We all know the names: Michelangelo, Hirst, Rembrandt, Murakami—artists whose works fill museums and shape art history. But behind such celebrated figures often stands someone, or many someones, working on the sidelines: the artist’s assistant. Jo Rosenthal spoke to these seldom recognised, yet essential players in the creation of an artwork.
It’s easy to marvel at a masterpiece without considering who mixed the pigments, stretched the canvas, or kept the studio clean. Take the Sistine Chapel, forever remembered as Michelangelo’s triumph. Historians note, however, that he relied on forty to sixty assistants to bring it to life. Their names may be forgotten, but their labour is woven into its legacy.
For centuries, artists have leaned on assistants—sometimes trusted collaborators or emerging talents— who balance carrying out another’s vision with nurturing their own. They do so quietly, without much acknowledgment, but with extraordinary skill and dedication.
What might the art world look like if we listened to these voices more closely? If assistants had the space to share their experiences, the struggles, the joys, the ambitions? Could we envision a more collaborative and generous vision of art’s future?
To explore these questions, Elephant spoke with people around the world who have worked, or still work, as artists’ assistants. They told us what it’s really like to live just beside the spotlight: the rewarding moments, the difficult ones, and everything in between.
Does working as an assistant open doors in art, or does it trap people in a behind-the-scenes role?
I treat it as a school or learning experience—you mostly learn by working hands-on within someone else’s project. Sometimes it functions like a demo or repetition for my own work—a lower-stakes project where I’m not the one being judged if the final result isn’t quite there. Kristina Shakht
Assisting, as well as working in a production capacity, have both been really crucial to my practice. You get hands-on learning experience in all aspects of artmaking. People will remember you once you step out on your own as an artist; having met in an assistant capacity means you know what you’re doing. Charles Caesar
I have two jobs, both in the industry (one of which is on weekends), and I enjoy the behind-the-scenes aspects of both. I know that other people might take assistant roles on as a means to “climb up the ladder,” but that’s not a reason I took on the assistant position. Anonymous
I enjoy being part of the behind-the-scenes aspect. It can be frustrating not to get the recognition sometimes, as working in the production aspect is a job in itself. You take on an assistant position with an artist because you believe in the work, or you take it on because you think it’s going to better your own career, and for me, it’s both. Zach Ranson
I sign NDAs for my bosses, and there’s no room for growth (in the creative direction, not supplies and techniques). More assistants in my generation, aged twenty to thirty, are not seeing as many doors opening through artist assistant jobs. There has been a shift—people in older generations that I’ve known, like my professors, tend to have had doors opened for them through the artist they were doing assistant work for back in the eighties and nineties. Emily Roth
For me, working as an assistant was absolutely unhelpful in creating opportunities, networking, or opening doors for myself. When collectors or gallerists visited the studio, the assistants were pretty much asked to hide out in the office and actively discouraged from interacting. I would basically hide the artists’ projector crash-cart-thing so that nobody would know he traced images, and then take lunch. Gabriel Cohen
It’s a glass ceiling, but there are always rocks in the room. Taylor Sepulveda-Beck
Painting with extremely vivid colors for hours on end does this thing to your eyes that we call “roasting your cones.” You look away from the canvas, and it feels like your eyeballs are buzzing inside your skull; everything is a little hazy. Coming home from an eight- to ten-hour day in the studio, or painting a mural out in the cold, all I ever wanted to do was shut my eyes and get cozy. It made me neglect my personal practice thoroughly. I fully leaned into the behind-the-scenes; it felt like going back to college, even though I never went to college. Amber Pulley
Your job as an assistant is what it is—you’re there to assist another artist. You’re there to do that job, and when you’re clocked out, you should clock out. The danger of not clocking out is that you “become” the artist assistant as your identity, as opposed to being an artist working as an artist assistant. It’s best to strive to keep it all balanced. Wear different hats! Jordan Nassar
Working as an artist’s assistant can definitely “open doors” in the art world. It’s a unique way to be introduced to a whole new network of people working in the same field, creatively and professionally. Charlie Rubin
In my experience, if you’ve established a healthy, one-on-one relationship with the artist, they’re often very supportive and willing to introduce you to people and help guide your career. I’ve worked with artists who balance their practice with teaching careers. In that sense, they often bring a teacher’s mindset to the studio: they feel a sense of responsibility and purpose in shaping a younger person’s future. They believe that good art matters and that for good art to exist in the world, emerging artists need resources, mentorship, and connections. Yuki Xu
Working as an assistant can certainly open doors in art, but this is only possible if the assistant makes a strong effort outside of their employer’s studio. You have to have your own work to develop for those doors to mean something. You also need to bring a sense of curiosity to your job to ask the right questions and bring back valuable lessons to your own studio. Devon Reina
Could you tell us a little about your experience as an artist’s assistant? Did it help you further pursue your art career?
My very first PA gig was Dior Homme, and an early assisting gig was photographing Janelle Monáe for Marie Claire. I conducted myself as an artist while still learning the ropes and rhythm of big sets and gleaned a lot of experience—setmaking, styling, lighting, hair and makeup. When you evolve to being the artist on set or in your own studio, you really appreciate all that goes into a successful shoot. Then you can refine that experience for yourself and your sensibilities and take it from there. Charles Caesar
As an emerging arts professional, assistant roles have opened doors for me in my professional pursuits. I was an assistant for about three years for a Japanese video artist and experimental filmmaker named Kohei Ando. Our partnership began in 2021 as I was part of a research collective at the Brooklyn-based Asia Art Archive in America, and we were tasked with creating new Wikipedia entries on understudied, overlooked artists in Modern and Contemporary Japanese art. I got in touch with him to inquire about specific details of his career that I couldn’t find elsewhere. I asked if there would be an English-language edition of his novel, Whispers of Vermeer: The Lapis Lazuli Dog, and he said, “No. Can you translate it for me?” I never would have anticipated that the kind of relationship I had with Ando would be in the area of book publishing! Liam Otero
My mom is a ceramicist, specifically working with high-fire porcelain in functional pottery. I was born into it and grew up in her studio my entire life. I “officially” became her assistant during summer breaks in high school and continued every summer until a year after graduating from college. I did everything from wedging endless mounds of clay to running the pugmill to mixing glazes and watching the temperature overnight. Her mentorship gave me a new understanding of the creative mind, and taught me that clay never lies. Hyuna Emily Park
Seeing the differences between someone else’s practice and thought processes and mine was helpful, but in terms of my career, it furthered nothing aside from being paying me so that I could stay alive and have an art practice. Chris Velez
I’d go to gallery shows never feel like anyone cared who I was—I was just the one with the artist. No one knew that I had spent months building the installations, sanding and bondo-ing and painting the twelve layers of paint it took to cover all the seams. I never felt “cool” enough and, if anything, it kind of turned me off, making me realize that my art is just for me. Amber Pulley
Getting to see how different artists work—how they keep their studios, how they organize, how they do business—helped me in my career. It’s not about getting something tangible from them—in that sense, it’s not worth it. It’s about the more holistic experience of seeing how others function and survive and thrive, and taking cues from that for yourself, or seeing things and thinking, “I don’t want to do that.” There are so many lessons for you to learn if you’re willing to receive them. Jordan Nassar
My experience as an assistant has been deeply rewarding, though not without its challenges. Over time, I’ve developed a close bond with the artist I work for, gaining access to the world she’s built through numerous projects and an immense body of work. She has been tough on me at times, but I’ve come to understand that those moments were necessary. They’ve given me insight into the realities of being a practicing artist—what it truly entails. She has offered to introduce me to people across various areas of the industry, providing valuable connections and opportunities I wouldn’t otherwise have had. Bobby Milligan
When I ascend the stairs to the studio, I never know what sort of unhinged chaos I’m about to walk into. My day varies from transforming taxidermied alligators into leather and descaling the carcasses, to etching glass and firing it with a blow torch, to painting a multi-panel mural using only spray paint and oil pastel. On other days, I’m producing an avant-garde poetry-reading-sculpture-installation in a dilapidated building in Greenpoint, or spontaneously shopping for wigs on 34th Street before an opening and scouring The Real Real to curate the artists’ alternate ego. Leaving the gallery world to become an artist assistant was catharsis for me. Shifting my role within the art world feels revitalizing. The experiences and community I longed for are now a part of my reality. Kristen Wasik
Some artists I’ve assisted are generous, respectful, and fair. They’ve shared knowledge, relationships with other artists, and gifted me materials—sometimes finished pieces. Others have been seriously unethical, manipulative, and sexually inappropriate. But at the end of the day, even if it’s an awful experience working for an artist, I learn a little bit more about the art world, what keeps it spinning, and how to better identify the darker areas. Devon Reina
If assistants significantly contribute to the creation of the work, should they be considered co-artists? Who determines that? Should artist assistants be seen as apprentices, employees, or creative partners?
Artists and assistants should have a defined working relationship so that the assistant gets proper credit when due—be that casting, lighting direction, studio management—and gets compensated as such! Charles Caesar
I one hundred percent believe that if an assistant contributes any amount of a physical piece—even hits the shutter button with photography—they should absolutely get credit. Maybe not “co-artist”, but it should be recognized as a contribution to the finished product, especially if that project ends up being lauded as something that an audience responds well to. Zach Ranson
The artist I worked for assumed that my name and the student translators would be included in the Acknowledgements section of his novel upon publication in English. I love the term “creative partners” because it perfectly encapsulates that the effort brought into such projects is an intrinsic act of art-making. “Employees” feels too clinical, and “apprentices” seems out-of-date unless we are discussing, say, metalsmithing or carpentry. Liam Otero
I wouldn’t consider myself a co-artist or creative partner on some of the larger projects I’ve worked on with my mom, because I contributed technically, not creatively. I may have offered creative opinions and suggestions, but ultimately, it was a creation that was made inside my her mind, and it was through her vision of execution. When you are an artist’s assistant, you must leave your ego at the door and remind yourself that you are there to learn and absorb. The determination that an assistant is considered a co-artist should be up to the leading artist to decide. Hyuna Emily Park
Artist assistants are squarely technicians. It strikes me as silly to consider them as anything else. I’ve heard of some artists relying on their assistants to do more creative work. I know only one person working as a studio assistant who feels a high degree of ownership over the work they create, and the studio is compensating them well. I find it charming when artists thank their studio assistants in their press releases. Gabriel Cohen
The role and scope should be clear and communicated from the start; is this a collaboration, or do you just need extra hands and minds to execute a vision? This also feeds into the next part of the question, namely, whether the assistant is an apprentice, employee, or creative partner, which ultimately depends on the nature of the gig. I have been an apprentice when I was learning glassblowing from a ‘master’, an employee while assisting in fabrication and art handling, and I’ve been a creative partner in a collaboration on someone else’s project. All of them to me were clearly different situations and roles. Even if those differences were never specified or spoken, I definitely knew what my position was. Do artist assistants deserve more credit for their creative roles? Probably yes, but to me, it’s a job, and I never felt slighted for receiving zero credit for my contributions—I was there to work. If I received no credit for a job that was clearly a collaborative effort from the start, then that would obviously be an issue. Chris Velez
Suppose an assistant contributes to the quality and specific standards that make an artist’s work desirable. In that case, they should be credited even more so if they are contributing with content generation, structural engineering, things like that. Murakami is a gold standard here—if you’ve seen the back of one of his paintings, there’s usually a list of about twenty-five names. Anyone who touches the painting or its structure gets credit. Whether or not artist assistants should be seen as apprentices, employees, or creative partners depends on the artist. Each one has a different budget and crew size. If you’re just one small part of a vast operation, it’s different from being an artist’s only employee and helping them keep their whole studio operation afloat. Taylor Sepulveda-Beck
Hard no. They’re employees, and in specific contexts, maybe apprentices. The artwork is the artist’s idea and initiation. This is the job you signed up for. Being credited is different from being appreciated. Anyone you work for should make you feel appreciated, both by paying you fairly, setting realistic deadlines and expectations, and including you in celebrations or openings. It’s important to note that these jobs are experiences that have phases, and eventually you will grow out of any role—you’re supposed to. If you’re feeling frustrated or taken advantage of, these are signs that you might have grown out of the role, and it’s time to move on. Jordan Nassar
A true creative partnership implies equal say in artistic direction and decision-making. Most assistants contribute primarily through labour and craftsmanship, rather than by co-authoring the conceptual or aesthetic foundation of the piece. There have been times when I’ve suggested ideas that significantly shifted or improved the original artwort, but the creative context remained clear: I was operating within someone else’s vision. My role was to help clarify, refine, or elevate their ideas, not to assert my own authorship. Yuki Xu
If the work were made either way, with or without the assistant, it still belongs solely to the artist. I would not be interested in receiving credit as a co-artist for the artist’s paintings because, while the work she creates is excellent and provocative, it does not reflect my original ideas. The assistant’s job should be to execute, not to conceive. Von Kolk
My boss and I have had open conversations about this, and she has expressed that if I were ever involved in the development of a new project, she would ensure I received appropriate accreditation. Ultimately, credit is mainly at the discretion of the artist, and the assistant has little agency in that regard. If a project is the artist’s personal “brainchild,” there’s often limited space for an assistant to contribute creatively, unless the artist views them as a true collaborator. Bobby Milligan
I haven’t thought much about needing or wanting public credit for this job because it is someone else’s work. I knew that going into it. It feels good to have your efforts acknowledged, just like any other job. Every studio is going to run differently—don’t think it’s on the door. It’s up to the artist and the assistant to decide what that work dynamic, depth of involvement, and credit is. I’ve felt like an apprentice, an employee, and a creative partner at different times during the same day. Julia Luft
How do assistants balance their artistic identity while helping others build theirs?
My personal work is so profoundly different from my employer’s that I don’t give this much thought. I have seen other artist assistants who gain employment with someone they’ve admired for years, and it ends up debilitating because you can only compare yourself to them—a “never meet your heroes” type of thing. I have seen a situation where an artist felt threatened by their assistant, and God, what a nightmare that can turn into. Zach Ranson
The balance is natural; one involves someone else’s practice, and the other is your own. I learned a lot about what my practice and work was doing, what I’m most interested in, and more importantly what I’m not interested in. Depending on the gig, you learn new techniques, thought processes, materials, and material processes, so it’s informative in that way as well. Chris Velez
It’s really up to the assistant to balance their own identity along with the person they work for. Sometimes working for someone way outside of your realm is good for the mind. But working with someone who has influenced your own taste can open those niche doors that someone outside your aesthetic or practice could not. Taylor Sepulveda-Beck
An artist shouldn’t have an assistant too early. Unless they start rich, I think it’s pretty hard to be “building” your artistic identity and have an assistant at the same time. The identity-building and first years of showing (and selling) are solo projects for the artist, until they have some money and—more importantly—demand to scale up. That’s when an assistant becomes plausible. And if you start there, it should be easy for an assistant to come in and observe someone else’s process, then be given tasks to perform within that existing process, without confusion with their own practice and identity. Jordan Nassar
Artistic identity is a language that someone is constantly perfecting. You can build on your own language while helping their employer. If not, it’s just a day job, which is OK too. Charlie Rubin
It can be a hard balance, especially when the project I’m working on is something that genuinely excites me. The professional boundaries can become blurry when the artwork’s concept aligns with ideas I’ve wanted to explore in my own work, or when I’m asked to use a material technique I’ve been eager to experiment with. Sometimes, I catch myself thinking about the pieces I’m helping to construct long after the workday ends––imagining ways to improve them and mentally reworking a detail that didn’t quite sit right. And honestly, I see that as a positive thing. It means I’m engaged. I’m thinking critically, problem-solving, and staying creatively active, even when the work isn’t technically mine. Assisting pushes me to approach my own projects with more intention, even if it also demands patience and a constant awareness of where the boundaries are. Yuki Xu
It’s tough to go to your own studio after work when you’ve already technically spent the whole day in someone else’s studio. Your brain gets confused because the environment feels similar. I hardly made any of my own work while I was assisting, so the balance is tough for sure! Von Kolk
Your artistic identity should be strong enough to resist influences that would border on stylistic plagiarism anyways. That would be the case even if I weren’t an artist’s assistant. Influence is inevitable, but isn’t that the point of communicating ideas anyways? To find people with intersecting internal worlds? To be inspired? If my work is truly mine, it will not have any detrimental entanglement with whoever I’m working for. Julia Luft
Is the art world truly changing, or are assistants still overlooked?
Creative budgets have not been spectacular lately, but I don’t underpay my assistants or talent. If a client allows for assisted credit, I ensure it’s in bold—why not? It’s fabulous to see people’s names transition from the assisting lineup to artist over time. I know how beautiful that feels. Charles Ceasar
Much positive change has been undertaken in highlighting the integral role of the assistant in the artistic process. Throughout history, many names are sadly not remembered and are reduced to a vague attribution of “in the style or school of such-and-such.” The reasons for this are manifold: class discrepancy, popularity of name (for the artist in charge), gender discrimination, passage of time, poor record-keeping, etc. Since the mid-twentieth century, there has been a greater effort in recognising the contributions of the assistants who worked in studio environments. Liam Otero
Artists’ assistants are often viewed as employees, but historically, this role was seen as a co-creator or student-mentor relationship. A lot of people not in the art world are astonished that I do not get any credit for the work I do. For my jobs, I specifically paint, and the reference images are made by my bosses. Time is valued by both of my bosses—I often feel overlooked, like a machine painter. But it’s still something that suits the interests of some people in the job market, and, for the last few years, my bosses have considered my next steps in my career. Emily Roth
The art world has undergone a complete 180-degree shift in the last fifteen years. With social media and the digital platforms that we have today, artists are able to market themselves and share their art with the world much more easily than before. That said, artist assistants can build their own portfolio during their mentorships, sharing their own voice through these platforms and develop their own point-of-view as an independent artist. I think it’s important to keep in mind that you’re not going to be an assistant forever—you’re not going to be “overlooked” forever. It’s all about perspective and the credit you give yourself. Developing patience and grace will allow you to grow into the most free artist you can be and create what you love to create. Hyuna Emily Parka
The art world is changing, though not of its own accord. Almost anyone can reach the ears of major buyers and institutions in ways they couldn’t before, like 2freesty raising a fuss over ethics on a TikTok rant. This can really cast a bad light on even the most desirable artists, even if they don’t want to admit it. Arguably, digital backlash didn’t matter as much until around Instagram, when everyone tuned in to the art world on their phones during the pandemic. It’s harder to get away with taking advantage of your assistants, abusing them or ripping off their ideas as your own. Taylor Sepulveda-Beck
It’s essential to compensate people fairly, and to be generous with the amount of information and behind-the-scenes experience you share. That is really valuable for assistants to learn from. But entering a job bracing yourself for being overlooked doesn’t feel right to me. You should enter the job knowing what it is and what is expected of you. You should stay in that job as long as it is providing you with what you need—money or experience. Once you’re over it, move on. Otherwise, you’re going to feel overlooked, and that will not lead to anything good for anyone. Jordan Nassar
The art world likes to uphold the illusion of individual genius, even though it should be obvious that the volume, the scale, and the complexity of work produced by successful artists require assistance. Working in fashion made it clear to me early on that creativity can thrive on collaboration and shared effort. I think it’s essential to be involved in projects that you genuinely believe in, and just as importantly, to evaluate whether the artist you work for values your creative contributions in a respectful manner. Yuki Xu
The art world embraces younger artists, collectors, gallerists and curators far more now than it ever has, so change could already be underway for assistants as well! The artist I worked for was only twenty-five, and she could afford to hire assistants. That’s something unique to this coming era in art and history. Based on my own experience working as an assistant, I wonder if younger artists will lean more toward treating their assistants as peers who they’d like to invite into their communities and usher in a new standard for how assistants are treated. Von Kolk
While some artists are more mindful about credit, collaboration, and equality in a working relationship, others continue to maintain traditional hierarchies. The visibility and recognition of assistants can still vary widely depending on the relationship and environment. Bobby Milligan
Will the art world as a whole ever truly change? There are decades of hierarchical structures at play here, but there’s a new generation of assistants who are dissolving these illusions. I see this happening on a more micro-community level, and am thankful that the artists I’ve worked for are the most compassionate people I’ve encountered in my career. They saved my life and have created opportunities for me to transcend societal limitations and step further into my power. I’m hopeful that I will be ushering in a new era. Kristen Wasik
Assistants are assistants, and they should know that. They will forever be overlooked. If they are true artists they will make their own artwork and hope that it will be credited what it deserves. Devon Reina
I don’t think the art world is really changing. It still can’t even call itself an industry. Most gigs aren’t paid. A couple of years ago, a museum acquired my work—this is a museum that has every famous twentieth-century artist you can name, but they couldn’t even cover shipping costs for my twenty-six prints. I had to pay out of pocket to produce and ship everything. I do think social media might help accelerate the transition of art into the future. There are new galleries and curators around the world who genuinely want change and, step by step, they’re creating it through how they run their spaces. Kristina Shakht
