Over the last few years, the global art market has seen an interest in limited edition collector's prints made in a variety of techniques. Let's take a look at what makes them unique and when we are guaranteed their authenticity when buying them.

Serigraphy came into being in the 1960s thanks to the representative of the pop-art movement, Andy Warhol, who reproduced in this way his iconic tins and images of the most prominent people in the world. During the ongoing recent auction Premier Prints & Multiples: Summer Edition on the world-class Artsy site, the estimate for his works was as high as $80,000. The most coveted serigraph was Self-Portrait from the 1970s, authorised and signed by The Estate of Andy Warhol. It is worth mentioning on this occasion that his iconic screenprint is Eight Elvises, which was sold by Annibale Berlingieri in 2008 for a not inconsiderable $100 million.

Cult names in the art world

Other prominent artists were also included in the aforementioned list. Keith Haring's 1983 graphic screen prints by Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York reached the dizzying sum of $70,000, while the giclée series 'The Empresses' by Damien Hirst, took an estimate between $15,0000 and $25,000. Etchings and avatints in an edition of 50 by Joan Miró ranked in the region of $10,000. For that matter, just two days before the end of the auction, still lifes created on an iPad by David Hockney (in print form for 100 copies) reached a gigantic $24,000.

For lovers of serigraphy

Our special attention was drawn to Yayoi Kusama's screenprint 'Coffee cup' from 1985. It depicted a cup with saucer covered with characteristic dots, as if shown in negative against a dark geometric grid. The top estimate for the artist's signature serigraph, which we should add was small in its size - as it measured 52.7 x 45.2 cm - was as high as $35,000. A cult artist whose limited series of serigraphs we have on offer at DESA Modern is Tamara Łempicka - an icon of the art-déco style. Her famous work "Portrait of Marjorie Ferry" was auctioned at Christie's for 82 million zloty, becoming the most expensive canvas in the history of Polish art.

Guarantee of authenticity

Signed prints are an alternative to owning a work of art tailored to the budget of the budding collector. Serigraphs, incographs, gouttelette or heliographs are fully-fledged works of art, which are created under the close supervision of the artists or their copyright heirs. Apart from their undeniable aesthetic value, the works are undoubtedly an attractive and safe investment, not only because of their price, but also because of their provenance. This is why the source from which we obtain the works is so important. All of Tamara Lempicka's fine art prints that we settle in the DESA Modern offer are certified and, above all, created in closed, limited editions. The gouttelette we present are stamped by Chelsea Green Editions and signed by the artist's granddaughter, Victoria de Lempicka. The serigraphs, on the other hand, bear the dry seal of Tamara de Lempicka Estate LLC along with the signature of Marisa de Lempicka.

We invite you to take a look at the offer of DESA Modern.