Art Collector's Guide 01: The Art of Deception
I recently met a fellow art dealer named Kevin at an industry event. As we got to talking, he shared a story that really got me thinking about the fine line between art and deception in our business.
The Printer Turned "Fine Art Publisher"
Kevin told me about his friend Pete, a commercial printer who once attended an art opening at a fancy downtown gallery and was blown away by the prices of the paintings on display. Curious, he visited more galleries the next day and discovered that expensive art was the norm.
That's when Pete had his big idea: why not create high-quality prints of these paintings and sell them at a fraction of the cost? People who appreciated the art but couldn't afford the originals would jump at the chance to own these "bargain" pieces.
The Problem with Prints
There was just one issue with Pete's plan. His prints, while beautiful, were essentially no different than any other mechanically reproduced image (i.e. calendars, posters etc.). These types of prints typically sold for just a few bucks at frame shops and poster stores. Charging hundreds of dollars for them seemed absurd.
But Pete had a solution. He rebranded his business as "Fine Art Publishing Company" and started marketing his prints as limited edition, artist-signed and numbered lithographs printed on high-quality paper. Suddenly, his reproductions sounded like original works of art.
Fooling the Masses
Pete's strategy worked like a charm. He placed ads in art magazines designed to mimic the look and feel of galleries selling original paintings. People saw these ads and assumed they were getting the real deal at a steep discount. In reality, they were just buying fancy copies. Meanwhile, Pete laughed all the way to the bank.
The Facts about the Copy-Print Business
Let's be clear about what these limited edition prints really are:
They are not original works of art.
They are not made by the artists who create the originals.
They are copies of original works, printed by printing companies.
When you buy a limited edition print, you're getting a signature on a mechanically produced copy, not an original piece of art. Sure, some reproductive processes involve a degree of handwork, but it's usually done by publishing company employees, not the artists themselves.
I've seen advertisements claiming that artists "oversee" or "closely cooperate" in the copying process, but in my experience, that's rarely the case. Most artists have little to no involvement beyond signing and numbering the finished prints.
The Illusion
Publishing companies go to great lengths to obscure the fact that these prints are copies, not originals. They use limited quantities and artist signatures to give the prints the same look and feel as original prints like etchings or lithographs.
They also create fancy names for the prints, like:
Offset lithographs
Continuous-tone lithographs
Repligraphs
Canvas transfers
Serigraphs
Collotypes
Multi-media prints
Laser-scanned lithographs
Lithoserigraphs
Giclees (digital prints)
These names are combined with ambiguous phrases like "hand-signed," "consecutively numbered," "acid-free paper," and "certificate of authenticity" to further the illusion of originality.
Marketing vs. Reality
Copy-prints are marketed and sold just like original art. They're advertised in art magazines, sold in gallery-like stores, beautifully framed, and treated with the same reverence as original pieces. It's no wonder that the average person has trouble telling the difference.
Here are a few more things to consider about copy-prints:
Original prints made by artists are usually printed in editions of less than 200. Copy-prints are often printed in editions of 300-500 or more, sometimes even exceeding 60,000!
The value of a copy-print has no relation to the value of the original work it depicts, no matter what the salespeople tell you.
Most copy-prints cost less than $20 each to produce, but they're sold for hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Publishing companies, not artists, receive the bulk of the revenue from copy-print sales. Artists usually receive modest royalties at best.
Don’t Be Fooled
Copy-prints are not art; they're big business. Every time a publishing company sells a copy-print, that's one less original work sold by an artist.
Now, don't get me wrong - most copy-prints are beautifully produced and perfectly acceptable to buy and collect. If you love a particular image and a copy-print is the only way to own it, go ahead and buy it. Just don't have any illusions about its originality or financial prospects.
At the end of the day, copy-prints are little more than collectibles relating to the artists who sign them - not unlike a signed art book or gallery exhibit catalogue.
Perception is Everything
Pete’s story as relayed by my friend Kevin (thanks, Kevin!) really resonated with me. With the right marketing spin, even a simple reproduction can be made to seem like a valuable original. As dealers, we walk a fine line between showcasing the true value of a piece and using a bit of artful deception to close the sale.
But at the end of the day, I believe in being honest with my clients. I'd rather build trust by educating them on what they're really buying than make a quick buck through clever wordplay. That's the approach I strive for in my own business dealings.
What do you think? Have you ever been fooled by a "limited edition print" masquerading as an original artwork? It's a trap that's all too easy to fall into in this crazy world of art collecting.