License notices

We take artists' rights very seriously and sign a licensing agreement whenever possible. Our brand is supported by museums and artists, as well as established companies such as Brandalised, allowing us to use their artwork, paint and photography in our products on an ongoing basis.

Here you can learn more about the process of signing licensing agreements with some of them:

Leonardo da Vinci

The first contract we signed was with the Accademia dell'Arte in Venice for Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. Before we started this project, we never imagined that it would be necessary to sign a licensing agreement for an artist who died so many years ago. But we take the matter seriously, have researched and found out that you need a contract. MuseARTa is proud to have an exclusive worldwide contract to reproduce this work of art on socks.

Tamara de Lempicka

What a great woman! Tamara de Lempicka was THE face of the Art Deco era and a true global citizen. Born and raised in Warsaw, vacationing in Lausanne since her youth, first contact with painting in Florence, a husband from St. Petersburg, with whom she lived there until the October Revolution, then moving to Copenhagen, from there to Paris, where she continued her studies and began working as a painter. She quickly became famous, divorced, married her second husband from Hungary and moved to Los Angeles to escape the Nazis. From there she moved to New York and later to Mexico. Her art rights are still in the family and are managed by her great-granddaughter. We are of course very happy about the opportunity to work with the direct descendant of such an important woman and artist who inspired so many people.

René Magritte

We are also very pleased to have signed a licensing agreement for the artworks of René Magritte, the Belgian master of surrealism. Magritte decided early on to paint objects with only their most striking details. It was interesting for us to learn that he was friends with Salvador Dalí, for whom we also signed a license, as well as other important artists of the time such as André Breton, Max Ernst, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso. Today Magritte is the most famous artist in Belgium and is exhibited in famous museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Modern Museum of Art and the Center Georges-Pompidou. It is a great honor for us to be able to work for this artist who had such a great influence on the development of Pop Art, Minimalist and Conceptual Art.

Salvador Dalí

We are proud to have completed our first Salvador Dalí socks. It was difficult to get in touch with the decision-makers of Fundación Gala and Salvador Dalí and make them understand that it is possible to realize Salvador Dalí's fantastic work of art without the cheap printing technique, but through the much more complicated knitting technique. We prefer knitting because the colors are much brighter and last longer. Many factories told us this was impossible, but that only challenged us to work even harder. When the Fundación Gala team and Salvador Dalí saw what we were capable of, they were convinced that we were the right partners. It's an honor to work for such an amazing artist.

Vincent van Gogh

Who would have thought that you could also sign a licensing agreement for Vincent van Gogh, an artist who died so many years ago? Although Van Gogh's works of art are in the "public domain", we have signed a contract with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and are therefore allowed to display the museum's logo on our products. Of course, all of our designs are also checked and approved by the museum. This is a guarantee that we are very close to the original motif with our products, as our products are approved by museum professionals, and it also helps the museum to generate income, which is much needed for the museum's operation. By purchasing these products you support the "Van Gogh Museum".

Brandalised

This was probably the most complicated undertaking we had undertaken to date. Who wouldn't want a licensing agreement for works of art by street artist Banksy? Banksy is a spray artist who lives in anonymity, who packs political messages into street art and always amazes his viewers and also provokes them with his art. Unfortunately, Banksy is not willing to sign licensing agreements and at one point postulated that licensing agreements are for losers. An English postcard company has protected photos of works of art by the artist Banksy and produced postcards with these motifs. Banksy took legal action, but lost in the final instance because he was unwilling to reveal his identity. We have the official license agreement with the company Full Color Black for some photos showing the art of the world's most famous street artist, Banksy.

Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist who still touches the hearts of many fans with her folksy take on surrealism. Obtaining a license agreement for Frida Kahlo's works of art was not easy, as the legal situation between the heirs was fought out in court for a long time.

Botticelli

Yes, we never thought that a work of art created more than 500 years ago would require a licensing agreement, but Italian law says so. Artworks located in state museums that are reproduced for commercial purposes may be licensed by the respective museums so that the museum can generate income that contributes to the maintenance of the museum. We are pleased to be able to contribute to this and are proud to have signed a licensing agreement for the artwork "The Birth of Venus" with the world-famous Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Raphael

What applies to Botticelli or Leonardo da Vinci also applies to Raphael. That's why we signed a contract with the Uffizi for Raphael's self-portrait. By the way: Raphael is sometimes spelled Raffael, sometimes Raphael, sometimes Rafael. He himself changed the spelling of his name in his paintings. We asked the museum how we should write it. His full name is actually "Raffael Sanzio da Urbino". This used to be the norm because if there was more than one Raphael somewhere, it was clearer to say where that Raphael came from so you could tell them apart. Only later was the name shortened to "Raphael" because there is only one Raphael who has become world famous.