Last week, American Express released its two newest U.S. consumer Platinum cards and they are truly works of art. We can thank the designers: world-renowned artists Kehinde Wiley and Julie Mehretu.
Mehretu and Wiley put their signature touch on the cards. Mehretu is known for her swirling, explosive abstract paintings of urban landscapes. The Platinum x Julie Mehretu card is adorned with the multicolored geometric marks she often uses. “For me, making art comes from expanding the imagination and possibility, the incredible feeling of inventiveness and vitality that one can experience with a painting,” she said when the collaboration was announced last November. “Art is all around us, and I am delighted that a part of my work can now be found on the smallest of canvases in Platinum Card members’ wallets.”
The Platinum x Kehinde Wiley card features the distinctive botanicals found in the artist’s lush portraits. Wiley, whose painting of former President Barack Obama rests in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, is famous for his vivid depictions of people of color. “This was an exciting project and powerful experience for me to translate my artistic approach into one of the reimagined designs for the Platinum Card,” he said when the cards were unveiled in December. “I am proud to help Platinum Card members enjoy a bit of artistic inspiration every day.”
In the early aughts, Wiley and Mehretu participated in the Studio Museum in Harlem’s prestigious Artist-in-Residence program. They are just two of the many alumni who have gone on to achieve major success. To honor the museum for its work in developing and nurturing artists, American Express donated $1 million to support its programs.
New and existing Platinum Card members can now order one of the two Art x Platinum cards.
The Platinum x Kehinde Wiley American Express card
The Platinum x Julie Mehretu American Express card.
