A Seller's Guide To Helen Frankenthaler

The market for Frankenthaler's prints displays a wide price range, influenced by factors such as rarity, condition, edition size, artist demand, and overall market trends. Original Frankenthaler prints can range from a few thousand dollars to several hundred thousand. Certain lithographs, like What Red Lines Can Do (1970) and La Sardana (1987), offer more accessible options, priced at several thousand dollars, highly coveted pieces like Tales Of Genji III (1998) and Savage Breeze (1974) fetch prices exceeding £100,000.

Frankenthaler's print market offers a diverse range of styles, reflecting her experimentation across various printmaking techniques. While woodcuts and etchings typically command higher prices, lithographs provide more accessible entry points for art investors. As an active and collaborative artist, Frankenthaler continued producing prints until the 2000s, leaving a legacy following her passing in 2011. Spanning from the 1950s to the early 2000s, her career showcases distinct phases, notably her soak-stain technique in the 1960s, vibrant colour palettes in the 1970s, and mood-setting hues in the 1980s. Investors often target her later works, which tend to fetch the highest prices. Recognising various print making techniques and key periods within Frankenthaler's oeuvre help to inform strategic investment decisions.

Over the past five years, the Frankenthaler print market has experienced a notable surge in popularity. In 2023, sales on the secondary market exceeded 80 prints, with prices spanning from £1,000 to £130,000. The standout performer of that year was Essence Mulberry, State I (1977), which fetched the highest price at a Sotheby's charity auction in March.

With Frankenthaler's print works gaining popularity and value, navigating print authentication becomes increasingly crucial for art collectors and new investors. If you're initiating the authentication process, here are key steps to consider:

The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation

Throughout her lifetime (1928-2011), Frankenthaler established and endowed The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, which became active in 2013 following the closing of her estate. This digital platform serves as a crucial tool, offering a comprehensive archive of Frankenthaler's work from various decades. It also provides invaluable guidance and information on authentic prints, a resource not readily accessible for all artists. If selling a Frankenthaler artwork, this site ensures the authenticity of prints, offering assurance to buyers and collectors.

Edition and Signature

Frankenthaler's print production extended from the 1950s to the 2000s. Her prints feature her signature, often the surname only and found in the lower right-hand corner. Additionally, they are frequently dated and/or numbered and bear the publisher blindstamps from collaborators of that era. However, the placement of these details can vary. For instance, Grey Fireworks (2000) is signed in both right and left corners, and numbered in the left corner. In contrast, Earth Slice (1978) is signed with the surname and dated in the left corner, with numbering in the right corner. When selling Frankenthaler prints, it's crucial to inform buyers or dealers about these nuances to ensure the best pricing outcome for the artwork.

Provenance

Provenance remains paramount. Sellers must meticulously track and verify the artwork's provenance, both to establish authenticity and, akin to paintings, to enhance the value of prints with prestigious histories. Authentic prints will be be accompanied by comprehensive documentation, such as certificates of authenticity, exhibition catalogues, gallery invoices that trace to the prints publication and match the blindstamp, or letters of authenticity.

Determining the optimal selling time involves considering various factors, but ultimately hinges on demand for your prints. Monitoring auction sales and researching their histories can provide insights into market dynamics, such as market saturation and whether prints are selling above or below presale estimates. Typically, when prints consistently sell above estimate, demand is high, signalling a potentially advantageous time to sell. Additionally, if the artist's paintings are prominently featured and selling well in marquee evening sales or following a major exhibition or retrospective, it could also indicate a favourable selling opportunity. Understanding these dynamics can be challenging, but platforms like MyArtBroker offer tools like their AI-powered value indicator, which tracks auction histories to provide real-time valuations, aiding sellers in making informed decisions.

Read Case Study: How To Value Prints & Editions With Art Tech to learn more about our technology.

Browse Helen Frankenthaler prints on the Trading Floor and find out more about the print market growth on the MAB100 Print Index.

LOOKING TO SELL YOUR HELEN FRANKENTHALER PRINTS?

Request a free and zero obligation valuation with our team without hesitation. Track your prints & editions with MyPortfolio.

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.

Helen Frankenthaler Collection Management with MyPortfolio

In addition to our live trading floor, MyArtBroker's MyPortfolio serves as a collection management system, empowering collectors to curate and oversee their prints and editions collection, while tracking its value in real-time. This feature grants users access to our print market database, uniquely tied to our proprietary algorithm, SingularityX. This algorithm scans and analyses both public auction and private sales data to determine real-time valuations of individual print works, factoring in various aspects such as condition, colour, and other factors affecting value.

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

Emerging art tech tools are vital in navigating the current, and evolving, digital art market landscape. For instance, by adding Helen Frankenthaler prints from our website to the MyPortfolio dashboard, users gain insight into unique sale opportunities and observe market performance and fluctuations in real time, streamlining the sales process effortlessly. Our pioneering technology has revolutionised art portfolio management, making it more accessible and equipping users with data-driven insights for informed decisions. MyArtBroker harnesses cutting-edge technology driven by data, coupled with a team of industry experts, to deliver an exceptional experience. Our professionals work closely with clients, utilising the MyPortfolio dashboard, to provide personalised guidance for creating a profitable art collection. By merging technology and expertise, we are committed to offering unparalleled curation and customer service.