The official Olympic and Paralympic posters for London 2012 are unveiled in at the Tate Britain gallery in London November 4, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

LONDON - The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) unveiled on Friday 12 official Olympic and Paralympic posters created by 12 top British artists.

Since 1912 each Olympic host city has commissioned one or more posters to celebrate the hosting of the Games. LOCOG has commissioned 12 of the UK's leading artists to create images to celebrate London's hosting of the 2012 Games, six for the Olympic Games and six for the Paralympic Games.

The 12 artists were selected from a long list of over 100 artists. Four of the chosen artists have previously won the Turner Prize and five have represented the UK at the Venice Biennale.

A set of the images have been given to the Queen for the Royal Collection and to other important British art collections, including the Government Art Collection which will be displaying the images in No. 10 Downing St in 2012 and the British Council which is planning on exhibiting the images across China in 2012 as part of 'UK Now' -- the largest festival of British arts ever to be shown in China -- as well as displaying the posters in the Council's chapters across the world.

Besides, from Friday onward, members of the public will be able to buy copies of the images as both posters and limited edition prints from the online shop of London 2012.