Midas Touch Magazine January 2015_1.1

These were often made by others “after” original paintings and many are signed by the artist. Care must be taken in buying these because there are many fakes and the benefit of a catalogue raisonee is not to be had.

There has been a lot written about Picasso prints both in the lifetime of the artist and also after his death. Pretty much all his Original prints are to be found in the three volumes written by George Bloch and you should be sure to ask for a “Bloch number” when buying a piece. Other works describe the same pieces as Bloch but in greater detail and the decerning collector needs to invest in the literature to have a proper understanding of the series.

There are numerous examples of “unsigned” or “plate signed” works by Picasso. Often these are cut out of books and are perfectly genuine despite not having the benefit of a pencil signature. Many are of dubious or completely false origin (Take a look on Ebay and you will find shedloads of these). The attraction, of course, for the novice collector is to own an original print at an affordable price. The downside is that many of these are just plain fakes.

Most unsigned works can be classified as ʻdecorative” rather then investment pieces.

Generally we have a stock of 20 or 30 signed Picasso prints covering most periods of his Title: Sculpteur songeant, Modele aux chevaux noirs oeuvre from 1905 to the 1970ʼs. et bol avec trois Anemones (s.8211) Personally I find the whole series Medium: Original Etching, in black & white, signed fascinating - and there is always by the artist in pencil something new to learn about Reference: Georges Bloch: “Catalogue de lʼoeuvre them! grave et lithographie, Vol 1 : Number 177 Niall Fairhead Fairhead Fine Art Limited ta ImagesFairhead Fine Art Limited t/a Images 19 Helenslea Avenue, Golders Green London NW11 8NE UK Tel: +44 (0)208 455 2700 Mobile: + 44 (0)7976 967216 nfairhead@images-art.co.uk www.images-art.co.uk 34