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 artist have worked with assistants including Barbara Hepworth [6] and David Hockney [7]
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] One of the most famous is Salaì who was assistant and pupil of Leonardo da Vinci.
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. [11] David Hockney described Damian Hirst's use of assistants as, "It's a little insulting to craftsmen, skilful craftsmen." [12] This was in response to Hirst's use of assistants to paint his spot paintings. [13] 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.” [14]
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 [15]