Limited edition prints

[Peter Ahrens]

I've been reading around about limited edition prints and the actual definition of them.

I know that in the US they have actual laws about what defines this. Does Australia have any laws that are similar to this, or do we just use our own discretion?

This is an excerpt from Joe Decker's website according to California law.

"Images from Signatures of the Sun are limited to 21... Only that many signed and numbered fine art prints will be made of that image. This means there will be (at most) 21 "Burble" prints, not 21 16x11s plus 21 24x16s plus 21 48x32s....
This total does not include other uses of the image such as note cards, posters or magazine publications, nor does it include "work prints." Work prints are draft prints I make of an image and do not sell, but may use in portfolio presentations."

I was under the impression that you could give each size a different number of limits, but in the case above, you have to use the limit as a total for all different sizes.

Comments?

[BCampbell]

I didn't know there were actual US laws regarding this. I'd love a link.

As I understand it, limited editions of prints are really a pact between the artist and the buyer. The artist promises to only make a certain number of prints, and numbers them and accompanies them with a certificate of authenticity.

In the case of photos -- not only digital but those made from film negatives, contact prints, etc -- everyone knows that more prints can be made whenever. Sure, a photographer could just go ahead and make more prints, but that will destroy their reputation and any future attempts at marketing limited print runs. They'd lose the benefit of premium pricing, and devalue all their future work. The art world is not like the Internet, you can't just apologize and hope people forget.

[Peter Ahrens]

Ok, here's a link that I found.

Truth in the Fine Art Industry, Fine Art Registry article - art education

If you scroll down to "The Solution" (or Control+F and find the solution) - a bit below that is a grey box that shows the California law. They seem to be pretty strict because the law was made in 1971.

It's a pretty long-winded article, but pretty much it was to eradicate print fraud, so people know they are buying the real thing, rather than an unsigned/unnumbered print that's not worth much.

[BCampbell]

Thanks for the link. I searched some more and found a) lots of links to that site where they are trying to sell memberships and b) lots of people noting that while several states have "multiples laws", nobody really knows about them so nobody really follows them.

In any case, what's outlined in that link is generally what goes into a "certificate of authenticity" as common best practice, with a few caveats about things like posthumous releases and authentic signatures. To get back to your original question, there aren't any laws that actually govern how many prints you can make or if different sizes constitute different print runs.

On that second point, check out 20x200. They've made a production model of having different print runs of different sizes.

[Peter Ahrens]

Thanks for that BCampbell

[Mr Guy]

Originally Posted by pjtn

Ok, here's a link that I found.

Truth in the Fine Art Industry, Fine Art Registry article - art education

If you scroll down to "The Solution" (or Control+F and find the solution) - a bit below that is a grey box that shows the California law. They seem to be pretty strict because the law was made in 1971.

It's a pretty long-winded article, but pretty much it was to eradicate print fraud, so people know they are buying the real thing, rather than an unsigned/unnumbered print that's not worth much.

And keep in mine that the reason California even HAS that law is because there's massive profit in selling lithographs of Disney prints. Disney has never been shy about changing laws for their profit margins, but you're not likely to see that law in places with a less powerful lobby group.