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By Jozanne Rabyor |

Graphics: Boom or Bust?



There’s a lot of talk going around about a so-called “graphics boom,” a bull market in prints. Graphic production is on the rise, the story goes. Collectors are coming out of the woodwork, buying right and left, and some are even making good money at it.

Is it really a graphics boom or is it a graphics bust? Depends on whom you talk to. If you’re one of the people who has been buying the graphic work of Jasper Johns, for instance, and you’ve watched his work rise steadily in value at auctions, you’d say it certainly is a boom.

But if you were one of the unsuspecting (and there were many) who purchased a certain Chagall graphic only to discover that it was originally a poster, that the printed material had been cut off prior to framing, and even worse, that the current value is about $10 at most and you paid $150, then you’d more than likely call it a bust and wonder how you got taken so badly.



Real vs. Unreal

The crux of the matter is knowing the difference between an original print or graphic like the Jasper Johns and a reproduction, which is what that particular Chagall was. For the non-expert consumer, the terms are confusing and fraught with multi-meanings. But if you’re serious about buying and/or collecting graphics, it pays to know precisely what means what.

Original, in this context, means by the artist himself, from his own hand, whereas reproduction usually refers to something mechanically reproduced, i.e., a poster or in some cases a photograph. Here’s an oversimplified example: Except for the one in the Louvre, all Mona Lisa’s which are exact duplicates of da Vinci’s painting are reproductions. Okay, that’s not hard to understand and would hardly be questioned. But things cloud up considerably when you look into graphics.

There is no one definition of “original graphics” that is acceptable to everyone. Even guidelines established by the Print Council of America differ somewhat from those in the resolution adopted by the International Association of Plastic Arts at its 3rd International Congress in 1960. However, the most widely held, working definition of an original graphic (normally used interchangeably with “print”) usually involves three criteria. First, the design must be conceived and executed by the artist himself, using materials which allow more than one identical unit of the print to be produced. Sec-ond, the artist must at least supervise the actual printing, if he doesn’t do it himself. (Because the printing processes used to produce fine graphics today are so technically complex, there is often a technician/craftsman who does the actual printing. This is especially true in the case of lithographs.) And third, the prints in the final edition must be approved by the artist. And that’s where the complications set in.

The most common way an artist signals his approval is by signing his or her name on the finished prints in pencil. A signed original print has more value than an unsigned one unless the artist is one who never signs any of his graphic works at all. Signing on the front is customary, although some artists may sign on the back for aesthetic reasons.

Reproductions – usually posters produced by offset lithography these days – may well carry the artist’s signature; that is, a mechanical reproduction of it. Many artists even design offset posters (Peter Max for example), sign the plate or stone and sell them in unlimited editions. Posters, if signed by Peter Max or an artist of similar reknown, have a certain value because the reproduction of his signature constitutes an autograph of sorts. But that’s the point: It’s an autograph, not a seal of approval. A reproduced signature – a signature in the stone, not on the print – means the artist was probably not around for the all-important appraisal and approval of the pulled prints. Indeed, he may have had no say-so in the quality of the print or the number of prints in the edition.

Posters are an attractive and stylish way to decorate walls, and, dollar for dollar, a good art buy. But they cannot be compared to original, signed graphics as an investment in fine art. Most reproductions carry some kind of indication that they are not originals. However, dealers have been known to sell unwitting buyers “a limited edition Picasso lithograph”, which is actually an offset lithograph reproduction of a Picasso original in an edition “limited” to 10,000.

Something else to watch out for is prints produced from stones or plates cut to match expensive originals, like counterfeit money.

All in all, it’s well worth your while to be extremely particular when purchasing graphics. When buying an original, be sure the artist’s signature is there, in pencil, not in a mechanical reproduction of his original pencil signature. It can mean a difference of hundreds or even thousands of dollars. To cite one extreme example: A rare Toulouse-Lautrec lithograph may cost over $100,000, but a top quality reproduction of the very same print can be acquired for as little as $10. Often, the difference between the two is barely perceptible to the untrained eye.



The Numbers Game



A second complication – the matter of numbers on graphics. Here’s what that’s all about. At the time the artist signs the prints, he or she will usually add a title and number – normally two Arabic numerals separated by a slash. The top number is literally the serial number of that particular print -the first, second, third, etc. of the total edition. 1 he second number tells the total number of prints pulled in that edition. So if the number on the graphic reads 4/8, it means you are looking at the fourth print the artist pulled and signed in a total of eight identical works. There will be only eight duplicates of this work released and sold, although the artists usually retain a few copies for their personal use, unnumbered and labeled “artists proof.” Once the edition is complete, the artist is supposed to oversee the destruction of the plate, thus preventing unauthorized impressions from being pulled. In certain kinds of graphics, the top number has an additional significance.



In intaglio and relief processes, prints are pulled by applying pressure to raised surfaces. The first prints pulled will tend to be clearer than later ones because the surfaces wear down. Thus, if the artist has signed the prints in the order pulled, the more valuable prints will be those with the smaller numbers. In the lithographic and silkscreen processes, on the other hand, image quality remains consistent throughout, so the serial number doesn’t bear any rela-tion to the value of the print.



Shopping for Graphics



In an area as dotted with consumer pitfalls as graphics, the best safeguard is to deal only with reputable galleries and shops. Ask very specific questions and demand answers. I can recall one particularly frustrating experience I had with a dealer recently when I began asking pointed questions about a supposed original in his shop. I asked him if the work were an original. He said yes. “Then that’s a real pencil signature there, right?” I continued. “That’s what it looks like,” he replied.

“I mean if I take the glass off here and take an eraser to that signature, it will erase, right?” I asked. “I guess so,” he said. I left.



Fine graphics are documented, and dealers should know all about them. They should know when the graphic was produced and by which publishing house. They should also know the kind of paper the work is printed on.



It pays to do a little homework if you get serious about buying a graphic. The Print Collector’s Newsletter, a New York-based, bi-monthly publication, reviews all the big auctions, listing major originals sold, how much they sold for, the number in the edition, and critical data about the artist. Print Review, published semi-annually, contains pertinent features on what’s happening in the world of graphics, including reviews of important books on prints. Resources like these are valuable not only for background on artists, but for letting you know the basic market value of particular works. In addition, catalogues of artists’ works are often available.



One other tip: Always get a receipt for a graphic purchase. An honest dealer will refund your money should the print be found to be a forgery.

Beyond all these precautions, JuneWayne, founder-director of the Tamarind Lithography Workshop says(Print Review, 1972): “A document isonly as good as the person who signsit. No one knows as much about realmoney as counterfeiters, and thepatois of print connaissance is nevermore fluent than among pushers ofworthless printed pictures . . . Eyes,sensibility, common sense, knowledge, experience are the best protection against a fake. . . .”

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