Artists assistants work with, and often under direct instruction from, artists in the production or preparation of art works. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Many famous and influential artists have worked with assistants, including Barbara Hepworth, [6] David Hockney, [7] and Andy Warhol.
While the names of many artists' assistants are never known, [ citation needed ] some artists assistants have become famous in their own right either as artists [8] [9] or for their role as assistants. [10] Italian artist Salaì was an assistant and pupil of the Italian Renaissance painter Leonardo da Vinci. American filmmaker and poet Gerard Malanga, [11] and artists Ronnie Cutrone and Rupert Jasen Smith were assistants of American pop artist Andy Warhol. [12] [13]
The use of artists' assistants has been a controversial issue. The controversy primarily focuses on the assistants not being acknowledged for their work and questions of what constitutes art. [14] Pop artist David Hockney described Damian Hirst's use of assistants as, "It's a little insulting to craftsmen, skilful craftsmen." [15] This was in response to Hirst's use of assistants to paint his spot paintings. [16]
Warhol often used assistants to help with his silkscreen paintings at his studio, called the Factory. Warhol was asked why he used a mechanical device to reproduce designs. [17] "I tried doing them by hand," he admitted, "but I find it easier to use a screen. This way, I don't have to work on my objects at all. One of my assistants or anyone else, for that matter, can reproduce the design as well as I could." [17]
The contemporary artist Jeff Koons uses assistants in a similar way, "I'm basically the idea person," he told an interviewer, "I'm not physically involved in the production. I don't have the necessary abilities, so I go to the top people.” [18]
There have also been exhibitions about the relationship between artist and assistant such as that at the New York gallery Luxembourg & Dayan which hosted ‘In the Making: Artists, Assistants, and Influence’ – a show tracing the link between artists and their (eventually famous) assistants in 2016 [19]