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Louis le Brocquy prints for sale, but not limited edition

  • 25-08-2014 2:34pm
    #1
    osullc10
    Registered Users Posts: 51 ✭✭


    I'm looking for some specialist knowledge from people who are familiar with the art/print industry.

    I have a budget in the region of €100 to buy someone a gift, and I came up with the idea of a Louis le Brocquy print, which I've seen for sale in a gallery in Dublin for this price. Of course, at this price, these are not from a limited edition, but still, I thought it could be a good idea.
    But then I began to fixate on the fact that these are not limited edition. What then makes them special? Is there some notion of "officialness" to them? Is there some intricate/skilled process required to reproduce them? What is it that makes them worth €100? To be extreme about it, what, for example, would be the difference if I just got a Louis le Brocquy image off the internet, printed it at home on my Epson, and put it in an Ikea frame?
    I would like to believe there's something special about the prints for sale in the gallery, but I need someone to explain it for me.

    Thanks for your advice.

    PS. I know anything original or from a limited edition would be in the thousands / tens of thousands / hundreds of thousands, but that's not a justification for the price of unlimited prints.
    Tagged:


Comments

  • #2
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,014 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    I don't know anything about the prints in question, but in general terms you could consider the following.

    There would have been a license to pay for permission to print the images in the first place.
    The printing would be very high quality on top quality paper stock.
    Obtaining and setting up the image in the first place would require a very skilled person to reproduce the colours and tone of the painting, le Brocquy paintings are very subtle.
    The gallery has had to purchase the print and has the cost of running a gallery to add to that.
    Even though they are not limited edition there is only a limited number will be sold in any one gallery, so the initial cost will not be dissipated in bulk sales.
    You are paying for the cache of owning something so well reproduced (if it is) and consequently expensive. If they were cheap all the plebs would have them!
    Whether this comes out at €100 I have no idea, but printing off something on your inkjet will not give the same message to the recipient as a gallery version.


  • #3
    osullc10
    Registered Users Posts: 51 ✭✭osullc10


    Thanks for the reassurance.

    Of course, my Epson comment was said tongue-in-cheek. I would never seriously consider downloading an image off the internet, printing it at home and expecting someone to be impressed by it as a gift.

    I just didn't want a situation where I give a print as a gift to someone who might know more about these things than I do, and they consider the print to essentially be of no value.


  • #4
    I Heart Internet
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,678 ✭✭✭I Heart Internet


    Interesting question OP.

    There's lots to think about when considering this.

    In my "hierarchy" of fine art - which may differ for others but seems to (broadly) correspond with monetary value as well, you have:

    - unique painting - signed
    - unique painting - unsigned
    - limited edition, numbered, signed fine art print - printed by the artist
    - limited edition, numbered, signed fine art print - printed by someone else (a printer)
    - unlimited fine art print - signed
    - unlimited fine art print - unsigned
    - Copy (digital print) - made under license
    - Copy - knock-off

    It's an interesting question - what makes something valuable? If it's an image you like, should it matter who made it and how? Maybe.

    I'm surprised there are official unlimited LbeB digital prints for sale tbh. Do you have a website of the gallery - just curious.


  • #5
    osullc10
    Registered Users Posts: 51 ✭✭osullc10


    The gallery is the Duke Street Gallery in Dublin, though when I had a look the other day, I didn't see the prints on their website.
    Boards.ie won't let me post a link because I am considered a new user, but Google will find it.

    The prints they are selling in the gallery are from Louis le Brocquy's Táin series.
    The Wikipedia article on these illustrations, which I would have put a link to, is titled "Louis le Brocquy Táin illustrations".


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