Original Art Gifts for Christmas 2026

Most Christmas presents are forgotten by February. A good piece of art is still on the wall ten years later, and it usually becomes more interesting with time. Here is how I would choose an original artwork as a gift, with a selection of works from my Amsterdam atelier that would make someone very happy this December.

Why original art makes a lasting gift

A mass-produced object and an original artwork can cost roughly the same. The difference is what they carry. An original has been worked, reconsidered and signed by one person, and there is exactly one of it in the world.

That matters more than people expect. When someone unwraps a unique piece, they receive a small story along with it: who made it, where, and why. Every work from my studio comes with a signed Certificate of Authenticity, so that story stays with the piece wherever it goes.

Then there is presence. A watercolour or a small tufted tapestry changes how a room feels. A candle or a jumper, however lovely, never quite does that.

How to choose art for someone else

Buying art for another person feels risky. It is far less risky than it looks if you keep a few things in mind.

Look at their home, not your own taste

Think about the colours they already live with. Warm wood and ochre tones, or cool greys and blues? Choose a piece that sits comfortably in that palette, or one that adds a single confident accent. My guide to art and interior colour goes deeper into this.

Go smaller than you think

A gift should never require a new wall. Works between 30 and 55 centimetres fit almost anywhere: above a desk, in a hallway, leaning on a bookshelf. If you are unsure, my article on choosing the right size art for your wall has a simple test you can do with painter's tape.

Choose a feeling, not a subject

Ask yourself what the person is like, rather than what they like. Playful? Thoughtful? Someone with a dry sense of humour? Art that matches a temperament almost always lands. Art chosen to match a hobby often feels like a novelty.

Gift ideas from the atelier

Everything below is an original, made by hand in my studio behind the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. Each piece exists only once, so when it finds a home, it is gone.

A first original: works on paper

Watercolour is the most direct medium I work with. The paint moves, pools and dries in ways I can guide but never fully control, and the white of the paper glows through every layer. The Tate's short introduction to watercolour explains why it has such a luminous quality.

My Figures series on paper is where many collectors begin. Each sheet measures 30 by 40 centimetres on heavy 300 g/m² paper, signed and ready to frame. An off-white mount and a simple oak or white frame is all it needs.

See the full series in Works on Paper.

Something to touch: small tapestries

Tufted textile art is the gift for someone who notices texture. The yarn is pushed through cloth loop by loop, building a dense, soft surface that catches light differently through the day. It also brings warmth to a room in a way paint cannot. If you are curious how these are made, I explain the process in What Is Tufting?

For anyone who misses the Netherlands

Dutch painters have been painting food for four centuries. Walk through the still lifes at the Rijksmuseum and you will see herring, bread and oysters rendered with real devotion. My Dutch Snacks collection is a warmer, woollier take on that tradition.

A tompouce, a broodje kroket, a slice of bread with hagelslag, each tufted in thick yarn. They are perfect for Dutch friends living abroad, for expats who have made Amsterdam home, or as a very Dutch surprise for Sinterklaas on 5 December.

A painting to live with

Oil paint has a depth that no screen can reproduce. On a 40 by 50 centimetre canvas you can still see every decision: where the brush slowed down, where colour was scraped back and built up again. These smaller canvases hang easily in a bedroom, a study or a narrow Amsterdam hallway.

Walk With My Dog is an obvious choice for the dog people in your life. Surfer and On The Wrong Boat suit anyone who would rather be near the water.

Browse more canvases in Paintings.

Art they can wear

Some of my paintings never make it onto canvas. I paint directly onto garments with textile paint, so each one is a single, wearable original. They wash and wear like any favourite piece of clothing. I wrote about the process in An Artist's Guide to Hand-Painting Clothes.

Ready-made pieces come in one size only, so check the measurements on each page. Or commission a painted version of something they already love. Allow around two weeks once the garment reaches the studio.

A commission, for the person who has everything

Sometimes the best gift is not an object yet. A commissioned portrait gives someone a work made entirely for them, and the conversation with the artist becomes part of the gift. You can wrap a card that promises the portrait, and let the recipient help shape it in the new year.

I describe how the process works, from first conversation to finished canvas, in How to Commission a Portrait. Every quotation is without obligation, so get in touch if you have an idea.

Giving art well

A little care in the wrapping makes the moment feel as considered as the work itself.

Keep the Certificate of Authenticity with the gift, and add a short handwritten note about why you chose that piece. People remember the reason long after they forget the wrapping paper.

Wrap tapestries loosely in tissue paper and keep tape well away from the yarn. Works on paper should stay flat, ideally between two sheets of card. If the recipient has never hung textile art before, tuck in a link to how to hang a tapestry properly.

Timing and practical details

If you are still unsure, choose the piece you would secretly like to keep for yourself. That instinct is usually right.