Multiple author's originals vs. reproductions: by what criteria are 'serial works' classified as 'author's originals'?

Lucio Fontana - Concetto spaziale,1965 - serigrafia con fori - cm 69,5x49,5 - edizione limitata di 90 esemplari.

An author's original multiple is a graphic work (etching, lithograph, woodcut, serigraph, etc.) that the artist intended to be produced in multiple copies using a matrix they either directly engraved or created from their specific design. These are artworks made based on a precise plan by the artist for a print run—that is, a predetermined and limited number of copies (an edition). The artist oversees all stages of production in collaboration with the printer and publisher.

The publisher is the sole party responsible for the production of an edition.

A bon à tirer (B.A.T.), which translates from French as "good to pull," refers to the proof print that the artist judges to be the most successful or the one that best meets their expectations. This proof serves as a precise guide for the printer, who must match the entire print run to it.

The artist manages the creation of the multiple, signs each proof in pencil, and numbers it according to the print number/edition size (e.g., 1/150 means it is the first numbered print out of an edition of 150 copies). This step allows the artist to control the edition and eliminate any proofs they are not fully satisfied with.

Artist's proofs (P.A.) and/or Hors Commerce (H.C.) proofs should always be declared by the publisher to determine the total number of the print run. The number of artist's proofs should not exceed 10% of the final edition.

Then the artist proceeds to destroy the original plate or matrix, rendering it unusable. According to the Venice Declaration of 1991, the artist should clearly mark, perforate or cut a portion of the surface to unequivocally prove that the print run has been completed and to prevent the production of further copies.

It is quite common to find etchings or lithographs whose description refers to a "plate-signed" piece. This means the artist signed the plate or stone, and the signature was then impressed, along with the transferred image, onto each of the "copies" in the series. In these cases, it is very common for the artist not to hand-sign each individual piece, even if it is numbered. This does not mean that these works with a stamped signature have no value. To determine their value, we must consider other factors, such as whether it is an original edition created while the artist was alive or an edition created after the artist's death based on an existing work (D'après, After).

In contrast, a reproduction, even if authorized by the artist but not signed by them or otherwise not conceived as an original multiple, cannot be considered one. Likewise, posters, flyers, and postcards—even if they bear the artist's autograph—are not original author's multiples.

Furthermore, it is essential that prints and art multiples are accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist or the publisher, which declares the true authorship of the work and states the total number of copies produced.

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