums are additives that modify paint properties without diluting pigment strength. Understanding mediums expands your creative possibilities exponentially.

Gloss Medium:

Purpose: Increases transparency, extends paint, enhances gloss
Uses: Creating glazes, increasing paint volume without losing intensity, collage adhesive
Mixing ratio: Typically 1:1 with paint, but can vary
Effect: Makes colors more vibrant and jewel-like when dry

Matte Medium:

Purpose: Same as gloss medium but creates a flat, non-reflective finish
Uses: Reducing sheen, creating subtle glazes, unified matte appearance
Mixing ratio: 1:1 with paint
Effect: Subdues color intensity slightly but eliminates glare

Gel Mediums (Soft, Regular, Heavy, Extra Heavy):

Purpose: Thickens paint while maintaining transparency or translucency
Uses: Impasto techniques, texture building, extending paint, collage adhesive
Mixing ratio: Varies based on desired thickness
Effect: Increases body and creates sculptural possibilities; available in gloss, semi-gloss, and matte

Retarder (Slow-Dri Blending Medium):

Purpose: Extends drying time
Uses: Blending colors on canvas, creating gradients, detailed work
Mixing ratio: Usually no more than 15% by volume (too much prevents proper drying)
Effect: Keeps paint workable for 2-4 times longer
Caution: Overuse can make paint sticky and prevent proper curing

Flow Improver (Flow Release):

Purpose: Reduces surface tension of water and paint
Uses: Creating smooth, even brushstrokes, reducing brush marks, airbrushing
Mixing ratio: A few drops per ounce of paint
Effect: Paint flows more easily, self-levels, and reduces “drag”

Glazing Medium:

Purpose: Creates transparent layers while extending drying time slightly
Uses: Building luminous color layers, creating depth, optical color mixing
Mixing ratio: High ratio of medium to paint (often 10:1 or more)
Effect: Rich, translucent color layers without visible brushstrokes

Modeling Paste:

Purpose: Creates substantial texture and three-dimensional effects
Uses: Building up surfaces, creating relief textures, sculptural elements
Mixing ratio: Can be used straight or mixed with paint
Effect: Creates thick, opaque texture that can be carved, shaped, or sanded when dry
Types: Light molding paste (contains hollow microspheres, lighter weight), regular, hard, and flexible varieties

Pouring Medium:

Purpose: Thins paint to perfect consistency for fluid art
Uses: Pour painting, creating cells and fluid patterns, marbling effects
Mixing ratio: Varies by technique, typically 2:1 or 3:1 medium to paint
Effect: Maintains pigment strength while making paint flow freely

Texture Gels and Pastes:

Glass Bead Gel: Adds sparkle and reflective quality
Pumice Gel: Creates rough, stone-like texture
Fiber Paste: Adds dimensional fibers
Crackle Paste: Creates intentional cracking patterns as it dries
Uses: Adding physical and visual interest, mixed media work

Fabric Medium:

Purpose: Makes acrylics flexible and washable on fabric
Mixing ratio: Usually 1:2 (medium to paint)
Effect: Prevents stiffness and cracking on fabric surfaces

Tips for using mediums:

Always read manufacturer instructions—different brands have different formulations
Add mediums gradually and test on scrap before committing to your artwork
Mix thoroughly to ensure even distribution
Mediums don’t change the color of paint but may affect how light or dark it appears when dry
Most mediums are white or milky when wet but dry clear
Store mixed paint with mediums in airtight containers if not using immediately

Brushes for Acrylic Painting

Choosing the right brushes makes an enormous difference in your painting experience. Acrylic’s quick-drying nature places specific demands on brush selection and care.

Brush Anatomy:

Bristles/Hairs: The painting part that holds and releases paint
Ferrule: The metal band that holds bristles and connects them to the handle
Crimp: Where the ferrule grips the handle
Handle: Usually wooden or plastic, comes in various lengths

Synthetic vs. Natural Hair:

Synthetic brushes (Taklon, nylon, polyester):

Pros: Durable with acrylics, affordable, cruelty-free, maintain shape well, easy to clean
Cons: Less paint-holding capacity than natural hair
Best for: Acrylics, beginners, general-purpose painting
Recommendation: Always choose synthetic for acrylics—natural hair brushes deteriorate quickly with acrylic’s alkaline pH

Natural hair (sable, hog bristle, squirrel, goat):

Pros: Excellent paint-holding, beautiful flow and spring
Cons: Expensive, acrylic paint damages them over time, requires careful cleaning
Best for: Watercolors and oils primarily
For acrylics: Only premium kolinsky sable for fine detail work if you’re willing to invest and maintain carefully

Brush Shapes and Their Uses:

Round Brushes:

Description: Pointed tip, round ferrule, versatile shape
Best for: Detail work, outlines, fine lines, filling in small areas, everything from delicate details to bold strokes depending on pressure
Sizes: 00 (tiny detail) to 12+ (larger applications)
Techniques: Use the tip for fine lines, press down for broader strokes

Flat Brushes:

Description: Square-edged, flat ferrule
Best for: Bold strokes, filling large areas, sharp edges, blending
Sizes: Typically 2 to 24 (measured in fractions of an inch or millimeters)
Techniques: Use the flat edge for coverage, the narrow edge for fine lines, angled application for varied stroke width

Filbert Brushes:

Description: Oval-shaped, flat with rounded tip
Best for: Blending, soft edges, general painting, versatile for many techniques
Sizes: Similar to flats
Techniques: Combines benefits of rounds and flats; the rounded edge creates softer strokes than flats

Bright Brushes:

Description: Like a flat but with shorter bristles
Best for: Controlled, precise strokes, thick paint application, scrubbing techniques
Sizes: Same as flats
Techniques: More control than regular flats, excellent for heavy body acrylics

Fan Brushes:

Description: Thin, spread-out bristles in a fan shape
Best for: Blending, softening edges, creating texture (grass, fur, hair), special effects
Sizes: Usually small to medium
Techniques: Light, feathery strokes; excellent for landscapes

Angle Brushes:

Description: Flat brush cut at an angle
Best for: Controlled detail work, filling corners, curved strokes, leaves and petals
Sizes: Typically small to medium
Techniques: The angled edge naturally creates curved strokes

Liner/Rigger Brushes:

Description: Very long, thin round bristles
Best for: Fine lines, lettering, branches, rigging on ships (hence the name)
Sizes: Very small
Techniques: Use with thinned paint for flowing, continuous lines

Mop Brushes:

Description: Large, soft, fluffy round brush
Best for: Varnishing, large washes, softening edges
Sizes: Medium to large
Techniques: Hold lots of liquid for smooth, even application

Starter Brush Set Recommendation:

Flat: sizes 4, 8, 12
Round: sizes 2, 6, 10
Filbert: size 6
Liner: size 1
Fan: size 4

This gives you 8 brushes covering most techniques for under $30-50 depending on quality.

Brush Care for Acrylics (Critical for longevity):

During painting:

Rinse frequently—don’t let paint dry in bristles
Keep brushes in water when not actively using, but don’t let them rest on bristles
Use brush soap or gentle dish soap for stubborn paint

After painting:

Rinse thoroughly in lukewarm water
Gently squeeze bristles from ferrule to tip to remove paint
Wash with brush soap or mild dish soap, working soap into bristles from ferrule to tip
Rinse until water runs clear
Reshape bristles with fingers
Lay flat to dry or store bristle-up in a jar

Never:

Leave brushes soaking with bristles touching the bottom
Allow paint to dry in the ferrule (ruins the brush permanently)
Use hot water (can loosen glue and damage bristles)
Store wet brushes bristle-down

When brushes are beyond hope: If acrylic dries in the ferrule, try soaking in isopropyl alcohol or brush cleaner, but prevention is far better than cure.

Palette Knives

Palette knives open up bold, expressive techniques impossible with brushes alone. Don’t confuse them with painting knives—though similar, painting knives are specifically designed for applying paint while palette knives are primarily for mixing.

Anatomy of a Palette Knife:

Blade: Flexible metal (usually stainless steel), comes in various shapes
Crank/Offset: The bend in the shank that keeps your hand above the painting surface
Shank: Connects blade to handle
Handle: Usually wooden or plastic

Types and Shapes:

Trowel/Diamond Shape:

Most common and versatile
Pointed tip for details, broad middle for coverage
Ideal for general palette knife painting

Straight Edge:

Rectangular blade
Creates architectural lines and geometric shapes
Good for spreading paint evenly

Tear Drop:

Rounded with tapered point
Excellent for blending and rounded forms
Popular for flower petals and organic shapes

Angular/Offset:

Angled blade
Great for reaching into corners
Precise control for detailed work

Small Detailing Knives:

Tiny blades for fine work
Adds details in knife paintings
Can create thin lines and small shapes

Sizes: Usually measured in length, from 1 inch to 5+ inches

Mixing Palette Knives:

Straight blades without offset
Used only for mixing colors on the palette
Usually longer and less flexible than painting knives
Essential tool even if you don’t paint with knives

Techniques with Palette Knives:

Impasto: Apply thick paint directly from the knife, creating dimensional texture and visible paint strokes

Scraping/Sgraffito: Remove wet paint to reveal underlayers or create linear marks

Blending: Use the flat of the blade to merge colors directly on canvas

Smooth application: Spread paint evenly like butter for flat, brushstroke-free areas

Detail work: Use the tip or edge for fine lines and small accents

Texture creation: Twist, stipple, or drag the knife through paint for varied effects

Advantages of knife painting:

Bold, contemporary aesthetic
No brush marks or texture (unless desired)
Clean color mixing on the palette
Fast coverage of large areas
Exciting, spontaneous mark-making
Easy cleanup—wipe blade with paper towel

Disadvantages:

Less precision than brushes for fine detail
Uses more paint
Learning curve for control
Different techniques required

Cleaning: Simply wipe paint off with paper towel while wet. For dried paint, carefully scrape with another blade or soak in warm soapy water. Never put in dishwasher.

Starting recommendation: One medium trowel-shaped painting knife and one straight mixing knife will cover most needs initially.

Acrylic Primer and Acrylic Gesso

Preparing your surface properly makes the difference between paint that adheres beautifully and paint that flakes or looks dull. Gesso is the foundation of successful acrylic painting.

What is Gesso?

Gesso (pronounced “JESS-oh”) is a primer that prepares surfaces for painting. Traditional gesso was a combination of chalk, white pigment, and animal-skin glue. Modern “acrylic gesso” is actually not true gesso but rather an acrylic-based primer made from acrylic polymer medium, calcium carbonate (chalk), white pigment (usually titanium dioxide), and various additives.

Why Prime with Gesso?

Creates tooth: Tooth is the slight texture that helps paint grip the surface. Without it, paint can bead up or slide around.

Provides absorbency: Gesso’s porous surface absorbs paint evenly, preventing splotchy appearance.

Protects the surface: Creates a barrier between paint and substrate, preventing damage from paint’s acidity.

Improves color vibrancy: White gesso provides a bright, reflective base that makes colors pop.

Saves paint: Unprimed surfaces, especially raw canvas, absorb huge amounts of paint. Gesso seals the surface.

Unifies the surface: Creates consistent painting surface across different materials.

Types of Gesso:

White Gesso (Standard):

Most common
Bright white base enhances color luminosity
Available in various textures from smooth to sandable
Use for most general painting applications

Black Gesso:

Creates dramatic, dark base
Excellent for moody paintings or when you want colors to read darker
Popular for toned grounds
Makes adding highlights and light areas more intuitive for some artists

Colored Gesso (Gray, Red, Earth Tones):

Mid-tone grounds that eliminate stark white
Can influence overall color temperature
Speeds up painting process by providing middle values
Gray gesso is popular for portraiture

Clear Gesso:

Provides tooth without changing surface color
Useful for preserving natural wood grain or colored surfaces
Slightly cloudier than totally transparent

Super Heavy Gesso:

Extra thick formula for texture
Can be sculpted or manipulated before drying
Creates dimensional surfaces

How to Apply Gesso:

Prepare the surface: Ensure it’s clean, dry, and free of dust or oils
Stir gesso: Don’t shake (creates bubbles)—stir thoroughly instead
Apply first coat: Use a wide, flat brush or foam brush. Apply in one direction (horizontal or vertical)
Dry completely: Usually 30 minutes to an hour, depending on thickness and humidity
Light sanding (optional): Use fine-grit sandpaper (220-grit) to smooth any brush marks
Apply second coat: Brush perpendicular to first coat for even coverage
Repeat: 2-3 coats provide best results. Sand lightly between coats if desired
Final dry time: Let cure for at least 24 hours before painting

Application tips:

Use long, smooth strokes to minimize texture
Don’t overwork the gesso—it starts to get tacky as it dries
For smooth finish, use foam brush or roller
For textured finish, use stiff bristle brush or apply with palette knife
Thin gesso with 10-20% water if too thick, but don’t over-thin
Clean tools immediately—dried gesso is permanent

What Surfaces Need Gesso?:

Require gesso:

Raw canvas
Raw wood
Unprimed paper or cardboard
Fabric
Metals (for better adhesion)

Pre-primed (gesso optional):

Pre-stretched “primed” canvas
Canvas panels labeled “primed”
Acrylic painting paper

Don’t use gesso on:

Surfaces you want watercolor effects on (gesso prevents proper watercolor absorption)
Glass or plastic where you want transparency

Gesso vs. House Paint Primer: Never use house paint primer as substitute. It’s not formulated for flexibility, archival quality, or proper paint adhesion and will cause problems long-term.

Making Your Own Gesso: While possible (recipes mix calcium carbonate, acrylic medium, and titanium white paint), commercial gesso is affordable and consistently reliable. DIY gesso is primarily for artists seeking specific properties or historical authenticity.

What Is The Best Surface for Acrylic Painting?

Acrylics’ versatility means you can paint on almost anything, but each surface offers different characteristics. Understanding your options helps you choose the best surface for your intended project and style.

Stretched Canvas:

What it is: Cotton or linen fabric stretched taut over wooden stretcher bars

Advantages:

Traditional, gallery-standard presentation
Slight give creates pleasant painting feel
Lightweight and easy to hang
Available in every imaginable size
Most popular choice for serious paintings

Disadvantages:

More expensive than panels
Can warp or sag over time if not properly supported
Susceptible to punctures
Requires careful storage

Types:

Pre-stretched, pre-primed: Ready to paint, most convenient
Pre-stretched, unprimed: Must be sized and primed before use
Canvas by the yard: For stretching your own

Quality indicators:

Thread count (higher is smoother, better)
Linen vs. cotton (linen is archival and long-lasting, cotton is affordable)
Staple position (back-stapled canvases have cleaner edges)
Weight (heavier canvas sags less)

Best for: Traditional paintings, gallery work, large-scale pieces, when you want classic canvas texture

Canvas Panels:

What it is: Canvas glued to rigid cardboard or MDF backing

Advantages:

Very affordable
Won’t warp or sag
Easy to store flat
Great for studies and practice
Rigid support for palette knife work

Disadvantages:

Cardboard backing not archival
Less prestigious than stretched canvas
Edges visible if displayed unframed
Size limitations (rarely larger than 16×20)

Best for: Beginners, studies, plein air painting, when budget matters, practicing techniques

Canvas Paper/Pads:

What it is: Paper textured to mimic canvas weave, usually bound in pads

Advantages:

Most affordable option
Portable and convenient
Great for sketches and studies
No storage concerns
Easy to cut to size

Disadvantages:

Can buckle with wet techniques
Not suitable for heavy paint application
Lower perceived value
Must be framed under glass or mounted

Best for: Travel sketching, color studies, thumbnails, practicing compositions, budget-conscious artists

Wood Panels:

What it is: Solid wood, plywood, MDF, or hardboard (like Masonite)

Advantages:

Extremely rigid support
Smooth or custom-textured surface
Archival when properly prepared
Professional appearance
Excellent for detailed work
Won’t dent or puncture

Disadvantages:

Heavier than canvas
Requires proper sealing/priming
Can be more expensive
Raw wood can warp without proper preparation

Preparation:

Sand smooth
Seal all sides with acrylic medium to prevent moisture absorption
Apply 2-3 coats of gesso
Sand lightly between coats for ultra-smooth finish

Best for: Detailed work, photo-realistic painting, when you want smooth surface, mixed media, modern aesthetic

Watercolor Paper:

What it is: Thick, textured paper designed for water media

Advantages:

Can handle diluted acrylics well
Interesting texture options
Affordable
Easy to frame
Good for acrylic-watercolor hybrid techniques

Disadvantages:

Can buckle with thick paint
Must be heavy weight (140lb/300gsm minimum)
May need stretching or mounting for flat finish
Not ideal for heavy impasto

Best for: Thin acrylic techniques, acrylic washes, watercolor-style acrylic painting, studies

Illustration Board:

What it is: High-quality paper mounted to rigid cardboard backing

Advantages:

Smooth, professional surface
Rigid—doesn’t buckle
Excellent for detailed work
Ready to use without preparation

Disadvantages:

Expensive
Limited sizes
Cardboard backing not fully archival

Best for: Illustration, detailed work, professional pieces that will be photographed or scanned

Unconventional Surfaces:

Fabric: Prime with fabric medium mixed into gesso for flexible, washable results

Glass: Clean thoroughly, roughen with fine sandpaper or use glass primer for adhesion

Plastic: Requires sanding or plastic primer; some acrylics won’t adhere without preparation

Metal: Prime with gesso or metal primer; excellent rigid support

Stone/Concrete: Porous surfaces work well; seal if very absorbent

Rocks: Popular for painted rock projects; wash and seal with acrylic medium first

Terra Cotta: Porous clay pots take acrylics beautifully

Surface Selection Guide:

For beginners: Canvas panels or acrylic paper
For practice/studies: Canvas paper or budget canvas panels
For gallery-quality work: Stretched canvas or wood panels
For fine detail: Smooth wood panels or illustration board
For outdoor painting: Canvas panels (portable and rigid)
For experimental work: Whatever surface interests you—part of acrylic’s joy is versatility

Making Your Own Canvas

Creating your own stretched canvas is more economical and allows complete control over size, proportion, and quality. While it requires initial investment in tools, you’ll save significantly on larger canvases.

Materials Needed:

Stretcher bars:

Pre-made wooden bars with pre-cut corners
Available in pairs at art supply stores
Choose same length for square, different for rectangle
Quality indicators: straight grain, no warping, smooth corners

Canvas:

By the yard/roll
Primed or unprimed (unprimed is more traditional but requires sizing)
Linen or cotton (linen lasts longer, cotton is affordable)
Choose appropriate weight (8-12 oz for most applications)

Tools:

Canvas pliers (essential for tight stretching)
Staple gun with
Scissors or utility knife
Measuring tape
Corner angle tool or carpenter’s square (optional but helpful)
Optional:
Rabbit skin glue or acrylic sizing (for unprimed canvas)
Gesso (if using unprimed canvas)
Corner keys (small wooden wedges to tighten canvas later if needed)

Step-by-Step Process:

1. Assemble Stretcher Bars:

Connect corners—they should fit snugly
Check corners with square tool to ensure 90-degree angles
Insert corner keys in slots on inside corners (if provided)
Lay flat on clean surface

Optional:

Rabbit skin glue or acrylic sizing (for unprimed canvas)
Gesso (if using unprimed canvas)
Corner keys (small wooden wedges to tighten canvas later if needed)

Step-by-Step Process:

1. Assemble Stretcher Bars:

Connect corners—they should fit snugly
Check corners with square tool to ensure 90-degree angles
Insert corner keys in slots on inside corners (if provided)
Lay flat on clean surface

2. Cut Canvas:

Measure stretcher frame
Add 3-4 inches to each dimension for wrapping
Cut with scissors or knife using straight edge
Example: For 16×20″ frame, cut canvas 22×26″

3. Position Canvas:

Lay canvas face-down on clean surface
Center stretcher frame on top
Ensure canvas weave runs parallel to frame edges (not diagonal)

4. Start Stapling:

Fold canvas over one long side, pull taut
Staple once in center of that side
Move to opposite side, pull very taut with canvas pliers
Staple center of that side
Repeat for remaining two sides
You now have four center staples holding canvas in cross pattern

5. Continue Stapling:

Work outward from center staples
Alternate sides to maintain even tension
Pull canvas with pliers before each staple
Space staples 2-3 inches apart
Stop 3-4 inches from each corner

6. Fold Corners:

Pull corner taut diagonally
Fold fabric neatly (envelope style or simple fold)
Staple securely
Trim excess fabric if bulky

7. Final Steps:

Check for loose areas—add staples where needed
Trim excess canvas to 1/2 inch from staples (optional, for cleaner appearance)
If using unprimed canvas, apply sizing then gesso
If using pre-primed canvas, it’s ready to paint

Tips for Success:

Tension: Canvas should be drum-tight when tapped with finger. Loose canvas will sag and create an unsatisfactory painting surface.

Staple placement: For gallery-wrapped canvas (edges visible), staple on back. For framed canvas, stapling on sides is fine.

Grain direction: Keep canvas weave straight—diagonal stretching causes warping.

Working surface: Use clean, smooth table to avoid debris getting trapped under canvas.

Primed vs. unprimed: Pre-primed canvas is convenient but more expensive. Unprimed requires sizing (rabbit skin glue or acrylic binder) before gesso to prevent deterioration.

Traditional Sizing Process (for unprimed canvas):

Mix rabbit skin glue or acrylic sizing per instructions
Apply warm solution with brush to front and back
Let dry completely (24 hours)
Apply 2-3 coats gesso to front only
Sand lightly between coats

When to Make Your Own vs. Buy Pre-Made:

Make your own when:

Creating large canvases (significant cost savings)
Wanting non-standard sizes or proportions
Preferring specific canvas type/quality
Enjoying the process and having time

Buy pre-made when:

Needing standard sizes
Wanting immediate use
Time is limited
Creating small canvases (minimal savings)

Cost Comparison Example:

Pre-made 24×36″ stretched canvas: $25-45
DIY 24×36″ (stretcher bars $12, canvas $8): $20 total, plus your time

Initial tool investment (pliers, stapler) pays for itself after 5-10 canvases.

Palettes for Acrylic Painting

Your palette is your mixing laboratory where colors come to life. Since acrylics dry quickly, palette choice significantly impacts your painting experience.

Disposable Paper Palettes:

What it is: Tear-off sheets bound in pad, coated with water-resistant finish

Advantages:

Zero cleanup
Bright white surface shows true colors
Portable and lightweight
Fresh mixing surface for each session

Disadvantages:

Ongoing cost
Environmental waste
Paint dries just as fast as other palettes

Best for: Plein air painting, workshops, artists who hate cleanup, teaching situations

Cost: $10-20 for pad of 40-50 sheets

Plastic Palettes:

What it is: Hard plastic (usually white or gray) with mixing wells

Advantages:

Reusable indefinitely
Inexpensive initial cost
Traditional thumb-hole design for holding
Lightweight
Dried paint peels off easily

Disadvantages:

Paint dries quickly
Stains over time
Can become slippery when wet

Best for: Budget-conscious artists, studios, general use

Cost: $3-15 depending on size

Glass or Plexiglass Palettes:

What it is: Sheet of glass or acrylic, often with white or gray backing paper

Advantages:

Smooth, non-porous surface
Paint mixes effortlessly
Easy cleanup (dried paint scrapes off with razor blade)
Can place colored paper underneath to see colors against different backgrounds
Professional standard

Disadvantages:

Glass is heavy and breakable
No thumb hole (must sit flat)
Initial cost higher

Best for: Studio painting, professionals, artists who want clean mixing and easy scraping

Cost: $20-50 for quality palette

DIY option: Have glass shop cut piece with smooth edges, tape edges for safety, and place white paper underneath

Stay-Wet Palettes:

What it is: Plastic container with sponge layer and special permeable paper on top

How it works: Water from sponge migrates through paper, keeping paints moist for days or weeks

Advantages:

Paints stay workable for days
Less paint waste
Can cover and save mixed colors
Revolutionary for slow painters

Disadvantages:

Initial cost
Requires maintenance (changing water, cleaning sponge, replacing paper)
Can grow mold if not maintained
Takes up more space

Best for: Detailed work, artists who work slowly, anyone frustrated by fast-drying acrylics, saving expensive mixed colors

Cost: $15-40 depending on size

Maintenance:

Change water every 2-3 days
Clean sponge weekly
Replace paper when worn or moldy
Store in refrigerator for extended periods

DIY stay-wet palette:

Shallow plastic container with lid
New kitchen sponge
Palette paper or parchment paper
Saturate sponge, lay paper on top

Wooden Palettes:

What it is: Traditional wooden palette, often with thumb hole

Advantages:

Classic artist aesthetic
Warm, natural feel
Can be sealed for easier cleanup

Disadvantages:

Absorbs paint if not sealed
Requires more cleanup effort
Heavier than plastic
Paint dries quickly

Best for: Artists who prefer traditional tools, oil painters also using acrylics

Preparation: Seal with several coats of linseed oil or varnish before use

Specialty Palettes:

Palette Cups/Wells: Attach to palette edge, hold water or medium

Masterson Sta-Wet Palette: Industry-standard stay-wet system

Large Mixing Trays: For fluid acrylics or pouring techniques

Palette with Lid: Plastic palette with cover to slow drying

Tear-Off Palette with Hand Strap: Combines disposable convenience with handheld design

Palette Organization Tips:

Color arrangement:

Squeeze colors around edge
Leave center for mixing
Arrange light to dark, or warm to cool
Keep whites separate from dark colors
Consistent arrangement helps develop color memory

Paint amount:

Squeeze small amounts—you can always add more
Acrylics dry fast; better to refresh than waste

Mixing area:

Keep one area for each mixture
Don’t contaminate piles by mixing into them
Use palette knife for thorough mixing

Extending Working Time on Palettes:

Mist with water from spray bottle frequently
Use retarder medium in mixtures
Choose stay-wet palette
Cover palette with damp cloth during breaks
Work in humid environment when possible

Cleaning Palettes:

While wet:

Rinse thoroughly under warm water
Use soft cloth or paper towel
Mild soap for stubborn paint

Dried paint:

Plastic: Peel off dried paint or soak in warm water
Glass: Scrape with razor blade at 45-degree angle
Stay-wet: Replace paper, clean sponge and container

Recommendation for Beginners: Start with an inexpensive plastic palette or disposable pad to learn without worry. Graduate to stay-wet palette once committed, as it dramatically improves the acrylic painting experience.

Useful Tools for Acrylic Painting

Beyond paint and brushes, these tools make acrylic painting more convenient, effective, and enjoyable.

Water Containers:

Double-well containers: Separate compartments for rinsing and clean water
Brush washers: Ribbed bottom helps clean bristles, coil holder keeps brush tips from touching bottom
DIY solution: Two mason jars or cups work perfectly
Tip: Change water frequently for cleaner colors

Spray Bottles:

Purpose: Keep paints and palette moist
Type: Fine mist setting works best
Usage: Mist palette every 10-15 minutes, spray canvas lightly for blending techniques
Cost: $3-10

Paper Towels and Rags:

Uses: Wiping brushes, blotting excess water, cleaning spills, creating texture
Preference: Shop towels or old cotton t-shirts work better than paper towels (more absorbent, less wasteful)
Tip: Keep multiple rags—one for water, one for paint

Painter’s Tape:

Purpose: Mask off areas, create clean edges, tape paper to board
Type: Low-tack (blue) or medium-tack (green) won’t damage surfaces
Technique: Press down edges firmly, remove while paint slightly wet for cleanest edges
Cost: $5-10 per roll

Paint Markers:

What they are: Pens filled with acrylic paint
Uses: Fine details, lettering, outlines, small projects
Brands: Posca, Molotow, Artistro, Uni Posca
Tip: Shake well, prime tip on scrap paper
Best for: Adding finishing touches to paintings, rock painting, mixed media

Palette Knives (covered earlier but essential to mention):

For mixing colors (straight edge)
For applying paint (offset angled blades)
Keep one designated for mixing only

Sponges:

Natural sea sponges: Create organic, irregular textures
Synthetic sponges: More uniform texture
Uses: Applying paint, creating clouds, foliage, stippling effects, texturing
Tip: Wet first, squeeze out excess, then load with paint

Ruling Pens and Technical Tools:

Create perfectly straight lines
Used with liquid acrylics or inks
Professional look for hard-edge painting

Brayer/Roller:

Uses: Applying even paint layers, creating smooth backgrounds, printmaking techniques, spreading gesso
Types: Hard rubber, soft rubber, foam
Sizes: 2-6 inch widths common

Viewfinder/Cropping Tools:

Purpose: Isolate compositions, plan paintings
DIY: Two L-shaped pieces of cardboard
Use: Hold up to subject or photo to test different crops

Projector or Light Box:

Transfer drawings to canvas
Especially helpful for detailed compositions
Light box for tracing, projector for enlarging

Easel:

Tabletop easels: Compact, $15-40
H-frame: Adjustable, stable, $50-150
A-frame: Portable, $30-100
French easel: Portable with storage, ideal for plein air, $100-300
Not essential: Many artists work flat on table

Palette Cups:

Clip to palette edge
Hold water, medium, or solvent
Keep hands free
$5-15 for set

Apron or Smock:

Protect clothing (acrylic doesn’t wash out once dry)
Look for water-resistant fabric
Pockets for tools convenient
Alternative: Wear painting clothes

Hairdryer/Heat Gun:

Uses: Speed drying time, heat-set certain techniques, acrylic pouring
Caution: Too much heat can cause cracking; keep moving, don’t focus on one spot

Toothbrush or Splatter Brush:

Create speckled effects
Flick bristles for splatter technique
Useful for stars, texture, grunge effects

Mixing Containers:

Small cups or jars for pre-mixing large quantities
Especially useful when matching colors across sessions
Airtight containers can store mixed paint briefly

Masking Fluid/Frisket:

Liquid latex that masks areas
Paint over it, then peel off when dry
Preserves white areas or underlayers
Use old brush (ruins brushes) or silicone tool

Color Wheel:

Learning tool for color theory
Helps predict mixing results
Pocket-sized versions available
$5-15

Sketchbook:

Plan compositions
Test color combinations
Keep artistic journal
Any paper works for rough sketches

Organization Tools:

Brush holders: Keep brushes organized and protected
Tool caddies: Portable organization for supplies
Storage boxes: Keep paint tubes sorted
Rolling carts: Mobile studio organization

Quality of Life Tools:

Good lighting: Daylight bulbs (5000K-6500K) show true colors
Comfortable chair: Adjustable height for easel work
Music/podcasts: Make long sessions enjoyable
Timer: Track painting sessions, remind you to take breaks

Tools You DON’T Need as Beginner:

Expensive brush sets (start with basics)
Every size of everything
Specialized mediums (master basics first)
Professional-grade everything

Build your tool collection gradually based on techniques you actually use and enjoy.

Varnishes for Acrylic

Varnishing is the final, crucial step that protects your finished painting and unifies its appearance. Understanding varnish options ensures your artwork lasts for years.

Why Varnish?

Protection:

Guards against dust, dirt, and pollutants
Protects from UV light (if UV-resistant varnish)
Prevents minor scratches and abrasions
Moisture barrier (important for humid environments)

Visual benefits:

Evens out surface sheen (acrylics dry with irregular gloss)
Enhances color vibrancy and depth
Creates unified, professional appearance
Can change finish from matte to glossy or vice versa

Longevity:

Archival varnishes help paintings last decades or centuries
Removable varnishes allow future cleaning and restoration

Types of Varnish:

Gloss Varnish:

Appearance: Shiny, reflective finish
Effect: Maximizes color saturation, creates jewel-like quality
Best for: Vibrant paintings, work with rich colors, when you want maximum impact
Considerations: Can create glare under certain lighting, may make surface appear “wet”

Matte Varnish:

Appearance: Flat, non-reflective finish
Effect: Subtle, sophisticated look, no glare
Best for: Paintings meant to feel soft or understated, avoiding reflections in photos
Considerations: Can slightly dull colors, may appear chalky if over-applied

Satin/Semi-Gloss Varnish:

Appearance: Medium sheen, gentle glow
Effect: Balance between matte and gloss
Best for: Most general applications, when you want slight enhancement without high shine
Considerations: Most versatile option, pleases most viewers

Removable Varnish:

Purpose: Can be removed with specific solvents for cleaning or restoration
Advantage: Allows artwork to be restored decades later
Disadvantage: More expensive, slightly more complex application
Brands: Golden MSA Varnish, Winsor & Newton Professional Varnish
Use: For valuable works, commissions, gallery pieces

Permanent Varnish:

Purpose: Becomes permanent part of painting
Advantage: Simpler, more affordable, very durable
Disadvantage: Cannot be removed once applied
Brands: Liquitex Professional Varnish, Golden Polymer Varnish
Use: For personal work, less critical applications

Isolation Coat:

What it is: Permanent layer applied before removable varnish
Purpose: Protects paint layer, allows varnish removal without damaging painting
Composition: Soft gel gloss mixed with water (2:1 ratio)
Application: Applied before final varnish, must dry 24+ hours
Importance: Essential for proper conservation when using removable varnish

Spray vs. Brush-On Varnish:

Spray Varnish:

Advantages: Even application, no brush marks, fast, good for textured surfaces
Disadvantages: More expensive, requires ventilation, can be wasteful, harder to control
Technique: Multiple thin coats, keep can moving, 10-12 inches from surface
Best for: Small to medium works, highly textured surfaces, matte finishes

Brush-On Varnish:

Advantages: Economical, more control, builds substantial protective layer
Disadvantages: Risk of brush marks, dust contamination, requires technique
Technique: Use wide, soft brush, thin coats, one direction per coat
Best for: Large works, when spray isn’t practical, achieving thick protective layers

Application Instructions:

Preparation:

Wait for paint to cure: Minimum 2 weeks, preferably 3-4 weeks for thick paint
Clean painting: Gently remove dust with soft cloth
Work in dust-free environment: Wipe down workspace, consider damp mopping studio floor
Lay flat if possible: Reduces drips and runs (prop with books under corners)
Good lighting: Helps see wet varnish clearly

Brush Application:

Use wide, soft brush (2-3 inches) designated only for varnishing
Thin varnish if recommended by manufacturer (usually with water or specific thinner)
Load brush generously but don’t overload
Apply in long, even strokes in one direction
Work quickly and confidently—don’t overwork
Let dry completely (check manufacturer’s time, usually 24 hours)
Apply second coat perpendicular to first
Third coat optional, applied in original direction

Spray Application:

Work outdoors or in well-ventilated area with respirator
Shake can thoroughly (2 minutes)
Test spray on scrap first
Hold 10-12 inches from surface
Keep can moving—never stop in one spot
Use smooth, even, overlapping strokes
Apply 2-4 thin coats (thin coats prevent drips)
Wait 30-60 minutes between coats
Final coat should be very light

Common Varnishing Problems and Solutions:

Cloudy or milky appearance (blooming):

Cause: Moisture trapped in varnish, too cold, high humidity
Prevention: Varnish in low humidity, room temperature 65-75°F
Fix: Sometimes clears as it dries; may need to remove and re-varnish

Brush marks visible:

Cause: Varnish too thick, brushing back over areas, cheap brush
Prevention: Thin varnish properly, use quality soft brush, don’t overwork
Fix: Light sanding between coats, final coat very thin

Uneven gloss (shiny and matte spots):

Cause: Insufficient coats, inconsistent application
Prevention: Apply at least 2-3 even coats
Fix: Add another coat

Dust or hair in varnish:

Cause: Contaminated work environment or brush
Prevention: Clean studio, cover painting while drying, clean brush
Fix: Wait until dry, very gently sand, apply new coat

Varnish won’t dry:

Cause: Paint not fully cured, too cold, too humid, too thick
Prevention: Wait proper cure time, ideal conditions
Fix: Sometimes must wait weeks; in severe cases, remove and restart

Yellowing over time:

Cause: Using cheap or oil-based varnish
Prevention: Use quality acrylic varnish from reputable brands
Fix: If removable varnish, can be stripped and replaced

Varnish Brands Recommended:

Professional/Archival:

Golden MSA Varnish (removable, mineral spirit-based)
Golden Polymer Varnish (permanent, water-based)
Winsor & Newton Professional Varnish
Liquitex Professional Varnish

Budget-Friendly:

Liquitex Varnish (water-based)
DecoArt Varnish
Mod Podge (for crafts only, not archival)

When NOT to Varnish:

Paintings you may want to continue working on
Work on paper that will be framed under glass (glass provides protection)
Very fresh paintings (wait for full cure)
Extremely textured surfaces where dust contamination risk is high

Special Considerations:

For commissions and sales: Always varnish for protection and professional presentation. Document which varnish used for buyer’s records.

For mixed media: Test varnish on scrap first—some mediums react poorly to certain varnishes.

For outdoor art: Use UV-protective varnish and refresh every 1-2 years.

Storage: Store varnish in cool, dark place. Opened varnish lasts 1-2 years typically.

Varnishing transforms good paintings into finished, professional artwork. While it seems intimidating initially, following proper techniques makes it straightforward and rewarding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long does acrylic paint take to dry? A: To touch: 10-30 minutes depending on thickness and environment. Fully cured: 24 hours for normal layers, up to 2 weeks for very thick applications. Humidity and temperature significantly affect drying time—cold and humid slows drying, while hot and dry accelerates it.

Q: Can I thin acrylic paint with water? A: Yes, but with limits. Water up to 30% of paint volume works well. Beyond 50%, you risk breaking the binder, which causes poor adhesion and durability. For heavy thinning, use acrylic medium instead to maintain integrity.

Q: Why do my colors look different when dry? A: Acrylics dry slightly darker than they appear wet. This happens because the polymer becomes transparent as it dries, revealing pigment color more accurately. With practice, you’ll anticipate this shift. Student-grade paints show more dramatic shifts than professional grades.

Q: Can I paint acrylics over oils? Or oils over acrylics? A: You can paint oils over acrylics (after acrylics cure), but NEVER acrylics over oils. Acrylics are flexible and water-based; oils are rigid and oil-based. Acrylics over oils will eventually crack and peel. The rule: “fat over lean” means inflexible layers go on top.

Q: How do I revive dried acrylic paint? A: Once dry, acrylic cannot be reactivated with water (unlike watercolor). Prevention is key: store paint in airtight containers, add drops of water to palette regularly while working, use stay-wet palettes. Dried acrylic in tubes or containers is unfortunately unusable.

Q: Do I need to varnish acrylic paintings? A: Not strictly necessary, but highly recommended. Varnish protects against dust, UV damage, and scratches while evening out surface sheen. Most professional artists varnish. Skip varnishing only if work will be framed under glass or is purely experimental.

Q: Can I mix different brands of acrylic paint? A: Yes, absolutely. Different brands’ acrylics are chemically compatible and mix freely. However, quality differences may be noticeable—mixing student and professional grades will dilute the professional paint’s quality.

Q: What’s the difference between acrylic and acrylic gouache? A: Regular acrylic dries glossy/satin and water-resistant. Acrylic gouache dries completely matte and flat, more like traditional gouache, but remains water-resistant like acrylics. It’s popular for illustration and graphic design work.

Q: Can I use acrylic paint on fabric? A: Yes, but mix with fabric medium (2 parts medium to 1 part paint) to keep fabric flexible and washable. Without fabric medium, painted fabric becomes stiff and may crack. Heat-setting with iron improves washability.

Q: Why is my paint cracking? A: Common causes: painting too thick, applying layers before previous layer dried, adding too much water, using low-quality paint, painting in extreme temperature changes, or not preparing surface properly. Use thin layers and allow proper drying time between coats.

Q: How do I clean dried acrylic from brushes? A: Prevention is best—clean immediately. For dried paint: soak in isopropyl alcohol or brush cleaner, work product through bristles, rinse. Stubborn cases: use brush restorer products. Severely damaged brushes may be unrecoverable. This is why cleaning brushes immediately is crucial.

Q: Can I use house paint instead of artist acrylics? A: Not recommended. House paint lacks pigment quality, lightfastness, and proper formulation for fine art. It works for large-scale murals or temporary installations but not for artwork meant to last. Artist acrylics are formulated for permanence and color quality.

Q: What’s the best surface for beginners? A: Canvas panels or acrylic paper. Both are affordable, ready to use, and forgiving. They allow plenty of practice without significant investment. Graduate to stretched canvas when ready for finished pieces.

Q: How do I create an even wash with acrylics? A: Thin paint significantly with water or medium. Work quickly, use wide brush, paint in overlapping strokes. Consider tilting surface so paint flows. Add flow improver for smoother results. Acrylic washes are trickier than watercolor due to faster drying—work in small sections.

Q: Why do my colors get muddy when mixing? A: Mixing complementary colors (opposite on color wheel) creates neutral browns/grays. Too many colors mixed together also muddy. Use fewer colors, mix only 2-3 at a time, clean brushes between colors, and learn which combinations work. Color theory knowledge helps immensely.

Q: Can I paint acrylic in cold weather? A: Avoid painting below 50°F (10°C). Cold temperatures prevent proper film formation—paint may appear dry but won’t cure properly, leading to eventual failure. If working in cold studios, use space heater to warm painting area to at least 60°F (15°C).

Q: How do I store unfinished paintings? A: Lay flat or stand upright in dust-free area. Cover with clean cloth or plastic (don’t let plastic touch wet paint). Ensure paintings are fully dry before stacking. Store in stable temperature and humidity—avoid garages or attics with extreme fluctuations.

Q: What’s gesso and do I really need it? A: Gesso is acrylic primer that creates tooth (texture) for paint to grip. Pre-primed canvases already have gesso. You need gesso for raw canvas, wood, paper, and other unprepared surfaces. It improves adhesion and prevents paint from soaking in. Essential for proper painting foundation.

Q: Can I paint wet-on-wet with acrylics? A: Yes, but it’s challenging due to fast drying. Use retarder medium to extend working time, work quickly, or use OPEN acrylics designed for slow drying. Wet-on-wet techniques are easier with oils, but acrylics can achieve similar effects with practice and the right mediums.

Q: How do I achieve smooth blending? A: Use retarder medium, work quickly, keep paint wet with misting, use soft brushes, blend while paint is still wet. Alternatively, glaze thin layers to create optical blending. Many artists use dry-brush blending or work in small sections. Acrylic’s fast drying makes traditional blending difficult—it’s a learned skill.

Q: Is acrylic paint toxic? A: Most modern acrylics are non-toxic and safe for general use. However, some pigments (especially cadmiums, cobalts) contain heavy metals. Check labels for warnings. Always avoid ingestion, work with ventilation, wash hands after painting. Pregnant women and children should avoid paints with hazard warnings.

Q: Can I use acrylic paint outdoors permanently? A: With proper preparation and UV-protective varnish, yes. Surfaces must be properly sealed and primed. Apply several coats of UV-resistant varnish. Refresh varnish every 1-2 years. Murals and outdoor art require more maintenance than indoor work but can last years with care.

Q: What’s the difference between heavy body and soft body acrylics? A: Heavy body has thick, buttery consistency that holds brush/knife marks—like oil paint texture. Soft body is creamy and smooth, flows easily, but has same pigment concentration as heavy body. Choose based on technique: heavy body for texture, soft body for smooth applications and glazing.

Q: How much paint should I squeeze onto my palette? A: Start small—you can always add more. A dime-sized amount of each color is usually sufficient for small to medium paintings. Acrylics dry quickly, so less waste means more economy. As you work, add fresh paint as needed.

Q: Can I mix acrylic with oil paint? A: Never mix them directly—they’re incompatible. However, you can paint oils over cured acrylics using acrylic as underpainting. The reverse (acrylics over oils) will eventually fail. Keep them separate in your practice.

Glossary

Acrylic Polymer Emulsion: The binder in acrylic paint—plastic particles suspended in water that fuse when water evaporates

Airbrush: Tool that sprays very fine paint mist, requires thinned or high-flow acrylics

Alla Prima: Painting completed in single session while paint remains wet, Italian for “at first attempt”

Archival: Materials rated for longevity, resisting deterioration, fading, or yellowing over time

Binder: The substance that holds pigment particles together and adheres them to the painting surface

Blending: Merging two or more colors together smoothly without visible transition line

Blocking In: Initial stage of painting where basic shapes and values are established, usually with thin paint

Body: The thickness or consistency of paint—heavy body is thick, soft body flows easily

Brilliance: Intensity and vividness of color, related to pigment quality and concentration

Canvas: Woven fabric (cotton or linen) used as painting support

Chroma: The purity or intensity of a color, its saturation

Color Temperature: The warmth (reds, oranges, yellows) or coolness (blues, greens, purples) of a color

Complementary Colors: Colors opposite each other on color wheel (red/green, blue/orange, yellow/purple)

Composition: The arrangement of elements within a painting

Coverage: How well paint conceals underlying layers or surface

Crazing: Fine cracks in paint surface caused by improper application or drying

Dry Brush: Technique using relatively dry brush with small amount of paint to create textured effect

Extender: Additive that increases paint volume without changing color intensity

Fat over Lean: Principle of applying more flexible layers over less flexible ones to prevent cracking

Ferrule: Metal band on brush that holds bristles and connects to handle

Film: The layer of dried acrylic paint

Fixative: Spray that protects charcoal or pastel drawings; different from varnish

Flat Color: Area painted with uniform, un-modulated color

Flow: How easily paint moves off brush onto surface

Gel Medium: Thick acrylic medium that extends paint and creates texture

Gesso: Acrylic primer that prepares surfaces for painting, creates tooth

Glaze: Thin, transparent layer of paint applied over dried paint

Ground: The prepared surface ready for painting

Hue: The name of a color (red, blue, yellow); also suffix indicating imitation of expensive pigment

Impasto: Thick application of paint that stands up from surface, retaining brush or knife marks

Lightfastness: Resistance to fading when exposed to light, rated I (excellent) to V (poor)

Load: The amount of paint picked up on brush or knife

Mahl Stick: Long stick used to steady hand while painting details

Masking: Covering areas to protect them from paint, using tape or liquid masking fluid

Medium: (1) Type of paint (acrylic, oil, watercolor); (2) Additive that modifies paint properties

Modeling Paste: Thick paste used to build three-dimensional texture

Monochrome: Painting using single color in various values

Opacity: How well paint covers what’s underneath; opposite of transparency

Open Time: How long paint remains workable before drying

Overpainting: Adding layers of paint over dried underlayers

Palette: (1) Surface for holding and mixing colors; (2) Range of colors artist uses

Palette Knife: Flexible blade used for mixing paint or applying paint to canvas

Permanence: How well paint resists fading, chemical changes, and deterioration over time

Pigment: Colored powder that gives paint its hue

Plein Air: Painting outdoors from direct observation, French for “open air”

Primer: Preparatory coating applied to surface before painting, like gesso

Retarder: Medium that slows acrylic drying time

Saturation: The intensity or purity of a color

Scumbling: Applying thin, broken layer of opaque or semi-opaque paint over dry layer

Sgraffito: Scratching into wet paint to reveal underlayer or surface

Shade: Color darkened by adding black

Sheen: The level of gloss in dried paint—gloss, satin, or matte

Size/Sizing: Sealer applied to raw canvas before gesso to protect fibers

Solvent: Liquid that dissolves or thins paint; water for acrylics, mineral spirits for oils

Staining: When paint penetrates surface rather than sitting on top

Stay-Wet Palette: Palette with moisture system that keeps paints workable for days

Stippling: Painting technique using small dots or dabs to create texture or blend colors

Stretcher Bars: Wooden frame over which canvas is stretched

Support: The surface on which paint is applied—canvas, panel, paper, etc.

Tint: Color lightened by adding white

Tone/Toning: Overall color cast; toning is adding gray to a color

Tooth: The texture of a surface that helps paint adhere

Transparency: Quality of allowing light to pass through, revealing layers beneath

Turpentine: Solvent for oils, NOT used with acrylics

Underpainting: Initial paint layer establishing composition, values, and sometimes color

Value: The lightness or darkness of a color

Varnish: Protective top coat applied to finished paintings

Vehicle: The liquid component of paint—water in acrylics

Viscosity: The thickness or fluidity of paint

Wash: Very thin, diluted application of paint

Wet-on-Wet: Applying wet paint to still-wet paint to blend directly

Wet-on-Dry: Applying wet paint to completely dried paint layers

Final Thoughts

Acrylic painting offers an accessible entry into the world of visual art while providing depth and complexity that sustains lifelong exploration. Whether you’re creating your first painting or your thousandth, acrylics’ versatility, forgiveness, and vibrant possibilities make them endlessly rewarding. Start with basic supplies, practice fundamental techniques, and don’t be afraid to experiment—some of the most exciting discoveries happen through playful exploration. Most importantly, paint regularly. Consistency builds skills faster than sporadic intensive sessions. Welcome to the wonderful world of acrylic painting!

Understanding Paint Brushes: A Complete Guide to Shapes, Bristles, and Applications

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Understanding Paint Brushes: A Complete Guide to Shapes, Bristles, and Applications

Paint brushes are far more than simple tools—they’re extensions of the artist’s or painter’s hand, each designed with specific purposes that can transform how paint meets surface. The right brush makes the difference between a smooth, professional finish and a frustrating, streaky mess. Understanding the relationship between brush shape, bristle type, and paint choice unlocks better results whether you’re painting a canvas, refreshing a room, or detailing intricate trim work.

The Foundation: How Brush Anatomy Determines Function

Every paint brush consists of three essential components working in harmony: the bristles (or filaments), the ferrule that binds them, and the handle. The bristles’ arrangement determines the brush’s shape, which in turn dictates its best applications. Meanwhile, the material composition of those bristles determines which paints they’ll handle most effectively. This interplay between form and material creates a diverse toolkit where each brush excels at particular tasks.

The shape of a brush controls how paint is distributed. Flat brushes with their broad, rectangular profiles excel at covering large areas with even coats, while round brushes with their pointed tips offer precision for detailed work. The bristle type determines paint compatibility and performance—natural fibers absorb and release oil-based paints smoothly, while synthetic fibers resist water absorption, making them ideal for water-based formulations. Together, these factors create a system where selecting the right brush becomes intuitive once you understand the underlying principles.

Exploring Brush Shapes and Their Specialized Uses

Wash brushes feature wide, rectangular heads that hold substantial amounts of paint, making them indispensable for covering expansive areas quickly and evenly. Their flat profile creates smooth, consistent strokes across walls, canvases, or any large surface requiring uniform coverage. Some wash brushes come with straight edges for precise horizontal or vertical lines, while angled versions offer additional versatility. Artists reach for wash brushes when applying background washes or base coats, while house painters rely on them for efficient wall coverage.

Sash brushes distinguish themselves with their angled bristle arrangement, creating a slanted edge that navigates corners and edges with remarkable precision. This distinctive shape makes them essential for “cutting in”—the technique of painting clean lines where walls meet ceilings, around window frames, or along baseboards without tape. The angled tip acts like a built-in guide, allowing the painter to see exactly where paint will land while maintaining control. Professional painters consider sash brushes indispensable for trim work and any situation requiring sharp, clean boundaries.

Round brushes taper to a fine point, offering unmatched control for detailed work. Their circular cross-section holds paint in a reservoir that feeds smoothly to the tip, enabling continuous lines without constant reloading. Artists use round brushes for intricate details, signatures, fine lines in botanical illustrations, or any work requiring precision. The pointed tip allows for varying line widths by adjusting pressure—press harder for thicker lines, ease up for delicate hairlines. This versatility makes round brushes fundamental to fine art painting across multiple styles and techniques.

Filbert brushes combine characteristics of both flat and round brushes, featuring a flat body with a gently rounded, oval-shaped tip. This hybrid design excels at creating soft edges and organic shapes. The rounded corners prevent harsh lines while still providing the coverage area of a flat brush. Portrait artists favor filberts for rendering soft skin tones and gentle transitions between light and shadow. Floral painters appreciate how naturally filberts create petal shapes with a single stroke. The shape encourages blending and produces strokes with built-in softness at the edges.

Bright brushes resemble flat brushes but with notably shorter, stiffer bristles. This compact design gives them more control and pushes paint more forcefully onto the surface, making them ideal for impasto techniques where thick paint application creates visible texture. The stiff bristles maintain their shape under pressure, allowing for bold, decisive strokes that leave distinct marks in heavy paint. Artists working with thick acrylics or oils appreciate how brights deliver paint with authority while maintaining crisp edges on each stroke.

Fan brushes spread their bristles into a distinctive fan shape, creating a tool specifically designed for blending and creating texture. The separated bristles produce broken, feathered effects rather than solid coverage. Landscape painters use fan brushes to suggest foliage, create wispy clouds, or add texture to grass and distant trees. They’re also invaluable for softening edges where two colors meet, as the light touch of the spread bristles gently intermingles paint without muddying colors. The fan shape makes it nearly impossible to create hard lines, which is precisely its purpose.

Liner brushes feature extremely thin profiles with long bristles that hold enough paint to draw extended, continuous lines. Signpainters, lettering artists, and those adding fine details to paintings rely on these specialized brushes. The long bristles act as a paint reservoir, releasing it steadily as the brush moves, which allows for uninterrupted lines and consistent width. Liner brushes require a steady hand but reward the user with crisp, professional-looking lines ideal for borders, details, or traditional signwork.

Mop brushes present large, soft, rounded shapes designed to hold substantial amounts of thin paint. Watercolorists particularly appreciate mop brushes for applying broad washes of diluted color across large areas of paper. The soft, absorbent bristles release paint gently and evenly, creating smooth gradations without visible brushstrokes. They’re also useful for softening backgrounds, creating atmospheric effects, or quickly covering areas that need to remain loose and impressionistic rather than detailed.

Bristle Materials: Matching Fiber to Paint Type

The material composition of brush bristles fundamentally affects how they interact with different paint formulations. Natural bristles come from animal hair, with hog bristles and sable being the most common varieties used in quality brushes. Hog bristles, derived from domestic pigs, offer stiffness and durability that makes them excellent for oil painting and applying thick, oil-based coatings. Their natural texture includes microscopic scales that help grip and distribute paint evenly. Sable bristles, harvested from the tail hair of sables and related animals, provide incomparable softness combined with resilience. They hold their shape excellently and create the smoothest paint application, making them prized for watercolor work and situations requiring the finest control.

Synthetic bristles, typically manufactured from nylon, polyester, or taklon fibers, were developed to address specific limitations of natural bristles and provide alternatives that perform exceptionally well with modern paint formulations. Unlike natural fibers, synthetic bristles resist water absorption, which prevents them from becoming limp and losing shape when used with water-based paints like acrylics, watercolors, or latex house paints. They maintain consistent stiffness throughout the painting process and return to their original shape after cleaning. Quality synthetic brushes rival natural bristles in performance while offering greater durability and easier maintenance. They also provide an animal-friendly option for those preferring not to use animal products.

Mixed bristle brushes combine natural and synthetic fibers in a single brush, attempting to capture advantages from both materials. These blends can offer the paint-holding capacity of natural bristles with the durability and shape retention of synthetics. They represent a practical middle ground, though truly specialized work often benefits from choosing brushes specifically optimized for either natural or synthetic materials rather than compromising with a blend.

Practical Considerations: Selecting the Right Brush for Your Project

Paint type stands as the primary consideration when selecting a brush. Oil-based paints, including traditional oil paints for art and oil-based primers or finishes for home projects, work best with natural bristle brushes. The natural fibers’ ability to absorb and slowly release oil-based mediums creates smooth, even application without visible brush marks. Conversely, water-based paints including acrylics, watercolors, gouache, and latex house paints perform optimally with synthetic bristles that won’t absorb water and become waterlogged. Using natural bristles with water-based paints often results in a limp, unresponsive brush that splays and loses control.

Surface texture influences brush selection as well. Smooth surfaces like primed canvas, fine paper, or previously painted walls with satin finishes accept paint readily and work well with softer bristles that create refined, smooth finishes. Rougher surfaces such as bare wood, textured drywall, or coarse canvas require stiffer bristles that can work paint into surface irregularities and maintain their shape against resistance. The brush must be firm enough to effectively transfer paint without the bristles bending excessively or skipping over textured areas.

Handle length affects both reach and control. Long handles, common on artist brushes, allow painters to work at a distance from their canvas, seeing the overall composition rather than focusing too closely on small areas. This perspective helps maintain proper proportions and relationships between elements. Short handles provide maximum control for detailed work and feel more comfortable for extended close-up painting sessions. House painting brushes typically feature medium-length handles that balance control with the ability to reach without excessive stretching.

Brush size should match the scale of your work. Large areas demand large brushes—using a small brush for a big job wastes time and increases the risk of visible overlaps and inconsistent coverage. Conversely, attempting detailed work with an oversized brush leads to frustration and imprecise results. Building a collection of brushes in various sizes allows you to match the tool to each specific task, from broad background coverage to the finest finishing details.

Caring for Your Brushes: Maintenance for Longevity

Proper brush care extends their useful life dramatically and maintains their performance. Cleaning brushes immediately after use prevents paint from drying in the bristles, which can permanently damage the brush’s shape and flexibility. For water-based paints, thorough rinsing under running water while gently working the bristles removes paint effectively. Oil-based paints require appropriate solvents like mineral spirits or turpentine for initial cleaning, followed by soap and water to remove solvent residue. Specialized brush cleaners and conditioners can restore brushes that have accumulated dried paint or lost their original responsiveness.

Storage matters as much as cleaning. Brushes should be stored either hanging with bristles down or lying flat, never resting on their bristles which will cause permanent deformation. Professional painters often use brush keepers—containers that suspend brushes in cleaning solution between uses during active projects. For long-term storage, ensure brushes are completely dry to prevent mildew, and consider storing them in their original packaging or protective covers to maintain bristle shape and protect the tips from damage.

The investment in quality brushes paired with proper care creates tools that can last for years or even decades, becoming familiar extensions of your hand that improve rather than hinder your work. Understanding the specific purposes behind different brush designs transforms them from mysterious tools into a logical system where each brush has clear, essential roles. Whether you’re refreshing your home’s interior, creating fine art, or tackling any painting project in between, selecting and using the appropriate brush makes the work more enjoyable and the results more professional.

Acrylic Painting Techniques for Beginners

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Acrylic Painting Techniques for Beginners – What You Need to KNOW & What Supplies to Get Started

Acrylic paint is one of the most versatile and forgiving mediums for beginners. It dries quickly, cleans up with water, and works on almost any surface. But walk into an art supply store, and the sheer variety of products can feel overwhelming. This guide will help you understand what you actually need to get started and what techniques you can explore as you grow.

There are so Many Kinds of Acrylic Paint

Not all acrylic paints are created equal, and understanding the differences will save you money and frustration.

Student Grade vs. Artist Grade: Student-grade paints are more affordable and contain less pigment, which means colors can look slightly washed out or chalky. Artist-grade paints have higher pigment concentration, offering richer colors and better mixing capabilities. As a beginner, student grade is perfectly fine to start with—brands like Liquitex Basics, Amsterdam, or Arteza offer excellent value.

Heavy Body vs. Soft Body: Heavy body acrylics have a thick, buttery consistency similar to oil paint and hold brush or palette knife marks beautifully. Soft body acrylics are more fluid and smooth, making them easier to blend. If you’re just starting out, heavy body paints give you more control and are great for learning texture techniques.

Craft Acrylics: These are the inexpensive paints you’ll find at craft stores. While they work for simple projects, they often lack the quality needed for serious painting. The pigments are weaker, and the binder quality is lower, which can lead to cracking or fading over time.

Start with a basic color palette: titanium white, mars black, cadmium red (or pyrrole red), ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow, and burnt umber. With these six colors, you can mix nearly any shade you need.

Essentials for Acrylic Painting with a Brush or Palette Knife

Paint

For your first purchases, invest in decent quality paint rather than buying dozens of cheap tubes. A set of 6-12 basic colors in student-grade heavy body acrylics will serve you better than 50 low-quality craft paints. Look for tubes rather than jars when possible—they keep paint fresher longer and allow for better portion control.

Brushes

You don’t need an expensive brush collection right away. Start with these basics:

Flat brushes (sizes 4, 8, and 12): Great for broad strokes, filling in areas, and creating sharp edges
Round brushes (sizes 2, 6, and 10): Perfect for details, lines, and versatile painting
Filbert brushes (size 6 or 8): The rounded edge is excellent for blending

Synthetic brushes work wonderfully with acrylics and are more affordable than natural hair. Brands like Princeton, Royal & Langnickel, or even generic sets from art supply stores will work well. The key is cleaning them thoroughly after each session—dried acrylic will ruin brushes permanently.

Palette knives offer a completely different painting experience. These flexible metal tools create bold, textured strokes and are excellent for mixing paint. A basic trowel-shaped knife and an angled one will get you started with knife painting techniques.

Palette

Your palette is where you’ll mix colors, and you have several options:

Disposable paper palettes: Convenient and mess-free, these tear-off sheets are perfect for beginners
Plastic palettes: Reusable and easy to clean, though paint can dry quickly on them
Stay-wet palettes: These use a sponge and special paper to keep paints workable for days—a game-changer for slower painters
DIY options: A sheet of glass, a ceramic plate, or even freezer paper taped to cardboard all work in a pinch

Water Pot or Brush Washer

Keep two containers of water: one for initial rinsing and one for final cleaning. This keeps your colors cleaner. Look for brush washers with ridged bottoms that help remove paint from bristles, or simply use old jars or cups. Change your water frequently to avoid muddy colors.

Surfaces

Acrylics are wonderfully adaptable and adhere to many surfaces:

Canvas: The classic choice. Pre-stretched, pre-primed canvases are beginner-friendly and come in every size. Canvas panels (canvas glued to cardboard) are more affordable for practice.

Canvas paper or pads: Textured paper designed for acrylics—perfect for studies and experimenting without the cost of stretched canvas.

Wood panels: Smooth and sturdy, these create a different aesthetic. Make sure they’re sealed or primed first.

Watercolor paper: Use heavy weight (at least 140 lb) and prime it with gesso if you want texture, though many acrylic papers work straight out of the pad.

Unconventional surfaces: Fabric, rocks, terracotta pots, glass, metal—if you can prime it with gesso, you can probably paint on it.

Always check that surfaces labeled “multi-media” or “mixed media” specifically list acrylics as compatible.

Easel

While not essential, an easel helps you paint at eye level and step back to view your work. For beginners:

Tabletop easels: Affordable and space-saving
H-frame or A-frame easels: Sturdy floor-standing options that adjust for different canvas sizes
Budget alternative: Lean your canvas against a stack of books on a table

Many beginners work flat on a table, which is perfectly fine, especially for smaller pieces.

Mediums

Acrylic mediums modify your paint’s properties and open up new creative possibilities. You don’t need these immediately, but they’re worth exploring as you progress:

Gesso: A primer that creates tooth (texture) for paint to grip. White gesso brightens colors underneath, while black or colored gesso can create moody undertones.

Matte or Gloss Medium: Extends paint without changing color, adjusts sheen, and can thin paint while maintaining adhesion.

Slow-Drying Medium (Retarder): Extends drying time for blending and detail work—especially helpful in dry climates or when working on larger pieces.

Texture Gels and Pastes: Create dimension and sculptural effects. Modeling paste can build up thick areas, while glass bead gel adds sparkle.

Flow Improver: Reduces surface tension, making paint flow more smoothly—particularly useful for detailed brushwork.

Start without mediums to learn how pure acrylics behave, then experiment with one at a time to understand their effects.

Essentials for All Acrylic Painting

Regardless of your specific technique, every acrylic painter needs:

Paper towels or rags: For wiping brushes, cleaning spills, and blotting excess paint

Spray bottle: A fine mist keeps paints on your palette from drying out during painting sessions

Apron or old clothes: Acrylic is permanent once dry, so protect your clothing

Palette knife (for mixing): Even if you’re not painting with knives, they’re essential for thorough color mixing

Painter’s tape: Creates clean edges and can mask off areas you want to keep paint-free

Gesso: For priming new surfaces or refreshing old canvases

A dedicated workspace: Even a corner of a table, covered with newspaper or a plastic tablecloth, gives you a consistent place to create

Spray Paints and Stenciling

Acrylic spray paints open up urban art techniques and allow you to cover large areas quickly.

Spray paints: Brands like Montana, Liquitex Spray Paint, or Krylon offer acrylic-based sprays in hundreds of colors. Always work in a well-ventilated area or outdoors, and use a respirator mask—not just a dust mask—to protect your lungs.

Stencils: Pre-made stencils or ones you cut yourself from acetate sheets or cardboard let you create crisp, repeatable patterns. Use low-tack painter’s tape to secure them, and apply paint with a sponge, brush, or spray in thin layers to prevent bleeding under edges.

Techniques: Layer stencils for complex images, use spray paint for gradients, or combine hand-painting with stenciled elements for mixed-media effects.

Marker Pens

Acrylic paint markers bridge the gap between painting and drawing, offering precision and portability.

Paint markers (like Posca, Molotow, or Artistro) contain liquid acrylic paint and work on almost any surface—canvas, wood, rocks, fabric, glass, and plastic. They’re perfect for:

Adding fine details to paintings
Lettering and calligraphy
Rock painting and small crafts
Outlining and defining edges
Creating art without brushes or mess

Markers come in various tip sizes from extra fine to broad chisel tips. Shake them well before use and prime them by pressing the tip on scrap paper until paint flows. They dry quickly and permanently, offering coverage that regular markers can’t match.

Pour Painting

Pour painting (also called fluid art or acrylic pouring) has exploded in popularity for creating abstract, marbled effects.

What you need:

Fluid acrylics or regular acrylics thinned with pouring medium
Pouring medium: Floetrol (a paint additive) or dedicated acrylic pouring medium that thins paint to a honey-like consistency while maintaining adhesion
Silicone oil (optional): Creates cells and interesting patterns
Cups for mixing: One for each color
Canvas or panel: Sealed surfaces work best
Something to elevate your canvas: Plastic cups or a wire rack so excess paint can drip off

Basic technique: Mix each paint color with pouring medium to the right consistency (it should flow easily but not be watery). Layer colors in a cup, then flip it onto your canvas or pour in patterns. Tilt the canvas to spread paint, and use a torch or heat gun to pop bubbles and create cells.

Pour painting is messy and uses a lot of paint, so protect your workspace thoroughly with plastic sheeting.

Keeping Surfaces Clean

Acrylic’s fast-drying nature means mistakes become permanent quickly, but there are ways to keep your work and workspace tidy:

On your palette: Scrape wet paint off immediately, or let it dry completely and peel it off plastic palettes. For stay-wet palettes, change the paper when colors get muddy.

On brushes: Rinse constantly while painting. If paint starts to dry in the ferrule (metal part), it will splay bristles and ruin the brush. At the end of each session, wash brushes with soap and warm water, reshape the bristles, and let them dry flat or bristle-up.

On surfaces: If paint gets where you don’t want it while still wet, wipe it immediately with a damp cloth. Once dry, you can carefully scrape it with a blade or paint over it. For porous surfaces, prevention (using tape or careful application) is better than correction.

On clothes and furniture: Act fast. Run cold water through fabric from the back to push paint out, then wash with soap. Once acrylic dries, it’s nearly impossible to remove from fabric.

Varnish

Varnishing is the final step that protects your finished painting and unifies its appearance.

Why varnish?: It creates a protective layer against dust, UV light, and minor scratches. It also evens out the surface sheen—acrylics naturally dry with uneven glossiness where some areas look matte and others shiny.

Types:

Gloss varnish: Enhances color vibrancy and creates a shiny finish
Matte varnish: Reduces glare and creates a flat, non-reflective surface
Satin varnish: A balanced middle ground between gloss and matte

Application: Wait at least two weeks for your painting to cure completely before varnishing. Work in a dust-free environment, apply thin coats with a wide, soft brush in one direction, and let dry completely between coats. Two to three thin coats work better than one thick coat.

Removable vs. permanent: Some varnishes are removable with specific solvents, allowing for future restoration. Permanent varnishes, once applied, become part of the painting. For beginners, permanent varnishes from brands like Liquitex or Golden are easier to apply and sufficient for most needs.

Getting started with acrylics doesn’t require a massive investment. Begin with basic paints, a few good brushes, surfaces to paint on, and the curiosity to experiment. As you discover which techniques excite you—whether that’s traditional brushwork, palette knife painting, pouring, or mixed media—you can gradually add specialized supplies. The beauty of acrylics is their versatility: they’ll grow with you as your skills and artistic voice develop.

Last Chance to Visit NADA Miami 2025: Saturday, December 6

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Editorial

Last Chance to Visit NADA Miami 2025: Saturday, December 6

New York at NADA Miami. Photo credit: Kevin Czopek/BFA.com.

Today is the last day to visit NADA Miami 2025. The fair is open to the public today, Saturday, December 6, from 11–6pm at Ice Palace Studios, located at 1400 North Miami Avenue.

Discover the best of contemporary art from nearly 140 international galleries and art spaces, and join us for a lively series of conversations and performances to conclude ECOLOGIES, presented in partnership with the Knight Foundation.

Purchase Tickets

Franklin Sirmans, Kristina Newman-Scott, Heather Hubbs, Julia Halperin

Heather Hubbs (Executive Director, New Art Dealers Alliance), Kristina Newman-Scott (Vice President of Arts, Knight Foundation), Franklin Sirmans (Sandra and Tony Tamer Director, PAMM), and moderated by Julia Halperin (Editor at Large, CULTURED).
NADA and Knight Foundation present ECOLOGIES at NADA Miami 2025, a series of public programming, performances and private convenings developed in partnership with Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), CULTURED, and Cultural Counsel.

The Art World, City to City

Saturday, December 6
1pm

Join NADA Members Katia Rosenthal (Founder & Director, KDR, Miami), and Aisha Zia Khan (Executive Director, Twelve Gates Arts, Philadelphia), in a discussion about international dynamics, writ local. Moderated by Burnaway’s Brandon Sheats.

Saturday, December 6
2–6pm

Join us in the courtyard garden for a two-day musical journey hosted by Miami’s electronic music pioneers Omar Clemetson (Metatronix) and Romulo Del Castillo (Schematic Records), where they play the sounds of the past that inspired the present. Expect special guests and unreleased music from Miami’s innovators.

In Residence: Miami

Saturday, December 6
3pm

As creative incubators and cultural embassies, artist residencies have a unique position within any community. Nowhere is this more true than in Miami, a city defined by its international influence, and homegrown arts ecosystem.

Featuring Nicole Martinez (Deputy Director of Fountainhead Arts), John Abodeely (CEO, Oolite Arts), Cathy Leff (Executive Director, Bakehouse Art Complex), and moderated by Jillian Mayer (Founder, CityState Enterprises).

NADA Miami in the News

In Miami, the Best Art at NADA, The Wall Street Journal
Pérez Art Museum Made Three NADA Acquisitions, and Other News, Surface Magazine
Hyperrealism Meets Queer Futurism at NADA Miami, Hyperallergic
What Downturn? At NADA Miami, Dealers Report Strong Early Sales, Artnet News
Nightlife scenes and local lore abound at Nada Miami’s busy opening, The Art Newspaper
Miami Art Week’s Most Exciting Talk Series, ECOLOGIES, Gets Ushered In With Tapas and Tequila, CULTURED
The Best Booths at NADA Miami 2025, From a ‘Nacho Calder’ to The Game of Life, ARTnews
NADA is where the day begins and the market still hums, Observer
Steady Sales and Strong Work Fuel Emerging and Mid-Tier Market Rebound, Artnet News

Bruce Weber Celebrates My Education (TASCHEN) and Chet Baker’s Swimming by Moonlight

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Editorial

Bruce Weber Celebrates My Education (TASCHEN) and Chet Baker’s Swimming by Moonlight with an Intimate Miami Art Week Cocktail at The Moore Miami in Miami’s Design District

Bruce Weber, Nan Bush, Craig Robins, and Benedikt Taschen raise a toast to the photographer’s celebrated monograph and the debut of Swimming by Moonlight, a newly discovered Chet Baker album.

MIAMI, FL — (December 4, 2025) On Tuesday evening, acclaimed photographer and filmmaker Bruce Weber welcomed friends, collaborators, and cultural figures for an intimate cocktail celebration at The Moore Miami in the heart of the Miami Design District during Miami Art Week. Hosted by Weber, Nan Bush, Craig Robins, and Benedikt Taschen, the gathering marked two major moments: the release of My Education (TASCHEN), Weber’s sweeping, career-spanning monograph, and Swimming by Moonlight, a newly uncovered Chet Baker album assembled from the original Let’s Get Lost recording sessions.

Guests filled the landmark space for an exclusive, vibrant evening that reflected Weber’s lasting
imprint on contemporary culture. Artists, gallerists, designers, filmmakers, models, and community leaders came together to honor the depth and emotional resonance of Weber’s work—an influence defined as much by its tenderness, generosity, and humanism as by its unmistakable visual language. Conversations throughout the night touched on Weber’s decades-long collaborations, the rediscovery of Baker’s recordings, and the continued relevance of both artists’ contributions to photography, cinema, and music.
Notable guests included: Bruce Weber, Nan Bush, Craig Robins, Benedikt Taschen, Tyson Beckford, Martina Navratilova, Julia Lemigova, Brady Wood, Bernie Yuman, Grimanesa Amoros, Elias Becker, and Kunichi Nomura.

ABOUT MY EDUCATION

My Education presents a wide-ranging view of Bruce Weber’s photographic evolution, spanning fashion, portraiture, reportage, and more personal work. With more than 500 images, this volume showcases the full artistic range of Bruce Weber, featuring iconic fashion shoots and his vibrant portraits of famous personalities as well as previously unpublished and lesser known photographs. Anecdotes from the photographer provide insights into the stories and people behind his most famous works.

ABOUT SWIMMING BY MOONLIGHT

Swimming by Moonlight is is a new Chet Baker album that draws from previously unreleased
material recorded near the end of his life. From 1986-1987, Chet traveled and worked with the photographer and filmmaker Bruce Weber on a project that would become their Oscar-nominated documentary “Let’s Get Lost” (1988). During this period, Chet performed at the Cannes Film Festival and recorded sessions at Studio Davout in Paris and Sage and Sound Studio in Hollywood. All remained unreleased until now.

ABOUT THE MOORE MIAMI

Located in the heart of Miami’s Design District, The Moore Miami encompasses a private members club, restaurant, a boutique hotel, executive offices and an art hub. Occupying a nearly 90,000-square-foot space, each floor of The Moore Miami is dedicated to offering visitors unique, exciting social and cultural experiences. From Zaha Hadid’s Elastika, the site-specific commission created by the late artist and architect for the inaugural Design Miami/ in 2005, on the ground floor to the fourth-floor gallery space, the entire building is a living work of art. The Moore Miami also offers year-round members-only and public programming. Learn more about becoming a member here.

ABOUT MIAMI DESIGN DISTRICT

The Miami Design District is a one-of-a-kind neighborhood that combines luxury shopping, galleries, museums, design stores, restaurants, and major art and design installations all within an architecturally significant context. The Miami Design District is owned and operated by Miami Design District Associates, a partnership between Dacra, founded and owned by visionary entrepreneur Craig Robins, and L Catterton Real Estate, a global real estate development and investment fund, specializing in creating luxury shopping destinations. As Miami becomes increasingly known for its own rich culture, the growth of the Miami Design District further reflects how the city is deserving of its place on the global stage.

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ICON ARTIST ART BASEL AWARD

Icon Artists Who Redefined the Boundaries of Contemporary Art

Joan Jonas

Adrian Piper

Betye Saar

Cecilia Vicuña

DAVID HAMMONS

Lubaina Himid

ESTABLISHED ARTIST ART BASEL AWARD

Cao Fei

Delcy Morelos

Ho Tzu Nyen

Ibrahim Mahama

Nairy Baghramian

Tony Cokes

ART BASEL AWARD CATEGORIES A new model of recognition

EMERGING ARTIST

Lydia Ourahmane

Meriem Bennani

Mohammad Alfaraj

Pan Daijing

Saodat Ismailova

Sofia Salazar Rosales

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Art Basel Miami Beach Closes Year on a High Note with Strong Sales, Expansive International Engagement, and Vibrant Programming in a Standout Edition

A Guide to Acrylic Painting

What is Acrylic Paint?

What Do I Need to Start Painting in Acrylics?

What’s The Difference Between Professional, Artist, and Student Grade Acrylic Paint?

What Are The Different Types of Acrylic Paint Available?

Adding Mediums to Acrylic Paint

Brushes for Acrylic Painting

Palette Knives

Acrylic Primer and Acrylic Gesso

What Is The Best Surface for Acrylic Painting?

Making Your Own Canvas

Palettes for Acrylic Painting

Useful Tools for Acrylic Painting

Varnishes for Acrylic

Frequently Asked Questions

Further Reading

Glossary

Understanding Paint Brushes: A Complete Guide to Shapes, Bristles, and Applications

The Foundation: How Brush Anatomy Determines Function

Exploring Brush Shapes and Their Specialized Uses

Bristle Materials: Matching Fiber to Paint Type

Practical Considerations: Selecting the Right Brush for Your Project

Caring for Your Brushes: Maintenance for Longevity

Acrylic Painting Techniques for Beginners – What You Need to KNOW & What Supplies to Get Started

There are so Many Kinds of Acrylic Paint

Essentials for Acrylic Painting with a Brush or Palette Knife

Paint

Brushes

Palette

Water Pot or Brush Washer