News – Sonic To become Fine Art Collection
Whoever says games can’t be art certainly hasn’t heard Sega’s latest announcement. That’s because as part of the ongoing celebrations for Sonic’s 25th Anniversary, Sega Europe have now announced that all things Sonic will also be turned into a collection of fine art. A collection that will then go on display at the Castle Fine Art gallery on South Molton Street in London.
This all comes thanks to fine art publisher Washington Green, who have been commissioned by Sega Europe to create a range of original pieces of art. These will include to name but a few, paintings, mixed media, and even sculptures, all in honour of everyone’s favourite blue hedgehog. What’s more, a selection of these will also be reproduced and signed by none other than Naoto Oshima, before going on sale to members of the British public across Washington Green’s 34 Castle Fine Art galleries.
On making this announcement Director of Brand Licensing at Sega Europe Jason Rice had the following to say:
Our goal when it came to Sonic’s 25th Anniversary was to celebrate, but also mark the occasion with a series of initiatives which take a unique view on what is one of the world’s most iconic video game characters.
The Sonic licensing program is already well known for its art program but we wanted to really push the boundaries with this project. With Washington Green we have been able to create a one-of-a-kind collection for the franchise. They have given us access to some of contemporary art’s most celebrated artists not to mention a number of new up and coming talents. The result is a collection of truly stunning and innovative works from some of the finest painters and sculptors around today.
These comments were then only complimented by Glen Washington, the Founder at Director over at Washington Green Fine Art.
SEGA has had a huge impact on popular culture and no doubt, many of the artists producing work for this celebratory art collection grew up playing Sonic the Hedgehog themselves. This collection will appeal to both art collectors and SEGA enthusiasts alike with each artist involved interpreting the gaming icon in their own style – showing a side of Sonic that fans won’t have seen before!
Currently this art is all still in development. As such, anyone who wants to either see the gallery for themselves, or get their hands on one of those limited edition signed pieces of anniversary art, will sadly have to wait until December 1st. As this is when the collection will first be displayed as part of a VIP launch.
All in all, it’s nice to see one of the most famous icons in gaming being given the respect he deserves. In fact, it’s nice to see gaming in general being treated in such a way, and only goes to prove its mainstream merits. Finally though, it’s nice to see that Sega are far from done with celebrating Sonic’s 25th Anniversary, and along with Sonic Mania, retro fans now have just one more thing to look forward to.