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edition mania of the
previous two decades did
to the limited concept. So
why bother?
The primary reason to
limit editions is to give
them exclusivity, which
may make them more
valuable to collectors.
And, of course, if an artist
can successfully sell out
many editions, her or his
stock in trade rises with
each sold out edition.
There is a certain allure to
that scenario, but for most
artists it remains an allure
rather than something
achievable. And for those
who can sell out multiple
editions, I wonder how
much more they might
have made, how many
more collectors they
would have made happy if
they sold unlimited prints.
For some artists, a goal is
to have many of their
limited editions actively
sold on the secondary
market. (Google “fine art
secondary market” if this
term is foreign to you.)
That indicates there is
more demand for their
work and something they
get nothing for when it is
sold again. The Droit de
Suite or resale royalty
rights, which artists in
other countries enjoy, do
not apply in the U.S. as
Federal Law. California
has enacted The
Act, but the notion is not
widespread. Resale
royalties, for prints at
least, would be much
Cooking Ham & Limited Editions, continued from above
more a moot point if the
artist could continue to
sell unlimited editions to
new collectors. And,
confusing laws and
regulations of various
states regarding limited
editions would not fetter
artists.
Is It Time for the
Signed Numbered
Open Edition Print?
You want to add some
exclusivity, or at least
demonstrate by artifact of
a signature post printing
that the artist touched and
saw the print, I can
understand and applaud
the idea. I suggest the
industry adopt a new open
edition signing
convention. Something
like artists signing and
numbering prints as: 1/oe;
2/oe; 3/oe and so forth.
Would collectors shun
such a print? Would prices
have to be dramatically
lower? I think not. The
early adopters could still
feel smart that they
recognized the print or
artist quickly and those
who prefer to buy when
something is established
could see the popularity of
a piece before they
committed.
There are artists who are
now releasing canvas
editions of previously sold
out limited editions. I
don’t blame any artist for
wanting to continue to be
able to tap into the cash
flow from their creativity;
I wonder if they would be
better served to release
these editions as open. It
would retain the integrity
of the first offset limited
editions and, more
importantly, unleash their
ability to hit the career
financial grand slam if one
of their canvas prints
would get legs and sell in
the thousands rather than
the hundreds.
I contend it is the desire of
the collector to want to
own the piece that is the
dominant factor in the
decision process. I believe
collectors will pay what
they perceive to be a fair
price whether a print is
limited or not. Yes, when
edition numbers are low,
prices can go up and the
limited factor can be used
as a sales tool. The
question is how often is
that reality for most
artists, especially given
the changing times we are
all witnessing.
We all live in the brilliant
Global Village to some
extent and that means we
have to learn to do
business differently. I
believe leaving limited
editions to serigraphs and
other fine art printing
techniques whose
processes naturally limit
editions. For those who
have embraced the giclée
process, let’s make them
unlimited and give artists
a chance at unlimited
earnings from their
masterpieces…pass the
ham.
Page 6
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