The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has announced a collaboration with digital art platform Artchild and artist Honor Titus to bring fan-customizable digital and physical tennis posters to the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals. This partnership, called POSTER, will provide fans with the opportunity to personalize their own versions of the official Nitto ATP Finals poster on Artchild’s digital platform using color palettes curated by various artists.
The physical posters will be printed and distributed to buyers along with an NFT collectible duplicate minted on the Polygon, an Ethereum scaling network. Moreover, the singles competitors in the Nitto ATP Finals will create their own unique variations of the posters, which will be auctioned for charity. The funds raised from the auction will contribute to an environmental project advocating for the development of green spaces in Turin, the host city of the tournament.
Continuing the Tradition of Iconic Sporting Posters
In a press release, the ATP stated that the collaboration between the organization, Honor Titus, and Artchild aims to carry on the longstanding tradition of iconic sporting posters that have been collected by fans for generations. Honor Titus, an artist based in Los Angeles, has been selected to design the official poster for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will pay tribute to the season-ending tournament scheduled to take place from November 12 to 19.
Titus, renowned for his surreal and expressive iconography, particularly in his tennis-focused paintings, shared his inspiration for tennis in the press release. He stated, “Tennis is so rich with history and elegant nuance that it makes for an excellent subject for the artist. The lines between intensity, order, and insanity are as thick as the service line.”
This collaboration between ATP, Titus, and Artchild represents an innovative approach to reimagine one of the most cherished collectibles in tennis culture: the tournament poster. Mark Epps, ATP’s Director of Communications and Web3, highlighted the objective of POSTERS, which is to connect fans with significant moments in the world of tennis. Epps mentioned, “We were inspired by the idea of a creative experience that gives everyone a chance to be part of the story.”
Exhibition and Purchase Details
A selection of fan-created poster designs will be showcased at the Pala Alpitour arena during the Nitto ATP Finals. The exclusive poster designed by Honor Titus will only be available for purchase during the 2023 Finals and will be priced at $50, inclusive of shipping for both the NFT and physical print versions. Fans can purchase the poster online or at the Nitto ATP Finals fan village.
It’s important to note that POSTERS is not ATP’s first foray into the world of NFTs. In November of last year, the association partnered with generative art platform Art Blocks and artist Martin Grasser to introduce the “Love” digital art series. This collection drew inspiration from match data from the 2022 Finals. Owners of the “Love” NFT pieces from that collection will have the opportunity to receive one of the 2023 customizable posters at no cost.
Furthermore, earlier this year in July, British tennis player Andy Murray, Wimbledon tennis tournament, and digital artist Refik Anadol collaborated to launch an official Wimbledon NFT on the Ethereum blockchain.
