Why Collect Editions by Blue-Chip Artists?
When collectors encounter the names Pablo Picasso, Lyonel Feininger, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí, and Alex Katz, they will immediately think of artists who have shaped the trajectory of modern art — and, in Katz’s case, continue to define contemporary painting today. For collectors, these are proven blue-chip names, and artists with international recognition and established market strength.
One of the most accessible and exciting ways to collect works by blue-chip artists is through Editions.
Featured in our upcoming Winter Enchantment Auction, we are pleased to present several rare and distinguished examples, offering collectors the opportunity to acquire work produced under the artist’s direction using techniques such as lithography, etching, aquatint, and serigraphy.
Editions allowed artists to experiment, explore new visual languages, and share their works with a broader audience—and today they remain an exceptional entry point into blue-chip collecting. In our upcoming auction, we are pleased to present several notable examples, offering a compelling opportunity for discerning collectors.
Pablo Picasso, Lot 2334 highlights the artist’s unmistakable mastery of line and form and reflects his collaboration with the distinguished Atelier Crommelynk of Paris. Hand-signed by the artist and presented in its original hand-carved and painted frame, the work offers a compelling opportunity to acquire an original edition by one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. (Read more about the Picasso Lot 2334 here.)
We are also excited to feature an exceptional and rare work by Lyonel Feininger (1871–1956), one of the most important artists associated with the Bauhaus and an important figure in the development of modernism. Feininger’s work, particularly his woodcuts, are widely regarded as central to the visual language of 20th-century European art.
Lot 3269
Lyonel Feininger Paris Houses (Pariser Häuser), 1920 (pub. 1927), woodcut on Japan paper, pencil signed; rare—one of approximately 30–35 impressions.
Issued as the annual print for the Gesellschaft der Erfurter Museumsfreunde, this impression is especially rare—one of approximately only 30 to 35 impressions. The work is recorded in the catalogue raisonné as Prasse W 199, II, and a comparable impression is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) (Object Number 406.1955).
In addition, three works by Joan Miró are also included in the sale, notably Lot 3317 La Biche Chantant la Tosca (The Deer Singing Tosca) (Dupin 485), from 1969 — an etching and aquatint with carborundum, pencil signed and numbered 26/75, printed and published by Maeght of Paris. The work exemplifies Miró’s imaginative abstraction and bold graphic sensibility.
Lot 3317
Joan Miró
Etching aquatint with carborundum on Chiffon de Mandeure wove paper from 1969.
Two other editions are available fom Miró, including Lot 3319 "Ceramique" from "Ceramiques de Miro et Artigas", from 1974, lithograph, signed in print, un-numbered, in domed black plastic frame, matted under glass, and Lot 3321 "The Singing Fish", lithograph, pencil signed and marked "HC" (Hors Commerce)—a designation reserved for proofs intended for galleries and dealers rather than general sale, offering collectors an especially rare opportunity.
And from Salvador Dalí Lot 3275 Les Cavaliers Bleus, from 1969, an etching signed in the plate and additionally pencil signed and numbered 59/250. Plus for fun, and as an extra bonus, Lot 1429, a fascinating collection of approximately 30 Dalí books and memorabilia, including a framed copy of Philippe Halsman’s iconic 1948 photograph “Atomicus Dalí,” along with key reference volumes, plus a Seiko “The Persistence Of Memory” Watch—and a testament to Dalí’s enduring cultural impact.
One of the most accessible prints in the sale is by Marc Chagall and Lot 3282, And You Wove for Your Tender Neck Seductive Garlands of Ravishing Flowers (Mourlot 534), from 1967. This vibrant serigraph, signed in the print, beautifully embodies Chagall’s dreamlike imagery and poetic symbolism.
Lot 3282
Marc Chagall, And You Wove for Your Tender Neck Seductive Garlands of Ravishing Flowers (Mourlot 534), 1967
Serigraph, signed in the print.
Lastly, although certainly not least, we are honored to feature Lot 3329 by Alex Katz, an artist with deep ties to Maine and one of today’s most celebrated painters. Christy, from 2010, is an aquatint and photoengraving, pencil signed and numbered 15/120, published by Museum Kurhaus Kleve, Germany, and courtesy of Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New York. Katz’s bold compositions translate powerfully into print form, offering collectors the opportunity to acquire a work by a living master whose reputation and market value only continue to appreciate.
Lot 3329
Alex Katz Christy, Aquatint and photoengraving, pencil signed and numbered 15/120 from 2010.
Together, these highly collectible editions demonstrate why prints remain such an important and compelling segment of the art market — combining art historical importance, aesthetics and appreciation, with investment accessibility.
We invite you to explore these works, along with the full selection of prints offered on Day 3, by viewing the catalog online and discovering the enduring appeal of collecting editions by blue-chip artists in our upcoming Winter Enchantment Auction.
Collectors wishing to participate in the auction are encouraged to make arrangements soon, as time is running out and in-person registration and phone bidding are strictly limited. To register or to place a phone or absentee bid, please call 207-354-8141, submit a Phone/Absentee Bid Form, or contact us today to speak with a specialist.