Investment Tips
Record Breaking Prices


Ernest Hemingway
Karsh of Ottowa
Later silver gelatin print
There have been some remarkable news stories recently concerning the financial value of photographs. Shockwaves were felt in the art world only a few years ago, when it was revealed that a vintage print of Glass Tears by Surrealist artist Man Ray had sold privately for a sum 'substantially more' than a million dollars. It was the first time such a sum had been paid for a photograph.

Meanwhile relatively new contemporary photographers like Andreas Gursky and Rineke Dijkstra are commanding startling prices at auction well into five or six figures. These same photographs could have been purchased several years ago for a few thousand pounds.

 


Mutation Mink, c.1940
Gene Fenn
Modern R-type print

 Investing in Photographs
These examples are exceptional. But there is plenty of evidence to show that by buying quality work by the best photographers, over a steady period, a collection will inevitably increase in value.

So what criteria dictate the value of a print, and how can the individual collector ensure they are making a lasting investment?

 



 

 
 


Storrow Drive
Boston, Massachusetts, 1998
David Fokos
Limited edition silver gelatin print
Buying Guidlines


Do buy vintage prints in good condition with strong images.

Don't buy badly damaged vintage prints. No one will want a print with a large rip or mark across the middle of the image

Do buy reasonably priced, signed, modern prints from the original negative by well-established living photographers.

Don't buy mass produced inkjets in editions larger than 200, even those by famous photographers.

Do buy estate prints authenticated and controlled by a family member and printed from the original negative.

Don't buy cheap unsigned multiples from archives of dead photographers, unless you want an expensive poster. A print that is neither vintage, nor signed, nor authenticated, is likely to be worthless.

Cafe, Paris c.1960
Paul Almasy
Vintage silver gelatin print

Do buy work you admire by up-and-coming photographers with a proven exhibition record - before their prices rise.

Don't buy just because you've been told they're the next big thing

Do buy the best you can afford.

Don't buy poor images by well-known names.

Do take time to find out about photography by reading books and journals, visiting exhibitions, and becoming acquainted with a specialist photography gallery. Increase your knowledge of the market and confidence in purchasing

Don't buy under pressure, or because you feel you 'should'