The Week In Art Prints & Editions - Warhol & Lichtenstein Breaking Auction Records, New Collaborations & Global Exhibitions - 25.11.24

Welcome back to Print Market News, your weekly roundup of everything happening in the print world—fast and focused!

This week, we bring you updated results from the New York auctions, where prints and multiples from blue chip artists carried works above estimates setting various new auction records. Sotheby’s and Bonhams now shift their focus to upcoming prints and multiples sales in New York and Europe, while the US Postal Service honours Keith Haring with a new stamp and KAWS drops a new luxury watch collaboration. Exhibitions open across the globe and more.

1. Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol November Auctions

Last week, the November sales showcased a strong performance, particularly for prints and multiples, with the majority of works in this medium hammering above estimates. Roy Lichtenstein emerged as a standout at Sotheby’s Contemporary Evening and Day Sales, with several editioned prints from his Nudes collection achieving remarkable new auction records. Nude With Blue Hair sold for $960,000, while Roommates and Nude With Yellow Pillow each achieved $1.2 million, also the first time these prints hit over $1 million.

At Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Sale, which wrapped up the November auctions on Friday, Lichtenstein continued to dominate. Water Lily Pond with Reflections sold for $1,4 million and Brushstroke Still Life With Lamp selling for $453,000.

Andy Warhol also had a historic moment, with his Endangered Species set selling for $4.3 million–a record-breaking price for the complete collection and the highest price achieved for a Warhol print in 2024. Visit MyArtBroker’s edition magazine for detailed auction reports of each of these sales and sign up to MyPortfolio collection management to understand the real-time valuation of each of these editioned works.

Outside of the major auction houses, American Pop artists continued to perform strongly. Keith Haring led the way at Artcurial’s Limited Edition sale in Paris, with an untitled 1985 print reminiscent of his Growing series. The piece achieved £40,563, making it the top lot of the sale.

2. Upcoming 2024 Prints and Multiples Sales

With the November sales now behind us, several exciting prints and multiples auctions are on the horizon. Starting today, Bonhams is hosting an online prints and multiples sale running through 3rd of December. Additionally, Bonhams will hold a live auction in New York on Tuesday, November 26, featuring standout editions such as Snow from David Hockney’s The Weather Series, Warhol’s Marilyn, works from Lichtenstein’s Interiors and Exteriors collection, and more. Following this, Sotheby’s online Prints and Multiples sale begins in Cologne on 27th of November 27 and runs until 4th of December. This is Sotheby’s concluding prints and multiples sale in Cologne for the year and historically holds a wide selection of high-quality print works from important blue chip names.

3. New Art Print Drops

Ai Weiwei has unveiled a new limited edition print in collaboration with Avant Arte. The work features an abstract kaleidoscope of intertwining arms with a middle finger at its centre, presented as a circular print in blue and black. Created with British printmaker Make-Ready, the edition is limited to just 100 pieces and will be available for purchase on December 10th at 9am.

In other news, the USPS announced last Friday the release of a new Haring “Love” stamp. Featuring Haring's iconic Untitled (1985) design of two figures holding up a heart, which the Postal Service describes as the stamp celebrates “the universal experience of love” with its “instantly recognisable” imagery.

KAWS continues to turn his attention to luxury fashion collaborations and has teamed up with Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet to release the exclusive 43mm Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “COMPANION,” featuring the artist’s iconic motifs on both sides. Limited to just 250 pieces, the watch is priced at $226,504. The design showcases KAWS' signature skeleton avatar “trapped” within the face of the watch, reflecting a collaboration that has been two years in the making.

To celebrate this launch, KAWS and Audemars Piguet are presenting the 36-foot-tall KAWS:HOLIDAY inflatable atop their Switzerland headquarters. After its appearances in China and Indonesia, the sculpture will remain on display in the Vallée de Joux until 20th of December.

4. Global Blue Chip Artist Exhibitions

In Canada:

From Warhol to Banksy is a new exhibition, complemented by works from the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria’s Permanent Collection and organised by the Kelowna Art Gallery, showcasing artworks from some of the art world’s most iconic figures including Lichtenstein, Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, Takashi Murakami, Banksy, and Mr. Brainwash.

In New York:

Luna Luna, the iconic amusement park, is now open at The Shed in Manhattan, running through January 5th. The original idea for the park was conceived in 1987, and features specially crafted works by some of the 20th century’s most celebrated artists, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Haring, Salvador Dalí, and Lichtenstein. Tickets are priced at $44 for adults on weekdays and $64 on weekends, with children’s tickets available for $35.

In California:

Hockney’s Perspective Should Be Reversed: Prints from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation is now on view at the Palm Springs Art Museum in California. Opening on November 23 and running through March 2025, the exhibition is billed as the largest survey of Hockney’s prints ever presented.

That’s all for this week’s print market news. Tune in next week for further updates on top blue-chip artists in the prints and editions market!