Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Art Business

Abstract

Since Marc Jacobs’ introduction to Louis Vuitton in 1997 and experimentation with artist collaboration, art and luxury collaboration has boomed. Over the years, customer demands have shifted in the wake of postmodern consumer culture, and brands must keep up with them to maintain their competitive advantage. The nature of collaborations has therefore shifted their focus to include experiences as well as products. Different collaboration types have a unique impact on both the brand and the artists involved. This research explores the impact of product versus experience-based collaboration on the cultural visibility of the artists involved through press coverage analysis. This research analyses the press coverage of Yayoi Kusama’s 2012 and 2023 collaboration with Louis Vuitton and Damien Hirst’s 2013 collaboration with Prada. It examines the framing of artists in press coverage and how collaboration type impacts this across a range of publications. The study found that the successful platforming of artists through collaborations was reliant more on the communication of brand and artist overlaps than whether the collaboration was product or experience focused.

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