The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has unveiled a partnership with digital art platform Artchild and artist Honor Titus to introduce fan-customizable digital and physical tennis posters during the upcoming 2023 Nitto ATP Finals.
The partnership, titled POSTER, will allow fans to customize their own versions of the official Nitto ATP Finals poster on Artchild’s digital platform with color palettes curated by various artists. The physical posters will then be printed out and distributed to purchasers alongside an NFT collectible duplicate minted on Polygon, an Ethereum scaling network.
Additionally, singles competitors in the Nitto ATP Finals will craft their own distinctive poster variations to be auctioned for charity at the event. The funds raised will contribute to an environmental project that advocates for the development of green spaces in Turin, the tournament’s host city.
In a press release, the ATP said the collaboration between itself, Titus and Artchild seeks to continue a “longstanding tradition of iconic sporting posters, collected by fans across generations.”
Los Angeles-based artist Honor Titus has been chosen to design the official poster, which will commemorate the season-ending tournament scheduled to run between November 12 and 19.
Titus, known for the surreal and expressive iconography in his often tennis-focused paintings, said in the release that tennis has been a deep source of inspiration for him.
“It [tennis] is so very rich with history and elegant nuance that it makes for an excellent subject for the artist,” Titus said in the release. “The lines between intensity, order and insanity are as thick as the service line.”
Mark Epps, ATP’s Director of Communications and Web3, said that POSTERS was inspired by ATP’s desire to “reimagine one of the most iconic collectibles in tennis culture: the tournament poster.”
“POSTERS is all about connecting fans with major moments in tennis,” Epps said in the release. “We were inspired by the idea of a creative experience that gives everyone a chance to be part of the story.”
A selection of fan-created poster designs will be showcased at the Pala Alpitour arena during the tournament. The exclusive poster designed by Titus will be offered solely during the 2023 Finals and will be priced at $50, inclusive of shipping for both the NFT and physical print versions. It can be purchased online and at the Nitto ATP Finals fan village.
POSTERS isn’t ATP’s first NFT venture. Last November, the association joined forces with generative art platform Art Blocks, in conjunction with artist Martin Grasser, to introduce the “Love” digital art series, which drew inspiration from match data from the 2022 Finals. Owners of the “Love” NFT pieces from that collection are eligible to receive one of the 2023 customizable posters at no cost. In July of this year, British tennis player Andy Murray, tennis tournament giant Wimbledon, and digital artist Refik Anadol jointly launched an official Wimbledon NFT on Ethereum.
