To multiply is not to deny art. The most famous masterworks acquired their fame once they were copied. It is thanks to prints that art was widely diffused, entered homes and collective memory.
Even during the 15th-16th century, the fine art print was already becoming essential : thanks to the many masterworks of Dürer, Rembrandt, Cranach or Holbein who practised in particular woodcut or engraving; it was the only means at that time to disseminate their art.
Since the end of the 19th century, impressionists and modern great masters have allowed the fine art print to find a major role in the art evolution. During the 20th century, there is no great master (Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, Miro, Braque Dubuffet, Alechinsky, Barcelo, Tapies...) who did not embrace the field of the fine art print, because he found there a freedom to celebrate his images and the opportunity to experiment with the technique.
It is also for young artists, an excellent method of showing their work to the world.
The role of the fine art print
A major role in the art evolution
The desire for experimentation
Since the first printing techniques appeared (engraving and woodcut during the 15th and 16th century), and after each new major technique followed (lithography during the 19th century, serigraphy during the 20th century, and the numerical print nowadays), artists have explored the unlimited possibilities of each new technique thus creating new expressions of their artistic flair.
Toulouse Lautrec in his lifetime is a good example of this. He spent a great part of his time in the printmaking studios, where he discovered a wonderful technique and new pictorial methods. Without doubt, Toulouse-Lautrec wouldn't be Toulouse-Lautrec without his lithographic posters which made him so well-known and influenced his painting a great deal.
In contemporary print, the artist can mix all the printmaking techniques, from the woodcut to the numerical processes.
The role of the printer is always essential to the artist, because he complements him and allows him to go further in his researches and experiments.
Toulouse Lautrec in his lifetime is a good example of this. He spent a great part of his time in the printmaking studios, where he discovered a wonderful technique and new pictorial methods. Without doubt, Toulouse-Lautrec wouldn't be Toulouse-Lautrec without his lithographic posters which made him so well-known and influenced his painting a great deal.
In contemporary print, the artist can mix all the printmaking techniques, from the woodcut to the numerical processes.
The role of the printer is always essential to the artist, because he complements him and allows him to go further in his researches and experiments.
To begin with an art collection
A print is hundred or thousand times less expensive than a painting. This makes it possible for a modest price, to give pleasure and to have an original artwork signed and numbered by the most important artists from 16th to the 21th century.
The print is the first purchase of the new collector just after the art book, then as his tastes and means change, he seeks out more important artworks.
Who today can buy an oil or a drawing by Rembrandt or Picasso ? Only a museum or a great collector. It is however possible to purchase an original print by Rembrandt or Picasso for a few thousands dollars just because it is not one of a kind, but one of multiple copies the price of which is governed by quality and scarcity.
FAQ : what are the criteria that define the price of a print ?
The artist is not a craftsman, and the price to be paid for a piece of art is not a function of time spent creating it nor the complexity of the technique.
Naturally, a publisher or a dealer will try to match the price of a print compared to the price of such a painting or gouache by the same artist so that this price is consistent. Usually, the price should be market-led i.e. supply and demand.
FAQ : what advises can be given to a new collector and what traps should be avoided ?
Purchasing an artwork is firstly a question of love. But the name of the artist is the first criterion in judging a fine art print. See the catalogue raisonné each time you can find one and check for art prices.
But there is other information you need to know before the purchase : the edition date : avoid posthumous editions which are only of decorative interest and are connected more with a quality reproduction than with a fine art print (Dali, Lautrec, Matisse, Picasso, Chagall...). As for paintings, the quality of the subject and the composition are essential.
Finally check the condition report : margins could be cut, you can have bad framing traces, sun-bleached paper, stale colours, creases : these are defects which should be taken into account.
It is necessary to take care that the signature is authentic, and to prevent the forgeries. Generally, only important signatures are imitated by the forgers.
Nowadays many of the fake signatures added to originally unsigned, but authentic prints, mostly coming from books (Dali, Matisse, Picasso, Chagall, Miro...), or fake prints are offered on internet Auction sites, with ostensibly valid certificates of authenticity (COA) The source of the print and the name of the dealer are important criteria that should be taken into account. Above all, beware of "good bargains".
The print is the first purchase of the new collector just after the art book, then as his tastes and means change, he seeks out more important artworks.
Who today can buy an oil or a drawing by Rembrandt or Picasso ? Only a museum or a great collector. It is however possible to purchase an original print by Rembrandt or Picasso for a few thousands dollars just because it is not one of a kind, but one of multiple copies the price of which is governed by quality and scarcity.
FAQ : what are the criteria that define the price of a print ?
The artist is not a craftsman, and the price to be paid for a piece of art is not a function of time spent creating it nor the complexity of the technique.
Naturally, a publisher or a dealer will try to match the price of a print compared to the price of such a painting or gouache by the same artist so that this price is consistent. Usually, the price should be market-led i.e. supply and demand.
FAQ : what advises can be given to a new collector and what traps should be avoided ?
Purchasing an artwork is firstly a question of love. But the name of the artist is the first criterion in judging a fine art print. See the catalogue raisonné each time you can find one and check for art prices.
But there is other information you need to know before the purchase : the edition date : avoid posthumous editions which are only of decorative interest and are connected more with a quality reproduction than with a fine art print (Dali, Lautrec, Matisse, Picasso, Chagall...). As for paintings, the quality of the subject and the composition are essential.
Finally check the condition report : margins could be cut, you can have bad framing traces, sun-bleached paper, stale colours, creases : these are defects which should be taken into account.
It is necessary to take care that the signature is authentic, and to prevent the forgeries. Generally, only important signatures are imitated by the forgers.
Nowadays many of the fake signatures added to originally unsigned, but authentic prints, mostly coming from books (Dali, Matisse, Picasso, Chagall, Miro...), or fake prints are offered on internet Auction sites, with ostensibly valid certificates of authenticity (COA) The source of the print and the name of the dealer are important criteria that should be taken into account. Above all, beware of "good bargains".