SAN FRANCISCO.- Building on its long history of supporting the arts, today Gap introduced Artist Editions T-Shirts, a limited edition collection of t-shirts designed by 13 of today's most influential contemporary artists, including Chuck Close, Jeff Koons, Marilyn Minter, Kiki Smith, Cai Guo-Qiang, Barbara Kruger, Ashley Bickerton, Kenny Scharf, Glenn Ligon, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Kerry James Marshall, Hanna Liden and Sarah Sze.

"We're honored to have the opportunity to partner with such a distinguished and diverse group of artists," said Marka Hansen, president of Gap brand North America. "This collaboration celebrates the intersection of art and fashion and enables people to access contemporary art in a different way. These 13 works of art speak the importance of creative expression and individuality, and we can't wait for our customers to experience them in their own way."

Gap worked in close partnership with the Whitney Museum of American Art and Art Production Fund to create the collection with the 13 artists, who are all previous Whitney Biennial participants. The Whitney Biennial is a special exhibition held every two years at the Whitney Museum of American Art that features the most important contemporary art in the United States. Gap is a proud sponsor of the 2008 Whitney Biennial, currently on view at the Whitney until June 1, 2008.

"We're delighted to join with Gap on this project that celebrates contemporary American art with new work from former Whitney Biennial artists," said Adam D. Weinberg, the Whitney's Alice Pratt Brown Director. "The Artist Editions project puts art onto our backs and sends it out into the street and into the world. Gap, Art Production Fund, and the Whitney are united in recognizing the immediacy and importance of contemporary art and its vital place in our lives. We're deeply grateful to Gap and APF for their fantastic support and involvement on this project and on the 2008 Whitney Biennial."

The limited edition collection is available exclusively at select Gap stores in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and franchise markets, as well as online in the U.S. at gap.com. It's also available at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and at Colette, a Paris-based boutique. The t-shirts range in price from $28 to $38.

Marketing Campaign Features Artists, Stephanie Seymour and Shalom Harlow

In support of the Artist Editions T-shirts, Gap is unveiling a print campaign developed by Laird + Partners and shot by acclaimed fashion photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. The campaign features the artists in the t-shirts they designed, as well as models Stephanie Seymour in the t-shirt designed by Jeff Koons and Shalom Harlow in the t-shirt designed by Barbara Kruger.

While the overall images are shot in black and white, the t-shirts are in color creating a powerful effect. The campaign will be featured in the June issues of Vanity Fair, Vogue, The New Yorker and W, as well as in newspapers and in outdoor in select markets. The images will also be featured in select Gap stores nationwide.