FEATURES ARCHIVE

How did you become interested in Prints?
Working with prints was a way for me to enjoy handling art across the breadth of art history. The Print sales at Christie’s offer prints by great artists as diverse as Dürer, Rembrandt, Goya, Picasso or Warhol, each of whom worked extensively with prints and produced some of their finest work in the medium.

Working at Christie’s Paris in the Modern Books and Print departments cemented my passion for Modern prints. Paris was where the most important relationships in modern print making occurred, such as between Vollard and Picasso or Miró and Lacourière. With access to great public and private collections I was able to see the prints in the context in which they were created, which was truly inspiring.

In your opinion, what makes the Prints department unique?
The Prints department is the only department that offers 500 years of art history and covers major artists from all key periods. This breadth of subject is matched by an extensive range of desirable works by key artists with prices ranging from $1,000 to $1,000,000. Our client base in the Print department is therefore very broad and there is certainly something for everyone!

The technical side of print making is also an added dimension; artists choose to work with etching, lithograph or screenprint in order to explore and experiment in a way that is not possible with pencil or paint. With print making I believe artists feel that the boundaries of their work can be pushed more easily and sometimes more radically or unexpectedly; when you start a print you never know exactly what you will end up with, but you retain the option to add or remove from an image and to keep a record of previous versions.

If there was one item from your sale that you could have sitting in your home right now, what would it be?
I’m going to have to cheat on this one, because I would probably pick three.

Firstly, Picasso’s Minotaure caressant une dormeuse because it matches all the personal and professional criteria of what I consider to be an exceptional print. Etching is the technique I most connect with and this particular image is one of the more important ones that Picasso made in his extensive print making career.

Secondly, I think the two Diebenkorns, Large Bright Blue and Large Light Blue are also very special. They are extremely rare and important subjects for the artist and are being offered in our April sale as a pair for the first time in many years. Diebenkorn’s delicate and sensual use of colored aquatint perfectly matches his subject and this is what makes these fine and exceptional prints.

Finally, I’d have to go with the Warhol Mao set. Of all his important subjects, for me Mao best sums up Warhol’s art and the period in which it was created. For sheer “wall power” nothing matches a complete Warhol set, it’s quite a feeling having ten Mao’s looking at you!

Is there a particular artist that clients should be on the look out for in this year’s April sale?
Increasingly our clients are looking for Pop Art and Contemporary prints as their tastes concentrate on accessible images which make a statement in their homes. Collecting Warhol, Lichtenstein or Hirst is something everyone can do in our sales, and as a result this part of the sale is usually a great success.

As for a particular artist, I think people should watch out for good examples of prints by Robert Rauschenberg. As a major figure who bridges several modern styles his influence is considerable and he created some very important works as a print maker. In my mind his prints are still very reasonably priced and I expect interest to be high in our upcoming sales.