To be an artist is to believe in life—

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. Art is not what you see but what you make others see. Art is never finished, only abandoned.”

Our business has grown tremendously since 2020, when the pandemic began. Everyone was at home, and everyone wanted to redecorate. We are grateful for the opportunity to be able to work when other businesses were locked down.

I began selling the prints on my old dutch bicycle at flea markets in Berlin. I am now writing this introductory letter from a 220m² factory where we produce thousands of monthly orders. Since starting the business in 2018, we have printed over 100,000 posters and shipped them worldwide. What an adventure!

As an artist (photographer), I realized that our business model was built on the millions of public domain images available online in old books, libraries, and public archives. I appreciated the opportunity to promote such great art while also making so many clients happy.

However, I felt we should celebrate not just the dead artists but the living ones too. That’s where our concept of Support Living Artists originated. It’s time to give back.

After a few years of “improvising” our graphic design, we hired Nico Tracey as a fulltime graphic designer. Maryna and I were impressed with her resumé and her cover letter. However, what was most impressive was observing her in action. Very focused with a strong work ethic, Nico edited thousands of images for us. (including the rest of the things done).

If Nico Tracey had not joined our team, we would not be considered one of Europe’s leading wall art companies. We are very grateful for her numerous contributions and look forward to many more years of collaboration with her and the other artists. This issue is dedicated to her.

— João Paulo Freire Paglione, Founder