Rothko Signed Prints

Many art lovers believe that a signed print is worth buying. Art prints make it possible to build a collection of art at a lower price than what you'd typically expect to pay for paintings, and you can choose from thousands of options. Signed prints are particularly desirable because they often translate to added value on the secondary market, particularly when the artist signed them by hand. However, whether or not it's worth investing in signed art prints is totally subjective! At 1stDibs, we believe in buying what you love. Our shopping experience enables discovery and learning, whether you are a seasoned connoisseur or just beginning your collection. Find art prints and other art on 1stDibs.

Whether plate-signed prints are worth anything depends on the artist, the rarity of the piece, its condition and other factors. While artists’ editions tend to be more affordable and available than his or her unique works, and so new collectors are often directed toward prints as a starting point, accessibility, however, does not mean prints appreciate at a different pace from other mediums. The market for paintings increases parallel to the prints market (and a signed work may be more valuable to collectors than an unsigned print). A certified appraiser or art industry professional can evaluate specific prints and determine their value. On 1stDibs, shop a range of prints from some of the world’s top galleries.

A signed Picasso print can be worth quite a bit of money. In 2022, a signed print titled "Le Repas frugal" ("The Frugal Repast") by the revolutionary Spanish artist sold for $8 million.

While a Cubist painting by the artist sold for $179 million in 2015, the price range for original Pablo Picasso prints is vast. A signed Picasso print can garner millions of dollars at auction, even as a lesser-known lithograph might sell for somewhere in the low five figures.

It's important to note that determining the value of any collectible depends on a variety of factors. Fine art prints are more valuable when they are signed by the artist, and experts suggest that a print's value can gradually increase over time. A signed Picasso print's precise worth, however, will depend on its condition (paper is fragile!), subject matter and provenance.

Larger prints as well as works in color are likely to be worth more than their smaller counterparts in black and white. The value of a print is also informed by whether the work is editioned or not, as well as the size and number of the edition. (A print from an edition run of 50 is theoretically more valuable than one from a run of 200.)

Picasso created "The Frugal Repast" at the end of what is known as his "Blue Period," in which the artist stuck to a monochromatic palette of blue and blue-green for most of the paintings he produced between 1901 and 1904.

The etching was made in 1904 in Paris using a recycled zinc plate that Picasso scraped clean of what was previously there. The print is part of what came to be known as the "Saltimbanque Suite," the artist's first major body of work in printmaking. And while Picasso had no formal training in printmaking, he was a tireless innovator with media, creating more than 20,000 paintings, drawings, prints, ceramics and sculptures throughout his lifetime.

Find a range of Pablo Picasso art on 1stDibs.