Both publishers promise a collection of art from “critically acclaimed artists,” with a “diverse range of original works” and several forms of media used to perfectly capture the essence of everyone’s favorite chili dog-loving blue blur.
“Our goal when it came to Sonic’s 25th Anniversary was to celebrate, but also mark the occasion with a series of initiatives which take a unique view of what is one of the world’s most iconic video game characters,” said Sega director of brand licensing Jason Rice in the official announcement.
A number of signed limited-edition pieces will also be reproduced and displayed at 34 Washington Green galleries located around the U.K. They will each come with a certificate of authenticity and a signature from old-school Sonic developer Naoto Oshima.
“Sega has had a huge impact on popular culture and no doubt, many of the artists producing work for this celebratory art collection grew up playing Sonic the Hedgehog themselves,” says Washington Green founder Glyn Washington. “This collection will appeal to both art collectors and Sega enthusiasts alike with each artist involved interpreting the gaming icon in their own style — showing a side of Sonic that fans won’t have seen before!”
Specifics on the actual pieces displayed are essentially non-existent right now, but we have a few suggestions:
- “Shadow the Hedgehog-y Night”
- “Mona Lisa (2006)”
- “The Fast Supper”
- “Never Still Life”
- “The Kiss (Between a Human and a Hedgehog)
- “American Gothic 3 & Knuckles”
The art exhibitions will launch across the U.K. on December 2. Sonic’s most recent game, Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, released last month to middling reviews, but was generally seen as an improvement over Sanzaru’s Games’ previous effort, Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal.