Lego Rings

Bearbrick (or Be@rbrick) figures stand out for two main features: their simple and attractive image and their endless variety of designs. Bearbrick was published for the first time on May 27, 2001 during the Tokyo World Character Convention. It was given away as a present for its visitors. Since then, the Bearbrick has become a canvas on which designers and artists have shaped their designs. Owned by the Japanese company Medicom, the Bearbrick shows an articulated bear similar to a piece of Lego. Hence its name, the conjunction of words "bear" and "brick". The most traditional Bearbricks are made of vinyl, although they can be found in any material, wood, metal or porcelain among others. Bearbrick figures can be found in multiple series. On one hand, they are sold in what has already become popular as “Blind Boxes”, boxes that contain a certain model that belongs to a series, which is made up of a specific number of designs. What makes some figures more special than others is the probability of finding a specific design. Some Bearbricks that are included in these “blind boxes” are very limited, so these have become highly valued collectibles. On the other hand, the most exclusive side of the Bearbricks shines thanks to the collaborations between Medicom and great designers or artists. Karl Lagerfeld, Salvatore Ferragamo, Kenzo or Roberto Cavalli, are some of the high couture designers who have dressed Bearbrick. Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jackson Pollock, Keith Haring, Kaws or Pushead are some of the artists who give the artistic version to these figures.

Decorating with fine art prints — whether they’re figurative prints, abstract prints or another variety — has always been a practical way of bringing a space to life as well as bringing works by an artist you love into your home.

Pursued in the 1960s and ’70s, largely by Pop artists drawn to its associations with mass production, advertising, packaging and seriality, as well as those challenging the primacy of the Abstract Expressionist brushstroke, printmaking was embraced in the 1980s by painters and conceptual artists ranging from David Salle and Elizabeth Murray to Adrian Piper and Sherrie Levine.

Printmaking is the transfer of an image from one surface to another. An artist takes a material like stone, metal, wood or wax, carves, incises, draws or otherwise marks it with an image, inks or paints it and then transfers the image to a piece of paper or other material.

Fine art prints are frequently confused with their more commercial counterparts. After all, our closest connection to the printed image is through mass-produced newspapers, magazines and books, and many people don’t realize that even though prints are editions, they start with an original image created by an artist with the intent of reproducing it in a small batch. Fine art prints are created in strictly limited editions — 20 or 30 or maybe 50 — and are always based on an image created specifically to be made into an edition.

Many people think of revered Dutch artist Rembrandt as a painter but may not know that he was a printmaker as well. His prints have been preserved in time along with the work of other celebrated printmakers such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Andy Warhol. These fine art prints are still highly sought after by collectors.

“It’s another tool in the artist’s toolbox, just like painting or sculpture or anything else that an artist uses in the service of mark making or expressing him- or herself,” says International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) vice president Betsy Senior, of New York’s Betsy Senior Fine Art, Inc.

Because artist’s editions tend to be more affordable and available than his or her unique works, they’re more accessible and can be a great opportunity to bring a variety of colors, textures and shapes into a space.

For tight corners, select small fine art prints as opposed to the oversized bold piece you’ll hang as a focal point in the dining area. But be careful not to choose something that is too big for your space. And feel free to lean into it if need be — not every work needs picture-hanging hooks. Leaning a larger fine art print against the wall behind a bookcase can add a stylish installation-type dynamic to your living room. (Read more about how to arrange wall art here.)

Find fine art prints for sale on 1stDibs today.