What Is An Original Art Print? (& How To Start Collecting)

London Original Print Fair is set to return to the capital later this month (20–23 March), celebrating all things printmaking. If you’re not in the loop, we’ve got you covered: we asked London Original Print Fair’s Director Helen Rosslyn for an introduction to original art prints, plus what we can expect at the fair this spring.

Helen Rosslyn, Director of London Original Print Fair

What Is An Original Art Print?

‘An original print was traditionally an image produced by a process which allowed it to be printed from one surface onto another,’ Helen explains. ‘For example, etching and engraving, where the image was drawn onto a metal plate; lithography, where it was drawn onto a stone; woodcut and linocut; and screenprint, a stencil printing method. Since the introduction of digital printing, the word “original” has come to signify the intention of the artist to make a print, produced in an edition, to differentiate from a reproduction of an existing painting.’

What Is The Appeal Of Collecting Original Art Prints?

‘The appeal of prints for collectors usually starts because one can buy at an affordable price point, but once a collector begins to understand a bit about the techniques involved it can become quite addictive, as one sees the range of effects that can be achieved,’ Helen says.

It’s an industry with long-lasting roots, with London Original Print Fair celebrating its 40th birthday this year. What’s changed over the decades? ‘The most marked change is the transition from old master prints to contemporary,’ Helen says. ‘When the fair started in 1985 it had just 16 exhibitors, of which three quarters were showing old master prints (usually classified as pre-1850). Now the majority of the work on show is contemporary.’

It’s a great option if you’re looking for a stable investment. ‘The print market tends to remain relatively steady where other art markets fluctuate, mainly because it is easy to track the price of a print,’ Helen explains. ‘You just have to look at the price paid for another print in the same edition.’

If you’re wondering about the benefit for artists, rest assured that ‘printmaking can be a regular and dependable source of income for artists,’ too, Helen explains.

London Original Print Fair 2024

How Can Newbies Get Started?

‘A fair is a very good place for a new collector to get started, because it offers a huge range of styles under a single roof,’ Helen says. ‘At London Original Print Fair there are over 40 exhibitors, so I often recommend making a quick tour of the fair to see what has an immediate appeal, marking down four or five exhibitors that catch your eye and then returning for a close look. Don’t forget to use the knowledge of the exhibitors who are all there because they like talking about their prints!’

As Helen says, it’s always worth picking the brains of the experts – and a fair is the perfect place to do it. For example: ‘artists rarely signed their prints before the mid-19th century, but a contemporary edition will usually be signed and numbered by the artist,’ Helen says. ‘If not, it is worth asking the dealer why. There may be a perfectly good reason: they may be signed and numbered on the reverse, for example.’

Original art print collecting is also going nowhere soon: ‘One of the reasons for the growth in contemporary prints is that more and more artists are recognising the value of printmaking to their wider practice,’ Helen says. ‘Many more people can afford to buy their work which in turn means that more people get to see their images, something which motivated Dürer to make engravings and woodcuts back in the 15th century.’

London Original Print Fair is hosted at Somerset House

What Can Visitors Expect At London Original Print Fair 2025?

‘As usual, at London Original Print Fair 2025, visitors can expect to see a whole host of newly-published prints, alongside prints which dealers have held back especially for the fair,’ Helen says. ‘Highlights will include a collection of World War II prints by artists such as Nash and Nevinson. I anticipate that there will be a stampede for Tom Hammick’s wonderful woodcut poster, created especially for our 40th anniversary, entitled Red Carpet.’

What else should we keep our eye out for? ‘There are new prints promised by perennial favourites Rashid Johnson (Hauser & Wirth), David Shrigley (Jealous) and Chris Levine (Manifold),’ Helen recommends. ‘But for emerging printmakers, I will be looking at India Printmaker House who are exhibiting with us for the first time.’

Tom Hammick, Red Carpet, LOPF 40th Anniversary

What’s Your Favourite Art Print?

‘I love all the prints I have ever bought, but I suppose my most exciting buy was a small Rembrandt print which I bought for £4 in a street market in Southwold about 30 years ago!’ Helen says.

VISIT

London Original Print Fair returns to Somerset House (Strand, London WC2R 1LA) from 20 to 23 March 2025. Tickets can be booked at londonoriginalprintfair.com