Women Artists' Prints See Strong Market Performance By Value

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Prints and multiples by women artists comprise only 7 percent of the $2.18 billion in combined editions sales recorded between 2022 and 2026, but this disparity is primarily due to volume, not value. During this period, 286,970 editioned works by male artists were offered at auction, compared with 24,144 by women, according to an analysis of auction results from the Artnet Price Database.

When assessed by price alone, prints by women artists sell for only slightly less on average than those by men. They also achieve a higher sell-through rate and more frequently surpass their high estimates. This suggests that the market for prints by women artists who reach auction is robust, with representation and availability being the main challenges.

The Artnet Price Database data for 2022–2026 reveals that the median auction price for prints and multiples by women artists, including buyer's premium, was approximately $2,016. This figure is just above the $1,937 median for men's prints and multiples. Additionally, 78.8 percent of lots by women artists sold during this period, compared with 75.2 percent of those by men. Furthermore, 43.1 percent of women's lots sold above their high estimates, while 41.1 percent of men's lots did so.

Yayoi Kusama remains the leading woman artist by total auction sales value for prints from 2022 through 2026, reflecting both strong demand and her prolific output. Beyond Kusama, established printmakers like Helen Frankenthaler, Käthe Kollwitz, Bridget Riley, Vija Celmins, and Barbara Kruger continue to see significant market activity. Contemporary artists Julie Mehretu, Kara Walker, and Tracey Emin have also emerged as notable presences, collectively generating approximately $6.7 million in prints and multiples sales between 2022 and 2026.

Conner Williams, head of prints and multiples at Artnet Auctions, noted a growing segment of the primary market.“In recent years, women artists working in print have, to far less fanfare than public auction, produced editions made available directly for purchase through various print-publishers and at prices that would be noteworthy if only public. Julie Mehretu, Elizabeth Peyton, Cecily Brown, and Dana Schutz, to name a few, have collaborated with leading international publishers including BORCH Editions, Gemini G.E.L., and Two Palms, to regularly sell their prints at prices exceeding $100,000. In many cases, these new releases outperform those of their contemporary male counterparts. Because sales in this segment of the market are often private and less transparent than public auctions, these achievements are not widely known, leaving many collectors unaware of the extraordinary demand and value these artists have generated through printmaking.”

Museums have increasingly highlighted women printmakers, with the Philadelphia Museum of Art presenting“Julie Mehretu: In Focus” in 2025 after acquiring two major print series by the artist. The 2025 IFPDA Print Fair also commissioned Mickalene Thomas for a site-specific installation at the Park Avenue Armory in New York, and artists such as Laura Owens, Joan Hall, and Louise Bourgeois were featured prominently at the fair.

More than half of the top-performing women printmakers by auction value are American, with none born before 1867 and only three born before 1900. This trend points to the democratization efforts of printmaking studios during the Postwar Print Renaissance in the U.S., particularly following Tatyana Grosman's founding of Universal Limited Art Editions in 1957.

We previously reported:

Economist Clare McAndrew discussed a decade of art market data analysis, Gen Z spending on fine art, and the use of A.I. tools by collectors.

Source: Artnet News

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