American Express Launches New Centurion Black ‘Art Card’ Designs

The “world’s most exclusive credit card” is getting an eye-catching makeover.

The famously exclusive American Express Centurion Card, also known the Amex Black credit card, is getting new makeovers from famed architect Rem Koolhaas and artist Kehinde Wiley. 

As Hypebeast notes, Koolhaas is a Pritzker Architecture Prizee winner and founder of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture Design Group. 

The Rem Koolhaas x Centurion Art Card draws from Koolhaas’ unfinished Boompjes project, a commission to redevelop a district in Rotterdam, Netherlands that was destroyed by bombing WWII. 

Silkscreen drawings meant to convey a “vision for better living” while honoring the OMA flank either side of the Centurion Card’s Roman gladiator. 

“This was a groundbreaking project for myself and for OMA, and it was exciting to dive back into it and capture its dynamics in the new design for the Centurion Card,” Koolhaas commented.

Wiley, who painted Barack Obama’s presidential portrait, repurposed botanical motifs from his Princess Victoir of Saxe-Coburg Gotha. The piece is part of Wiley’s classically-themed An Economy of Grace series celebrating African-American women. 

“An important part of my work is the decorative, organic background of the person being portrayed. The design on the Centurion Card stems from my interest in botanical elements and is a reference to my signature style,” Wiley said. 

In addition to the cards, the Centurion Card’s chip is also available in a unisex Prada bracelet constructed from scratch-resistant black Saffiano leather. 

The American Express Centurion Card isn’t attainable through application—holders need to secure an invitation and pay a $10,000 initiation fee to access what Forbes describes as “unrivaled perks and benefits. 

It’s known as the “most exclusive card in the world” for a reason.