Girl In Mirror © Roy Lichtenstein 1964 
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Reflecting on the global print market, this article summarises the top ten auction sales from the world's most sought-after blue chip artists. These record-breaking sales underscore the enduring demand and value of prints from iconic figures in the art world, as evidenced by significant transactions in 2023.
Image © Christie's / 18 Cantos © Barnett Newman 1963-6418 Cantos
Barnett Newman's 18 Cantos (1963-64), a rare complete set of eighteen colour lithographs, appeared at Christie's New York April auction, The Sale of the Century: An Important Corporate Collection of Prints and Multiples, Session I. The set sold for £1.7 million, setting an auction record for the artist and ranking among the top print sales of 2023.
Tintin en Amérique © Hergé 1942 Tintin en Amérique
Belgian artist Hergé was featured in a dedicated sale, The World of Hergé, Tintin’s Creator (Fine Art) at Artcurial Paris in February 2023. During the auction, Tintin en Amérique sold for £1.9 million, setting a new record for the artist and ranking among the top print sales of 2023.
Flowers (complete set)
Andy Warhol's complete Flowers (complete set) also appeared at Christie's New York monumental April sale, The Sale of the Century: An Important Corporate Collection of Prints and Multiples, Session I. It sold for £1.8 million with fees, setting a new auction record for the work.
Birth of Venus (After Botticelli) © Andy Warhol c. 1984 Birth of Venus (After Botticelli)
This particular Birth of Venus (After Botticelli) by Warhol is a unique print that appeared at Sotheby's New York Contemporary Day Auction in 2023. As the star lot, the work sold for just over £2 million with fees, setting a record for the print.
Image © Christie's / Kanagawa oki nami ura (Under the well of the Great Wave off Kanagawa) © Hokusai Kanagawa oki nami ura (Under the well of the Great Wave off Kanagawa)
Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai's Great Wave is a highly sought-after woodblock print, part of a series of 36 prints. This individual work sold at Christie's New York in March for £2.2 million, setting a record for the artist and ranking among the top print sales of 2023.
Marilyn Monroe (complete set)
The complete set of Warhol's Marilyn Monroe screenprints was showcased in Sotheby's New York December sale, ROYÈRE X WARHOL: Art and Design from the Collections of Peter M. Brant and Stephanie Seymour. The set sold for £2.3 million with fees, a late appearance and sale in 2023 and ranking among the top-selling prints of the year.
Endangered Species (complete set)
The complete set of Warhol's Endangered Species appeared at Christie's New York Post-War & Contemporary Day sale in November 2023. As one of the top lots of the sale, it realised £2.3 million with fees, coming close to its auction record and ranking among the top print sales of 2023.
Murnau © Wassily Kandinsky 1908 Murnau
Russian painter and pioneer of abstraction Wassily Kandinsky's Murnau (1908) was featured at Ketterer Kunst in December 2023, where it sold for £3.3 million with fees.
Le repas frugal © Pablo Picasso 1904 Le repas frugal
Le Repas Frugal (1904) is one of Pablo Picasso's most renowned prints. Featured at Christie's New York 20th Century Evening Sale in May, the work sold for £3.7 million, making it a highlight of the sale and ranking among the top-selling prints of 2023.
Girl In Mirror
Roy Lichtenstein's stainless steel editions are among the most coveted on the market. Girl In Mirror (1964) was featured at Phillips New York 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in May, where it achieved £4.4 million, being edition 1/8 plus 2 APs and is the the number one top selling edition of 2023.
Explore the top ten print sales in the global market of H1 2024.
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