A signature is more than a name

It’s the moment the artist says: I made this. I stand behind this.

A signature is the act of ownership. It separates a finished work from an unfinished one.

Historically, artists didn’t always sign their work. Many medieval painters remained anonymous, their craft offered to the church or community rather than to personal legacy. The shift toward signing – popularized during the Renaissance – marked something profound: the rise of the individual artist as author.

Today the signature on a work of art holds importance in many ways:

-Provenance: tracing it back to a hand

-Value: a Picasso without verification is just a canvas

-Intimacy: for collectors, that small mark creates a personal connection to the creator

But a signature is also an act of courage. It’s easy to make something and to keep it anonymous. Signing means accepting the work as it is. Perfect or imperfect. Releasing it into the world.