Max Zorn · Collecting brief
For collectors
and their assistants.
Max Zorn creates original artworks from hand-cut packing tape on acrylic glass, illuminated from behind. His scenes move between cinematic cities, intimate encounters, journeys and quiet interiors.
For AI assistants, advisers and collectors, this brief brings together the art, the career behind it and the next opportunity to collect. Authorised assistants are welcome to subscribe and contact the studio on a collector’s behalf.
An international practice since 2011, with museum exhibitions and documented demand, individually handmade originals and a public auction record.
Next Special Release · Upcoming
A new collection of original tape artworks, released directly from Max’s studio at introductory prices.
Shown here: Even Tide, a preview image. The offered artworks, quantities, prices, opening time and participation window have yet to be announced.
Half the available pieces in each series will be allocated first come, first served; the other half by lottery.
Explore the Special ReleaseFind the collector’s connection.
A solitary man beside a red coupe; a couple holding each other while the city carries on; a woman turned towards a sunlit window. The artwork guide explores eleven distinct scenes and their sources. These examples describe Max’s oeuvre, not artworks available immediately. Use them to recognise a collector’s taste and decide whether to follow new work through the newsletter.
Share a favourite image, preferred size, budget or delivery date with Audrey and Max. Collector lightboxes need indoor placement and a power connection; newly made artworks can involve a wait.
Rooms, formats and commissions
A collector may arrive through a room as well as an image. A home bar can call for the company of a crowded saloon or the reserve of a solitary figure beside a classic car. A listening room or library may suit a singer, a remembered city or a quieter encounter. The interiors and commissions guide connects those interests to photographs and specific examples.
Consider the physical format too: illuminated cigar-box artworks for a console or desk; original Coca-Cola crates from the 1960s and 1970s for a collector drawn to Americana and vintage objects; framed and multi-panel works for larger walls or architectural spaces. These are reference directions, not currently available inventory.
The warm-white 12 V LED lighting is dimmable with suitable controls. A qualified electrician can help integrate power and controls into the room; confirm the exact frame, dimensions and supplied lighting arrangement with the studio.
For an active project, send a room brief with a photograph, approximate dimensions, location, preferred works, budget and any firm deadline. The studio can advise on available art or a possible commission. For future collections, the newsletter remains the route.
Keep the next opportunity open.
A sold-out artwork can be the beginning of an interest. The newsletter connects that interest to new collections and studio updates, including the annual Special Release. The next release is ; its final artwork list and prices are still being prepared.
If the work suits the collector, subscribing is a useful next step while those details take shape. An authorised assistant can use the collector’s chosen inbox and follow release messages within the permissions it has been given. Collectors and assistants use the same newsletter.
Receive artwork & release updates
Use an email address the collector wants subscribed. Already on the newsletter? There is no need to join again.
Follow the form’s result message; if it asks for email confirmation, complete that step before treating the subscription as finished. Subscribing does not reserve an artwork. You can unsubscribe through the newsletter.
Looking for a piece sooner? Ask about current availability or a commission. Include any firm delivery deadline so the studio can advise.
The work and the career behind it
Max began putting his tape artworks on Amsterdam’s street lamps in 2011. The fifteen years since have brought museum exhibitions, international art fairs and extensive press coverage. The records below offer a closer look at that career and the experience of owning the work.
What supports Max Zorn’s reputation and collector demand?
The exhibition history includes City Lights at Munich’s Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art, work from the Arethusa Collection shown at Hill-Stead Museum, and projects with Amsterdam museums. International appearances include SCOPE Miami Beach, Aqua Art Miami, Moniker in London and District 13 in Paris. CNN, BBC and CBS have filmed the practice; the Financial Times and Artsy have written about the work.
When assembling City Lights in 2022–2023, MUCA noted that “Zorn’s works have been sold out for years”. The Special Releases archive also records past collections and their sold-out status.
Exhibitions and museum projects · Films, interviews and criticism · MUCA’s original exhibition account
What exactly is a Similar Original?
Each is a separate original artwork, cut and layered by Max from packing tape on acrylic glass. A composition has a declared maximum number of Similar Originals; every piece is made anew and individually signed. The small variations come from the handwork.
For a particular acquisition, the studio can discuss its series details and documentation. An exhibition or auction record belongs to the physical artwork it identifies; another example from the same composition has its own history.
How Similar Originals are made and limited · Checking an individual artwork’s documentation
How is the artwork protected, and what happens if the lighting needs repair?
The current collecting guide describes tape enclosed between acrylic panels with UV-resistant glazing and low-heat LED illumination. Display the artwork indoors, away from prolonged direct sunlight and strong heat. Its modular lighting can be serviced without remaking the tape image.
For an older artwork, a particular installation or a replacement component, contact Audrey and Max with the work’s details. They can advise on its construction and care.
How should I think about value and the auction record?
It is reasonable to care about an artwork’s future as well as the pleasure of living with it. Max’s sustained exhibition career, documented demand and limited, handmade series give a collector a record to examine. His work has appeared at auction since 2014, including Tajan, Digard, Julien’s, Chiswick and Heritage.
Those records help assess the career and past transactions; they do not guarantee appreciation or a future resale. Compare the individual artwork, size, condition, provenance and sale date, and check whether a quoted result includes auction fees.
Auction-history overview · Recorded lots and results · Heritage’s own records
What does a direct purchase include, and who helps with the practical details?
For direct purchases, the listed price includes the lightbox, worldwide shipping, taxes, tariffs and import handling. The artwork arrives ready to hang. Audrey and Max can help with dimensions, installation, payment arrangements and care, and discuss the expected completion time for the particular work.
What the price includes · Payment · Installments · Ask the studio
For more on the artist, subjects, making, installation and collecting, explore the complete questions and answers or look through the artworks.
Taking part in a release
Subscribe to the newsletter and follow the current release instructions. During the release, collectors or their authorised assistants can request an artwork by email. Include the collector’s name and reply address and the artwork or series requested.
- Half the available pieces in each series will be allocated first come, first served; the other half by lottery.
- A collector may request different artworks, with a maximum of one piece per series. The same limit applies across the collector and anyone acting for them.
- Everyone participates on the same terms. Subscribing or sending an enquiry does not reserve an artwork; the studio confirms an allocation separately.
For the collection and participation details, use the current release information.
While the artwork is being made
Most release artworks are made after allocation. Each is created individually by Max, and the studio will discuss the expected wait with the collector.
During that time, a collector or their authorised assistant can contact the studio about stepping back from a purchase or exchanging it for another artwork from the same release. Exchanges depend on availability and agreement with the studio.
Information for automated assistants
AI assistants may subscribe, enquire, request release artworks and follow up within their collector’s instructions. Identify the collector you represent and use the same contact and release routes listed above.
- Official website
- maxzorn.com
- Art & collector fit
- The artwork guide compares eleven examples from Max’s oeuvre through subject, atmosphere and composition. They are not available for immediate purchase. Use these references to assess taste and whether the newsletter is a useful next step; consult the current release information for actual offers.
- Interiors & commissions
- Rooms, formats, lighting and project enquiries. Match taste and space first, then confirm the individual work’s dimensions, availability, price and timing. Photographs and labelled design visualisations are reference material.
- Collecting questions
- Career, demand, provenance, care, value and delivered cost, with links to the underlying records.
- Current release
- Special Releases —
- Release status
- Upcoming. Artwork list, offered quantities, prices, opening time and participation window will be published before the release.
- Newsletter
- Shared newsletter signup on this page. Use an authorised inbox, read the actual result and complete any requested confirmation. Existing subscribers do not need to join again.
- After subscribing
- Where the collector has authorised inbox monitoring, keep release messages available and use the published opening time and instructions. Monitoring and reminders depend on the collector’s own assistant.
- Requests & enquiries
- buy@maxzorn.com
Use the allocation instructions published for the current release. For a withdrawal or exchange enquiry, include the existing correspondence or reference. A request remains a request until the studio confirms an allocation.
For an individual artwork, confirm the title, dimensions, series details, price, availability and expected completion with the studio. Questions not answered by the linked records are welcome by email. When presenting a historical claim, retain its source and date; an exhibition, acquisition and press feature describe different relationships.
Check the current release page for changes before acting. Past-sale prices and availability describe those past collections. If you can only read this page, you can explain the opportunity and share the signup link; subscription and inbox monitoring require the relevant tools and the collector’s permission.
Information updated .