Unique or edition? Both are the real thing

It is one of the first things people ask us: is a print in an edition of ten a "real" work of art? Yes. Here is the difference between a unique work and an edition, in the time it takes to finish a coffee.

A unique work

One object and no other: a painting, a drawing, a one-off sculpture. Its price is usually the artist's highest, because there is only one.

An edition

Some works are made to exist several times: a photograph, an etching, a cast, a video. The artist decides how many before the first is sold, makes or supervises each one, and signs and numbers them. 3/10 means the third of ten. When the edition is sold out, no more are made. Each one is an original work, and its certificate says which one is yours.

Why editions are a lovely way in

An edition usually costs a fraction of a unique work by the same artist, so it is how many collections begin. In the market index we keep, prints and editions are about one in ten of the works that galleries marked as sold.

What is not an edition

A printed copy of an existing painting is a reproduction, however good the paper. There is nothing wrong with enjoying one; it is simply a poster, not the work. The test is easy: was the object made as the work, or made from the work?

Four questions before you buy one

How many are in the edition, and are there artist's proofs?

Which number is this one, and is it signed?

How is it made, and on what?

Is all of that on the certificate?

You can see the prints and editions available now.

If you would like company

This is what we do every day from Mexico City: help people find, buy and live with original contemporary art. Book a free 30-minute call, or simply look at the works available now.

Image: “Composición 05/10” by Pedro Tombo Lomboy.