Cook & Becker is a Dutch online art dealership specializing in digital art, videogame art and concept art. Founded in 2011, the company is known for its fine art prints and art books of popular videogames like Journey, Mass Effect, The Last of Us and Ōkami.[1][2][3][4]

Cook & Becker
Company typePrivate
IndustryVideo games
Founded2011
Founders
  • Maarten Brands
  • Ruben Brands
Headquarters,
Key people
  • Maarten Brands
  • Ruben Brands
Websitecandb.com

Overview edit

Cook & Becker was founded in 2011 by brothers Maarten and Ruben Brands, with the intention of creating a more prominent position in the contemporary art world for the artists in the games industry that shape a big part of contemporary visual culture.[5] It has since acquired the rights to produce prints for many popular video games, including The Witcher, Mass Effect, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, The Last of Us, Ōkami, Destiny, Bioshock: Infinite, Battlefield and Dark Souls.

In October 2011, Cook & Becker organized its first exhibit at Art.Fair/Blooom!, a contemporary art fair in Cologne, Germany.[5][6]

In November 2014, Cook & Becker co-organized the New Horizons exhibition at the Fries Museum's second Next Gen Art Event in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. This exhibition featured the work of various videogame studios, including a touring collection of Naughty Dog artworks spanning 30 years of game development.[7]

In 2015, Cook & Becker released a line of prints based on SEGA retro games with all new artwork by notable artists.[8][9] 2015 Also saw the launch of their first art book, Killzone Visual Design, based on the Killzone series by developer Guerrilla Games. This release was followed in 2016 by the art book 120 Years of Vlambeer & Friends. Bringing back arcade since 1896, about indie game studio Vlambeer.[10][11] An official Sonic the Hedgehog art book, Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book, which chronicles the series' origin and evolution, was released in April 2017.[12][13]

Videogame art books edit

  • Killzone Visual Design (hc, 208 pages, 2015, ISBN 978-90-824576-0-5)
  • 120 Years of Vlambeer and Friends. Bringing back arcade games since 1896 (pb, 176 pages, 2016, ISBN 978-90-824576-3-6)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book (hc, 248 pages, 2017, ISBN 978-90-824576-5-0)
  • The Art & Design of FINAL FANTASY XV (hc, 220 pages, 2017, ISBN 978-90-824576-6-7)

References edit

  1. ^ Friday events round-up: art, pub networking, major gaming expos!. The Guardian (28 June 2013). Retrieved on 2017-01-26.
  2. ^ This art dealer wants to hang an indie game on your wall. Engadget (30 January 2015). Retrieved on 2017-01-06.
  3. ^ Where to buy great videogame artwork. Kotaku (11 March 2015). Retrieved on 2017-01-06.
  4. ^ Hängen Sie Ihre Games doch mal an die Wand!. Bild (4 November 2015). Retrieved on 2017-01-26.
  5. ^ a b Chalk, Andy (17 January 2012) Suitable for Framing. Escapist Magazine. Retrieved on 2017-01-23.
  6. ^ Cook & Becker Exhibits at 2011 Art.Fair/Blooom![permanent dead link]. Candb.com. (15 November 2011). Retrieved on 2017-01-29.
  7. ^ Valentine, Robin. (12 January 2015) Next Gen Art Event: Putting games in galleries. Gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved on 2017-01-06.
  8. ^ Your favorite Sega games have been turned into wonderful works of art. The Verge (14 May 2015). Retrieved on 2017-01-18.
  9. ^ This Jet Set Radio print is unreal. Destructoid (15 May 2015). Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  10. ^ Indie developer Vlambeer plans art book to celebrate six years making games. Polygon (9 August 2016). Retrieved on 2017-01-26.
  11. ^ Vlambeer viert jubileum met boek. De Telegraaf (11 August 2016). Retrieved on 2017-01-28.
  12. ^ Sonic The Hedgehog's Fancy Coffee Table Art Book. Kotaku (6 December 2016). Retrieved on 2017-01-18.
  13. ^ Relive your gaming youth with these nostalgic images from Sonic the Hedgehog's anniversary book. Wired UK (no date). Retrieved on 2017-01-26.

External links edit