Antique and Modern Prints

Four to six cataloged auctions each year

The centuries-old tradition of European printmaking offers a wide selection of prints to suit every taste and budget. Collectors can choose to explore 16th-century Italian chisel engravings, Romantic lithographs, or contemporary prints. The finest engravings by Rembrandt, in exceptional old prints from major collections, often fetch several hundred thousand euros at auction. And for modern and contemporary art, prints by great masters such as Picasso, Miró, Dalí, Chagall, Matisse, and Soulages are particularly sought after. They are generally worth several thousand euros, or even more. Foreign buyers are also very active. The prices of Zao Wou-Ki’s engravings and lithographs have recently skyrocketed, reaching thousands of euros, due to demand from China. The same phenomenon holds true for prints by Foujita, whose prices continue to rise in Japan: one of his cats—an animal revered in the Land of the Rising Sun—can now fetch between €10,000 and €15,000.

A Word from the Expert

“In the world of prints, collectors seek out, from among the multiple prints, the proof they consider the most desirable and valuable.” As evidence of the artist’s creative process, “state proofs” are particularly appealing to buyers. While this stage of production is an essential criterion for print collectors, the sheet’s condition and provenance also play a major role in a work’s value. In particular, we have had the good fortune to present several sets from the collection of the renowned print dealer Henri Petiet, including a collection of 100 engravings by Picasso that sold for 1.55 million euros. But there are still many treasures to be unearthed. In fact, we regularly make new discoveries, such as two extremely rare engravings by Caspar Friedrich, the master of German Romanticism, which were recently found in a box of unremarkable old engravings and sold for a total of €80,640, including fees.”