20x200 and West Elm Launch Art Collaboration

NEW YORK, NY and BROOKLYN, NY--(Marketwire - Aug 10, 2011) - To inspire everyone to live with art, the pioneering art e-commerce site 20x200 and modern home furnishings retailer West Elm today announced a new design collaboration. The partnership includes a 20x200 for West Elm collection of 10 ready-to-hang pieces by some of West Elm's favorite 20x200 artists, plus a line of gallery frames designed to fit and complement the limited-edition prints offered on 20x200. Beginning this month, art, design and home décor enthusiasts can find the collection of art and frames online at westelm.com, in catalogs and West Elm stores (August 22) across the country.

"We're excited about 20x200's partnership with West Elm because it brings great things to both our artists and our collectors," said Jen Bekman, art dealer, curator and founder of 20x200. "As a result of this collaboration, our artists gain exposure to West Elm's art-loving audience and our discerning collectors will find the 20x200 gallery frames at West Elm to be a thoughtfully-designed, DIY solution for framing the art they've purchased on our site."

"Art is such a personal purchase and truly completes a home, but it can be an intimidating investment," said Jim Brett, president of West Elm. "Through our collaboration with 20x200, we want to encourage our customers to explore different styles, mediums and artists from around the world, and to follow only one rule when buying art: If you love it, it's going to look great in your home."

The 20x200 collection for West Elm
Mutual belief in the democratic idea of art for everyone brought 20x200 and West Elm together to create 20x200 gallery frames and a series of ready-to-hang prints. West Elm's 20x200 frames feature quality construction and a deep and sleek profile that is typically only found in custom framing. The frames, starting at $19, also feature a distinctive pocket on the back to protect the artist-signed and numbered certificate of authenticity and artist's bio and statement that come with every 20x200 limited-edition print.

Starting at $59, the 10 20x200 for West Elm ready-to-hang pieces feature the works of five diverse celebrated 20x200 artists:

• Jennifer Sanchez's NY.10#26 and NY.10#28 (16" x 20") works use a variety of layered circles, swirls, geometric patterns and improvised touches.
• Bert Teunissen's ATLANTA 15A (30" x 40") and ATLANTA 22A (20" x 24") are from his series of roads and runways depicted in graphic black and white.
• Joe Kievitt's kaleidoscopes of pattern, shape and color are shown in UPSTAIRS (16" x 20")
• Sean Greene seeks and finds inspiration in skateboarding, as depicted in TYPOGRAPH 5 (30" x 40").
• Carol Padberg's works use pieces of rearranged language to create "visual improvisations." They include WEAVE (24" x 30"); GLYPH (24" x 30"); SPOT (16" x 20"); and SMILE (24" x 20").

"The Art of Living" design class at West Elm
The West Elm and 20x200 collaboration will be the centerpiece of West Elm's Fall Design Class, to be held in all West Elm stores nationwide on Saturday, August 27 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Titled "Living With Art and The Art Of Living," the class will provide West Elm customers an introduction to collecting and living with art and cultivating a deeper appreciation for art in their homes and everyday surroundings. Customers should contact their local store for more details, and to reserve a spot in the class. 20x200's founder and curator Jen Bekman will present the design class in New York at the West Elm store at Broadway and 62^nd Street. Topics covered will include: engaging with and learning about art in NYC and on the Web; displaying art in your home; and becoming an art collector.

About 20x200
With new limited-edition art prints introduced every week, 20x200 is the place to discover and buy art online. The site was launched in 2007 by gallery owner, curator, writer and entrepreneur Jen Bekman with this simple formula: (limited editions x low prices) + the internet = art for everyone. 20x200 features a curated selection of affordable art online, enabling and encouraging a broader audience to buy art, become collectors and support artists. While the site's signature art prints are 8x10s sold for $20 in an edition of 200, larger works are available at prices from $50 and $200 to $10,000. Every print is exhibition quality and is accompanied by an artist-signed and numbered certificate of authenticity. 20x200 works directly with more than 200 artists -- emerging, established and legendary -- giving each the incredible opportunity to share their work with the widest range of potential collectors. New artists and limited editions are announced every week. Newsletter subscribers get first access to the often fast-selling new releases and the curator's story behind the work and the artist. For more information, please visit 20x200.com.

About West Elm
West Elm designs clean, simple, affordable products for modern living. Headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, the brand introduced its first catalog in April 2002 and opened the doors of its first retail location in 2003. The brand's complete collection of modern furniture and room décor, including, modern dinnerware, wall shelves, and modern bedding is available in 35 retail stores and around-the-clock at www.westelm.com. West Elm is a member of the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. portfolio of brands.