Artist signatures: how do they change the value of art?
Signed in pencil, signed in plate, what does it all mean? The way a print is signed and its impact on the value of the art creates a lot of confusion. You will see prints that are unsigned, plate signed, stamped signature, signed property, and signed with a blind stamp. There are no hard and fast rules about how an artist should sign his graphic art. It is more important to know what was the normal procedure for the time period and what was the normal practice for that particular artist.
Centuries ago, most artists never considered signing their art. The part numbers are unsigned, but that doesn’t mean the artist is unknown or not made or approved by him or worthless. Rembrandt, considered one of the greatest engravers, did not sign several of his prints. Most of the modern masters, Picasso, Chagall, Miro, did not sign certain editions. This is when it’s important to work with a knowledgeable dealer, as unscrupulous people have forged pencil signatures on authentic artwork to command a higher price.
Signed in the plate means that the artist has signed his name in the matrix (wood, metal, stone, etc.) so that it is printed within the art. This is the way an artist would sign his work until the 19th century and many of the earlier artists would not have done as much if it had not been decreed by guild law. Generally speaking, because there are always exceptions in art, a signed plate artwork is more desirable than an unsigned piece, but less desirable than one signed in pencil. Since artists from the 14th to the late 19th centuries did not sign their art in pencil, the lack of a pencil signature has no impact on value.
Signed in pencil is often the type of signature preferred by collectors.
It has become a tradition for the artist to sign their name in the lower margin below the image. They may also include the edition number, title, and date. We can thank James McNeil Whistler for helping to introduce and promote the handwritten signature in the late 19th century. The hand-signed signature signifies the integrity of the print, which is original and distinctive from a reproduction. Whistler charged twice as much for his hand-signed pieces as for his other pieces from the same edition, although there was no difference in the quality of the art. Seymour Haden would sign his name to any of the earlier prints of him unsigned for a guinea. Picasso sold 15,000 signatures for the Vollard Suite.
Unfortunately, the hand-signed signature no longer has the same meaning as many artists sign and number their lithographic or offset giclee reproductions. This is not a new phenomenon either, Kathe Kollwitz signed photolithographic reproductions of one of her aquatint series. Still, the implied message has stuck and pieces that are hand-signed are generally more valuable than those that aren’t. What makes all of this very confusing is that it is possible to have a fake signature on a genuine piece of art and a real signature on a reproducible piece of art.
Sometimes, instead of hand signing the art or signing on the plate, an artist will use a stamp of their signature and apply it to the art, usually in the bottom margin where the hand signature would normally be found. A stamped signature is sometimes confused with a hand-signed signature.
The heirs and heirs have been creating posthumous editions or reproductive editions that bear a special signature. They sign the art to give the impression that the artist would have authorized it had he not died. These signatures can be hand signed, sealed signatures or blind seals by the heirs, museums or any authorized organization. The value of these is usually much lower than lifetime prints. But of course, there are always exceptions!
