The M.C. Escher Company BV

What The M.C. Escher Company BV does

The M.C. Escher Company B.V. is a private Dutch limited company (B.V.) headquartered in Baarn, Netherlands, founded in conjunction with the M.C. Escher Foundation established by the artist M.C. Escher (1898–1972) in 1968. The company is the worldwide exclusive representative of all copyrights to M.C. Escher's work and his spoken and written words, and is the owner of the registered trademark M.C. Escher®. It manages a catalog of more than 448 documented graphic works spanning woodcuts, lithographs, engravings, and mezzotints from 1916–1969, and operates a three-pillar platform: (1) the official mcescher.com website providing gallery collections, biographical content, exhibition listings, and news; (2) the shop.mcescher.com e-commerce storefront (operations outsourced to Artefatto S.a.s. of Italy, which acts as seller of record) selling 116+ licensed SKUs across prints, stationery, apparel, accessories, magnets, kitchenware, and games, with international shipping via DHL and GLS; and (3) a structured copyright and licensing service that grants reproduction permissions for commercial, editorial, and promotional use of Escher's works.

The company generates revenue through three streams. E-commerce merchandise sales (transaction-based) are executed via Artefatto S.a.s. as seller of record. Copyright licensing (royalty-based) is the core economic engine, requiring applicants to submit product type, manufacturing location, retail channels, pricing, expected revenue, and target country details. Exhibition support and museum partnerships (professional services) span an active global calendar including Somerset House (London), Monnaie de Paris, MUDEC (Milan), Centro Altinate San Gaetano (Padova), and venues in Brussels, Montreal, Rome, Florence, Houston, Barcelona, Naples, and Melbourne. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is set transaction-by-transaction on the shop platform and license-by-license through the licensing department. Customer segments include individual art enthusiasts, publishers and media companies, commercial advertisers, and museums/cultural institutions, served through a horizontal segmentation approach.

Operationally the company runs with a headcount of 8 employees, no disclosed parent, no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, and no venture or private equity ownership evidenced. It maintains contact channels for corporate/licensing ([email protected]), shop customer care ([email protected]), and dedicated copyright/licensing inboxes. Management team data is not disclosed. There is no evidence of public listing, mobile applications, APIs/SDKs, integrations, AI/ML capabilities, patents beyond the M.C. Escher® trademark, certifications, regulatory actions, M&A activity, or leadership changes in the supplied material.

Name

The M.C. Escher Company BV

Legal name

The M.C. Escher Company B.V.

Website

https://mcescher.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The M.C. Escher Company B.V. is a private Dutch rights-management entity that exclusively licenses M.C. Escher's catalog of 448+ graphic works worldwide and sells licensed merchandise through its own e-commerce shop and global museum exhibitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Baarn

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. E-commerce merchandise sales: The company operates an online shop selling licensed M.C. Escher merchandise including prints (posters), apparel (ties, scarves, t-shirts), accessories (bags, pins, lifestyle items), stationery (notebooks, pens, pencils, bookmarks, greeting cards, postcards), magnets, games & puzzles, and kitchen & tableware (mugs). International shipping is available.
2. Copyright licensing: The company owns the copyright to all of M.C. Escher's work and his spoken and written texts. It generates revenue by granting licenses for commercial, editorial, and promotional use of Escher's works. Licensing is required for books, magazines, advertisements, brochures, websites, and other commercial applications.
3. Exhibition support and partnerships: The company supports international exhibitions of Escher's work in collaboration with museums and cultural institutions worldwide. While not directly monetized, these exhibitions help maintain brand visibility and drive licensing and merchandise opportunities.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The M.C. Escher Company B.V. is the worldwide, exclusive representative of all M.C. Escher copyrights and holds the registered trademark M.C. Escher. It grants reproduction and licensing permissions for commercial, editorial, and advertising use of Escher's complete body of work, and operates an official online shop selling licensed merchandise including prints, apparel, stationery, accessories, magnets, games, and tableware. The company works in conjunction with the M.C. Escher Foundation to protect and disseminate the artist's legacy.

Product overview

The M.C. Escher Company B.V. operates a digital platform ecosystem centered on the official website (mcescher.com) and online shop (shop.mcescher.com). The core offerings consist of three pillars: (1) the official website providing access to Escher's gallery collections, biographical content, exhibition information, news, and licensing services; (2) the ecommerce shop operated by Artefatto S.a.s. selling official merchandise across 7 product categories including prints (20 products), stationery (57 products), apparel (19 products), accessories (8 products), magnets (10 products), kitchenware (1 product), and games (1 product), totaling over 116 licensed products; and (3) copyright and licensing services enabling commercial use of Escher's works. The ecommerce platform also integrates with DHL and GLS for international shipping fulfillment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Copyright Reproduction Licensing Formal licensing service granting reproduction rights for M.C. Escher's copyrighted works, spoken and written words, and the registered M.C. Escher trademark. Required for use in books, magazines, advertisements, brochures, websites, and other commercial or editorial applications.
• Merchandise Licensing Program Licensing program allowing third parties to manufacture and sell Escher-branded merchandise under negotiated terms for specific product categories. License applications require product, manufacturing, distribution, pricing, and territory details.
• International Exhibitions Program Program supporting and coordinating international exhibitions of M.C. Escher's works in collaboration with museums and cultural institutions worldwide, with recent and current shows in London, Padova, Brussels, Paris, Milan, Montreal, Rome, Florence, Houston, Barcelona, Naples, and Melbourne.
• M.C. Escher Online Shop E-commerce storefront operated by Artefatto S.a.s. selling official M.C. Escher merchandise across 7 product categories (prints, stationery, apparel, accessories, magnets, kitchen & tableware, games & puzzles), totaling over 116 licensed products, with international shipping via DHL and GLS.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• M.C. Escher FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1968The M.C. Escher Foundation was established by M.C. Escher himself in 1968 with the explicit goal of preserving and protecting his complete works. Located in Baarn, Netherlands, the Foundation is dedicated to maintaining and promoting the artist's legacy. It supports international exhibitions and other cultural and scientific initiatives aimed at distributing and preserving Escher's work worldwide.
• Artefatto S.a.s.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArtefatto S.a.s., an Italian company based in Turin, acts as the official seller of record for all online transactions conducted through the shop.mcescher.com e-commerce platform. They handle order processing, customer service, fulfillment, and international shipping for all online merchandise sales.
• Somerset House (London, UK)minorOthersSomerset House in London hosted a major M.C. Escher exhibition, featuring the artist's masterpieces as part of their cultural programming. This represents a venue/partnership for exhibiting Escher's works to UK audiences.
• Monnaie de Paris (Paris, France)minorOthersThe Monnaie de Paris (Paris Mint) hosted a major exhibition of over 200 M.C. Escher works from September 2025 to March 2026. The exhibition featured immersive optical illusions and impossible architectures, along with commemorative pieces struck for the artist's 100th birthday anniversary.
• MUDEC (Milan, Italy)minorOthersMUDEC (Museo delle Culture) in Milan hosted the exhibition 'M.C. Escher, Between Art and Science' from September 2025 to February 2026. The exhibition featured 90 works including engravings, watercolors, woodcuts, and lithographs, along with over 40 Islamic comparison objects exploring Escher's relationship with his sources of inspiration.
• Centro Altinate San Gaetano (Padova, Italy)minorOthersThe Centro Altinate San Gaetano in Padova, Italy hosted an M.C. Escher exhibition, bringing the artist's works to Italian audiences.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-m-c-escher-company-bv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The M.C. Escher Company BV