John Baldessari, Jasper Johns, Ed Ruscha, Richard Serra and Bruce Nauman unite behind Obama

John Baldessari, Ed Ruscha, Richard Serra, Bruce Nauman, Claes Odenburg, Chris Burden and Frank Gehry are among 19 big arts world names who've put their backing behind Barack Obama's election campaign with a specially created portfolio of prints.

Organisers said the portfolio, "Artists for Obama", is being offered in exchange for a $28,000 donation to the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee. One-hundred-and-fifty portfolios will be up for sale, potentially raising around $4 million for the campaign. The portfolio is being put together in collaboration with Gemini G.E.L., a Los Angeles art workshop and print studio.

"Artists for Obama" will be officially unveiled later this week. Other contributing artists include: Jasper Johns, Brice Marden, Richard Tuttle and  Joel Shapiro.

In related news, Chuck Close unveiled a tapestry of Obama at the Mint Museum in North Carolina last week. It's one of 10 for sale at $100,000 each to raise money for the Obama Victory Fund.