A Seller's Guide to Grayson Perry

With its unique blend of political, social, and autobiographical commentary, Perry’s work has piqued the interest of contemporary art collectors worldwide. Perry’s market is stable, showing an average annual growth rate of 8% over the past five years.

The pricing of Perry's prints and editions can vary significantly depending on several factors. A key determiner is the edition number; lower numbers of an edition often command higher prices. Additionally, the series that the work hails from can greatly impact the value. For instance, works from Perry's popular series such as The Vanity of Small Differences and his renowned map prints have consistently fetched higher prices at auctions. In the past year, the average price paid for a Grayson Perry print at auction stands at £18,505.

The most sought-after works, of course, fetch the highest prices. For example, Perry's highest record-price currently belongs to Map Of An Englishman, which hammered for £120,000 at Sotheby's in 2024, a testament to Perry's increasing desirability amongst collectors. In fact, this particular print occupies the top four record prices achieved by Perry at auction, followed by Map Of Days, which achieved a hammer price of £60,000 at Phillips in 2021. These map-based works perfectly encapsulates Perry's whimsical approach to art, and his subversion of the age-old art of cartography to dissect the British psyche.

It's crucial to remember that every artwork is unique, and its value may differ depending on its provenance, condition, and current market trends. An art appraisal is a necessary step for accurate pricing.

Request a free, zero-obligation valuation to discover the true fair market value of your print.

Authenticating a Grayson Perry print is a critical step in the selling process, ensuring that the artwork you own is genuine. Perry’s prints typically bear his signature, often found on the lower-right corner of the print. Alongside his signature, the edition number can be found on the lower-left corner, denoting the print's place in the limited series.

A vital component in the authentication process is the Certificate of Authenticity (CoA), often provided by the gallery that originally sold the artwork. A large portion of Perry's print portfolio has been created with the publisher Paragon Press, who will typically provide documentation to support the authenticity of the prints they sell on the primary market. This documentation serves as proof of the artwork's origin and authenticity, so you should ensure you have one before taking your print to the market. Without it, the value of your print may be adversely affected.

The condition of your print can significantly impact its value on the art market. A print in excellent condition, with vibrant colours, no fading, and free from tears, stains, or creases is more likely to fetch a higher price. Signs of good upkeep include stable and undamaged paper, absence of discolouration, and an intact margin around the artwork.

Conversely, signs of wear such as foxing (brown age spots), sunlight damage, or any form of restoration can potentially lower the value of the print. As a seller, it's essential to ensure that your artwork is well-preserved to maximise its value upon sale.

At MyArtBroker, our specialists provide a free market valuation for your artwork, offering a level of transparency unmatched in today’s market. In addition to our valuations, through our online Trading Floor, you can access real-time insights into works by the artist you’re looking to sell, including pieces that are most in demand, wanted, or currently for sale: allowing sellers to trust the valuation that they are provided.

Additionally, the MyPortfolio collection management service grants you free access to our comprehensive print market database. This resource allows you to review auction histories for the specific work you’re looking to sell, including hammer prices, values paid, and seller returns. In a fluctuating market, this historical data is invaluable - and often comes at a cost elsewhere - offering insights into past and current values to further inform decisions based on market timing and conditions. In addition to our specialists guidance, you have concrete data.

Our approach is tailored to align with the unique attributes of each artwork, and offer optimal results:

How a Private Sale Works

Unlike peer-to-peer platforms, which lack specialised expertise, authenticity guarantees, and legal infrastructure for high-value sales, MyArtBroker operates through private sales ensuring a secure and seamless transaction process. We charge sellers 0% to sell, and take a small commission from our buyers, absorbing essential aspects including insurance, shipping, and marketing - at no extra cost to the seller. There is no magic to it, we’re a lean specialised business with less overheads than traditional models meaning we can do better for our clients.

Our revenue is derived from buyer commissions only, which are individually negotiated upon offer, and we aim to give the client the best return in the market place. By focusing on high-value artworks in excess of £10,000, we provide specialised care and expertise, ensuring each piece receives the attention it deserves, while simultaneously maximising returns with our clients. For works that fall below this threshold speak to the team about a recommendation, we offer market advisory free of charge. Our goal at MyArtBroker is to offer a seamless solution, setting us apart in the art market.

Advisory and Recommendations

In cases for artists and artworks, where our existing network of collectors isn’t the best fit due to value, medium or condition we collaborate with reputable partners to facilitate its sale. Carefully tailoring your artwork to the right party. This tailored approach is especially important as it considers the unique attributes of each artwork, providing sellers with the best possible outcome in today’s shifting art market. You can discuss this approach with us without charge as part of our advisory service.

Such recommendations are on a case-by-case basis, and ensures broader exposure and takes advantage of our knowledge of where a work will do best.

Beyond our live trading floor, MyArtBroker's MyPortfolio serves as a collection management tool, enabling collectors to curate and monitor their Perry print collections while tracking their value in real-time. This feature provides access to our print market database, intricately linked to our proprietary algorithm, SingularityX. This algorithm meticulously evaluates public auction and private sales data to ascertain real-time valuations of individual prints, considering factors like condition, colour, and other elements influencing value.

Read What Powers MyArtBroker's Technology? In Conversation With Stuart Jamieson, Financial Quant to learn more about our algorithm.

In today's ever-evolving digital art market, emerging art tech tools play a crucial role. For example, integrating Grayson Perry prints into the MyPortfolio dashboard on our website offers users invaluable insights into unique sales opportunities and real-time market performance, streamlining the sales process effortlessly. Our innovative technology has transformed art portfolio management, enhancing accessibility and providing users with data-driven insights for informed decision-making.