Are Prints the New Stars of the Art Market?

Artprice recently explored the rising popularity of prints in the art market, and the findings are fascinating. Affordable, lightweight, and easy to transport and frame, prints are appealing to both seasoned collectors and first-time buyers. The surge in demand shows that prints are no longer a niche segment—they are becoming a central force in contemporary collecting.

A Brief History of Prints

Printmaking began in the Renaissance with artists like Schongauer and Dürer, who used engravings and etchings to spread images quickly. In the 17th century, Rembrandt experimented with light and shadow in his prints. Later, masters like Goya, Picasso, Miró, and Matisse helped establish printmaking as a legitimate art form. Today, prints maintain their dual identity: multiple and affordable while remaining highly collectible.

Contemporary Prints: A Growing Market

Contrary to popular belief, prints are not secondary in the art market. Both Old Masters and Ultra-Contemporary artists now use prints to reach collectors. In fact, prints accounted for 20% of all lots sold at auction worldwide last year, compared to 14% for drawings. Over the past decade, sales of prints have more than doubled, with a 1,093% increase over the past 20 years. Between June 2024 and June 2025 alone, prints generated $72.6 million in auction turnover.

Affordable, collectible, and easy to exchange, prints appeal to young buyers looking for accessible works as well as experienced collectors seeking iconic signatures and editions with investment potential.

Why Prints Are So Attractive Today

Prints combine three key advantages:

• Affordability: A signed engraving or silkscreen can open access to major artists for a few hundred or thousand dollars. From January to September 2025, 119,000 prints were sold at auction, with 63.5% priced under $500.

• Practicality: Prints are lightweight, easy to ship, insure, and trade online, making them ideal for the digital-savvy collector.

• Limited Editions: Numbered, signed, and certified prints from artists like Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and David Hockney are highly desirable. Iconic prints, such as Haring’s Andy Mouse, have repeatedly sold for over a million dollars.

These factors confirm that prints are a vibrant and active segment of the art market, especially appealing to a younger, online-oriented audience.

Express Buying Guide for Prints

1. Check the Edition: Limited and numbered editions are more valuable. Artist’s proofs and first states often carry a premium. Hand-signed prints are more liquid and valuable than stamped or printed signatures.

2. Examine Condition: Look for well-preserved paper and fresh colors. Avoid prints with folds, tears, or discoloration. Proper framing protects value.

3. Publisher and Printer: Major workshops like Mourlot, Lacourière, and Paragon Press increase a print’s desirability. Direct collaborations with the artist ensure technical quality.

4. Provenance and Certificates: COAs, gallery, or museum provenance enhance credibility.

5. Where to Buy: Auctions, contemporary galleries, and online platforms like Artprice allow collectors to track sales and compare prices.

6. Market Awareness: Blue-chip artists (Picasso, Matisse, Hockney, Warhol, Banksy, Kusama, KAWS) maintain strong liquidity. Limited contemporary editions are also attracting a new generation of collectors, but beware of overproduction.

In short, a clear edition, impeccable condition, recognized workshop, and solid provenance distinguish a display-worthy print from a valuable investment.

Discover more insights and explore Artprice’s full article: Have Prints Become Fashionable?

Peace out.