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"Lantarra" by
Carole Sue Lebbin,
a Washington, D.C.
artist known for
her etchings of
room interiors.
PCIA - Ph R
A
n original work by Toulouse-
Lautrec for $3? That was the
approximate price of his prints
in modern currency when they
were first published. His bold depic-
tions of Parisian nightlife at the turn of
the century were intended to be easi-
ly affordable for the general public.
"Prints have always been attractive
to people because of their affordabil-
ity," says Cindy Hodgson of the Fine
Arts Gallery, Ardmore, Pa. "For exam-
ple, not many people can afford a
Picasso painting, but it is possible to
purchase an original etching that is
signed and numbered by Picasso for
$4,000 to $5,000."
A print is not a one-of-a-kind, elitist
masterpiece that can only be bought
with a prodigious fortune. There is a
democratic nature to prints. As com-
pared with other works of art that are
acquired by a few people for large
sums of money, prints are purchased
by many for much less. These "origi-
The print market is
exploding. And no
wonder. It's original,
yet affordable, art.
BY JEANETTE HUTTER
nal" art works are designed to be
multiplied in editions that many people
can acquire and enjoy.
It's true that prices for prints have
skyrocketed in recent years. Today
master prints, such as a Toulouse-
Lautrec, are running in the six digits.
However, there is a wide range of
prints, from 18th century botanical
engravings to contemporary silk-
screened triptychs, which are within
the reach of the average collector.
Almost every living European and
American painter of any repute is in-
volved in making prints of some sort.
In recent years, prints have become
objects of exuberant interest as baby
boomers discovered that hanging a
"real" piece of art on the wall is more
satisfying than hanging a poster. These
young Americans, who find the price
tag for paintings and sculptures by ma-
jor artists prohibitive, have increased
the demand for prints. As a result,
prints have gone from being viewed as
second best to being desired as im-
portant works of art. Today, status is a
collection of fine prints.
"The print market is exploding," says
Hodgson. "There have been five years
of continual growth in the art market.
We're finding a tremendous increase
in the first-time art buyer who is in-
terested in an investment piece."
PRINT OR POSTER?
It is important for neophyte collec-
tors to be able to tell the difference
between a print and a poster. The
word "print" is sometimes used to
FALL '89 19