Earlier this month I was contacted by a PR firm representing Art Whirled, a published art collective bringing a massive collection of iconic, published pop culture artwork from the past several decades to the market for the very first time. The collection is heavily rooted in TCG original artwork, artist proofs, sketches and prints but expands outward to artwork from video games, board games, movies, pinball and more. I’ve only seen but a fraction as the site continues to be built out, and I was able to talk to a representative from Art Whirled to learn more about who they are, what they do, and what that means for all of us.
Street Fighter II Cover Painting by Mick McGinty
The Collective
Donny Caltrider: What is Art Whirled?
Art Whirled: A whirlwind of published art! A vortex of vintage nostalgia! Inspired by the insights of Professor Marshall McLuhan, Art Whirled has built the largest available inventory of published original art and collectibles in the world that is now being offered to the public for the first time. Featuring iconic, published cultural artifacts from the early 1990’s to the present, the collection was established from the McLuhan notion that the value of a work of art is directly proportional to the number of physical impressions in print that exist of that given work. Art Whirled offers art and collectibles from a wide range of parallel markets, including TCG Games, Video Games, Board Games, Pinball, and much more. From original 1 of 1 published paintings to limited edition prints, preliminary sketches to artist proofs, we offer something unique and exciting for everyone.
Brainstorm by Christopher Rush
DC: What does it mean to be a ‘Published Art Collective’?
AW: Published Art Collective is an offering of available inventory from both Art Whirled’s inventory,as well as offerings from the community at large as items are placed on consignment in the collective. In addition, there will be an established community of members who participate in the collective experience. This membership and customer login is coming in the next phase of the website launch. We are now actively accepting consignments for anyone whose interested leveraging our platform for a successful and expertly handled sales experience. Stay tuned for more on the next phase of our exciting new project.
The Collection
DC: There are quite a few categories here, from original TCG art to Movies and TV. Can you speak to how the collection was built, and over how long?
AW: The collection has been built from 2011-2026 through an understanding of the foundations of Marshall McLuhan’s media studies and communication theories. Understanding media has led to Art Whirled’s vision for this collection. I could elaborate on this in depth, but I’m not sure how much more you want to know. Like Plato or Aristotle, one could spend a lifetime studying the media philosophies of Marshall McLuhan. Art Whirled has studied McLuhan for over 25 years.
Aladdin Final Cover Painting (Sega Genesis) by Greg Martin
DC: It appears as if the lion’s share falls within Magic: The Gathering; is that/will that be a feature of the Collective?
AW: Magic the Gathering has certainly been the primary focus of the collection, However, although volume-wise other categories may be less, the cultural significance of items from parallel markets (for example Video Game original art) is arguably greater due to the more widespread printed distribution of the images.
Sonic the Hedge Cover by Greg Martin
DC: What would you consider the crown jewel of the collection?
AW: This is a tough question because there are so many significant pieces. However, I would consider these to be the top 7 (which you can see throughout this article):
Street Fighter II Championship Edition Cover Painting by Mick McGinty
Street Fighter II Cover Painting (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)
Street Fighter II Championship Edition Cover Painting (Sega Genesis)
Street Fighter II Turbo Cover Painting (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)
Sonic The Hedgehog 1 Cover Painting (Sega Game Gear)
Time Walk Original Art Alpha Set (Magic the Gathering)
Wheel of Fortune Original Art Alpha Set (Magic the Gathering)
Wrath of God Original Art Alpha Set (Magic the Gathering)
Time Walk by Amy Weber
DC: What’s online is largely ‘vintage’ and nostalgic. Is the collection/collective still growing, and are new works still to be acquired?
AW: Yes. New works are constantly being added to keep our inventory fresh. Notable recent additions include Morphling Original Art by RK Post from the Urza’s Saga set (Magic The Gathering), Pokemon Battledome Original Sketches by Roger Andrews, Burgertime Pinball Art, and much more! There will soon be a “Recent Additions” section added to the website home page. Stay tuned!
Wrath of God by Quinton Hoover
Coming Soon
DC: As folks find the site, what things will be available to see, and will it all be for sale?
AW: The entire collection is available for private viewing upon request for serious buyers, and everything in the collection is now available for sale.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Final Cover by Greg Martin
DC: What’s next for Art Whiled, both online and in-person? Are there any future plans?
AW: The website will continue to be developed. Art Whirled is the most knowledgeable team in the world about Magic: The Gathering artist proofs, and also has the world’s largest collection of high-end Magic: The Gathering artist proofs. We are working hard to bring tens of thousands of artist proofs to the site.
Wheel of Fortune by Daniel Gelon
DC: How can folks find out more, and where can they find you online?
AW: The website is www.artwhirled.com and we will be launching our socials by the end of the month, everywhere @artwhirledllc
X (formerly Twitter) x.com/artwhirledllc
Street Fighter II Turbo Cover Painting by Mick McGinty
DC: Anything else you’d like to share before we sign off for today?
AW: Please reach out to our team to inquire about any item in our massive inventory, follow us on socials, and browse our new website! www.artwhirled.com We look forward to hearing from you. To contact us, please email our sales team and/or admin team at sales@artwhirled.com and/or admin@artwhirled.com
Wrapping Up
It sounds like there are some truly exciting things on the horizon for Art Whirled. The site already boasts an impressive collection of art from all corners of pop culture, but if plans are to continue to add more (the mention of 10,000 artist proofs was not lost on me, keep your eyes peeled for an Update article on that), it could develop into a serious hub for all things surrounding this genre and subniche of popular culture art and artifacts. Check it out, thanks for reading, and see you next time!
Donny Caltrider (he/him) has been writing about Magic: The Gathering art since 2018. He has an M.A. in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University, and works in varying capacities as an agent with nearly 50 Magic artists.
He likes baseball, Magic, good cards, great art, whiskey, and you.