Artist Playing Cards, a Museum in your Pocket

It all started when NYU designer student Andrei Captan won 1st Place in an art competition in 2019 with his designs of Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces of each suit that represents an artistic movement. Encouraged by both judges and other students, Andrei went on to work on the deck, and now Artist Playing Cards are available on Kickstarter.

The tuck box featured an architectural drawing of a classical and modern building of an art museum. It gives the impression that the tuck box is the building and the cards are the exhibits of it. The box features a royal blue premium matte stock with gold foiling and embossed elements. It will be completed with interior foiled artwork and a custom seal.

Inside, the card back design reflects the artwork featured on the tuck- dark navy blue background with white linework of the architectural drawing of the art museum.

There are two identical jokers featuring the logo of the deck. The deck will include a blank card for magic uses or a blank canvas for art; and a “Special Thanks” card featuring a list of 52 backers that pledge the highest tier in the campaign.

Each suit represents an artistic movement in the history of art – Spades represent “Renaissance” – Hearts represent “Surrealism” – Clubs represent “Impressionism” – Diamonds represent “Expressionism”.

Both the courts and the Aces will have artworks that are based on the era represented. For example, Jack of Spades is painted to look like a fresco painting, and King of Clubs is painted in a similar art style as Van Gogh. The pips for each suit are also treated the same: customized pips based on the art era represented.

Printed by the USPCC, Artist Playing Cards starts at $15 for a single deck on Kickstarter.