Executive snapshot: where prints sit in 2025
The broader market cooled again in 2024 (sales down ~12% to ~$57.5B; high-end consignments thinner, transactions up at lower price points). In 2025 that dynamic is still visible: dealers and auctions are leaning into liquidity and mid-price segments—prime territory for blue-chip prints.
Andy Warhol — depth, not froth
Market temperature. Warhol remains the gravitational center of the Pop print market. Even in a cautious year, marquee images continue to clear estimates decisively when quality, color, and provenance line up. Example: a Marilyn Monroe (1967) screenprint led Sotheby’s online “Prints & Multiples” in late September, hammering above guidance and anchoring the $3.9m sale. Complete Marilyn portfolios still change hands in the low-to-mid seven figures when fresh and correctly matched.
Stand-out works (prints).
• Marilyn (1967; F&S II.22–31): singles with strong inks and clean versos continue to outperform; full portfolios remain trophy-grade. Watch out for paper tone, verso scuffing, and matching paper/watermarks across sets.
• Dollar Sign (1982): selective demand; graphic, saturated examples do well, but the category is price-sensitive outside the best colors/sizes.
Position vs overall market. Warhol’s print indices are holding up better than many high-value paintings segments: liquidity is steady and estimate discipline is back. The bid depth you see around A-images (Marilyn, Mao, Flowers, Campbell’s) aligns with the broader 2025 move into mid-priced, highly legible blue-chip assets.
2026 watch-list (collector notes).
• Prioritize Marilyn with top color balance and untrimmed, untoned sheets; avoid Sunday B. Morning confusion in cataloging.
• For portfolios, insist on documented set history (Factory Additions stamps, matching numbers, and condition reports).
• Myths, Endangered Species and late celebrity images can feel cyclical—buy only best-in-class impressions and framed-out condition reports.
Discover Andy Warhol original art for sale.
Roy Lichtenstein — supply shock, renewed attention
Market temperature. 2025 handed Lichtenstein a major narrative with Sotheby’s Lichtenstein estate sales; the September session blew past expectations at ~$27m across 90+ works and put prints squarely back in headlines. Mid-range prints saw healthy sell-through, especially Comic-era motifs and Reflections/Nudes with clean whites.
Stand-out works (prints).
• Sweet Dreams, Baby! (1965) and Crying Girl (1963): consistent liquidity; recent results for quality, signed or well-provenanced examples continue to push beyond historical mid-ranges. Shipboard Girl (1965, offset) also sold well out of the estate holdings.
• Reflections and late Nudes: estimate-beating when the sheet is bright and margins clean; watch for the usual light-stain and backboard issues.
Position vs overall market. In a year favoring recognizability and mid-price works, Lichtenstein prints are textbook product-market fit. H1 2025 saw fewer prints but higher totals and averages—a sign of competition concentrating on the better material.
2026 watch-list (collector notes).
• Comic-era offsets (Crying Girl, Shipboard Girl) remain entry points but are condition-driven; prioritize crisp color and minimal handling.
• For signed screenprints (e.g., Sweet Dreams, Baby!), verify sheet size, paper tone, and Corlett references; be wary of restoration around corners and edges.
• Expect more estate-related supply; the best examples will be chased, the average ones will need price discipline.
Browse Roy Lichtenstein prints for sale.
Keith Haring — quality premium widening
Market temperature. Haring’s prints have quietly compounded for several years, with 2023–25 data showing higher average prices even as lot volumes fluctuate. In 2025, complete Pop Shop sets (particularly I & IV) and Retrospect (1989) drew assertive bidding when fresh, while single plates and ephemera split by condition.
Stand-out works (prints).
• Retrospect (1989): scarce (ed. 75) and a magnet for competitive bidding when un-faded and with strong blacks.
• Pop Shop I–VI (1987–89): complete signed sets remain the market’s backbone; AP sets command premiums; condition, signatures, and publisher notes (MLLE, Durham) materially move price.
Position vs overall market. Haring’s print segment aligns with the 2025 preference for culturally legible, wall-ready works under six figures. Sell-throughs are strongest where estimates reflect condition and where provenance is airtight; over-aggressive asks on toned or faded sheets are being punished.
2026 watch-list (collector notes).
• Prioritize complete Pop Shop sets with excellent color and minimal handling; avoid tape stains and mat-burn that are common in 1980s frames.
• Retrospect remains a high-beta bet; verify Littmann references, signatures, and publisher stamps; ask for UV photos if possible.
• Expect sustained demand from design-forward buyers—placement quality and framing now influence outcomes.
David Hockney — pools, Tyler Graphics & steady growth
Market temperature. Hockney’s print market in 2025 is notably resilient, with pool-related graphics seeing robust absorption. A data point this month: Pool Made with Paper and Blue Ink smashed estimate in London; Tyler Graphics Lithograph of Water… variants continue to carry confident estimates, and 2025 commentary pegs pool print averages with multi-year growth.
Stand-out works (prints).
• Lithograph of Water Made of Thick and Thin Lines… (1978–80) suite and related variants: sustained demand for clean, minimally handled TGL sheets.
• Paper Pools and California-pool themes: liquidity plus storytelling; sharp impressions with bright, unfaded colors lead.
Position vs overall market. Hockney prints map neatly onto the mid-price, high-recognition lane that’s thriving in 2025; meanwhile, a major painting consignment poised for November underscores renewed brand attention and could halo the edition market.
2026 watch-list (collector notes).
• Seek Tyler Graphics (TGL) works with impeccable paper condition and documentation; small flaws are increasingly priced in.
• Pools keep leading, but don’t ignore strong botanical/LA prints when colors are pristine.
• Monitor late-2025 marquee painting results: upside “PR effect” can float print demand into spring sales.
Discover signed David Hockney prints for sale.
Cross-artist themes that mattered in 2025
Estimate discipline & condition bifurcation. The best examples break through; average examples meet resistance. This is now acute across all four artists.
Icon quotient > rarity alone. Highly recognizable images (Warhol Marilyn, Lichtenstein comic motifs, Haring Pop Shop, Hockney pools) continue to outperform obscure prints of equal scarcity.
Liquidity beats headline. With mega-lot softness at the top end, prints offered the market velocity 2025 needed; dealers and houses doubled down.
What smart collectors should do heading into 2026
Buy criteria (non-negotiables).
• Paper & color: Avoid toning, mat-burn, foxing, light-stain; insist on high-res recto/verso images and UV where fading risk exists (Haring oranges/reds; Warhol saturated grounds).
• Catalogue raisonné & stamps: Confirm references (Warhol F&S; Lichtenstein Corlett; Haring Littmann; Hockney TGL/M.C.A.T.) and publishers (Factory Additions, Castelli, Martin Lawrence, Durham, Tyler Graphics).
• Sets & matching: For portfolios (Warhol Marilyn; Haring Pop Shop), matching numbers and uniform condition drive premium.
• Provenance & framing: Earlier, archival framing histories now affect price; factor reframing costs and potential margins reduction into bids.
Tactical plays.
• Warhol: Target Marilyn singles with superior inking; consider complete sets if provenance is museum-adjacent or dealer-assembled with documentation.
• Lichtenstein: Lean into clean Crying Girl, Sweet Dreams, Baby!, Shipboard Girl; selectively pursue Reflections sheets with bright whites. Estate-related supply may continue—be picky.
• Haring: Prioritize full Pop Shop sets and Retrospect with no fade; APs and signed estate-stamped impressions are fine when correctly catalogued.
• Hockney: Focus on TGL pools and water lithographs; demand immaculate margins and corroborated printer’s blindstamps. Track November painting headlines for momentum spillover.
For more information on any of the artists featured and to inquire about latest availabiltiies, contact info@guyhepner.com
