Prints by the greatest names in art for under £10,000

Prints and multiples are a great starting point for new collectors looking for authentic and original works by famous artists — including the likes of Picasso, Miró, Banksy, Matisse and Hirst — at more accessible price points.

‘Prints made by famous artists are as a general rule far more affordable than their unique paintings because multiple impressions of the same work were produced, and they are therefore more widely available on the market,’ says Charles Scott, Specialist in Prints & Multiples at Christie’s London.

Prints can also be a good way to acquaint yourself with styles and artists — without a seven-figure price tag attached to them.

‘The Prints and Multiples sales at Christie’s present a large variety of big-name artists over a wide timeline, allowing collectors to refine their tastes, likes and dislikes more efficiently,’ continues Scott. 

New collectors should take a number of factors into consideration, including edition size, the condition of the work, the type of paper, subject matter and date of execution.

‘Typically works that were published in a lower edition will have a higher starting value because they are rarer and less likely to come to market,’ says Scott.

It is, however, worth researching how often a work appears on the market. ‘Sometimes even works from large editions appear only rarely, and this does increase desirability,’ the specialist adds.

It’s also important to understand the printing techniques for which different artists became known. ‘As with any artist, there will be periods of their careers that are more popular than others, and this will have an influence on the price of the work’, explains Scott.