Patrick Caulfield's silkscreen prints

It was not until 1967 that Caulfield produced more silkscreens, he had at last discovered a way to express his work in a smaller scale yet without losing any of the impact.

Over the next 25 years 90 silkscreen were produced. All of them are fresh, bright and lively, vivid colours dominate most of the pictures in a way that I feel makes Patrick Caulfield unique. Simple objects - jugs, lampshades, wineglasses, bathroom mirror, fish wall lamp, water jug. All these items from everyday life are brought to the attention of the viewer with its bold black lines standing out from the sometimes colourful background. It gives the viewer a warm feeling of familiarity with the object.

So what is Patrick Caulfield's worth? All Patrick Caulfield's silk screen prints were made in limited editions ranging from 40 to 150 per picture, everyone would be signed and numbered by Caulfield and sizes vary from small to very large. As with all limited editions prints the most desirable and collectable are the early numbers of the run i.e. 10 of 75 and especially the artist proof editions which are normally marked artist proof. The larger the print the more desirable it becomes.

The three prints I've shown are picture dressed lobster c1980 quite small for Caulfield measuring 60 x 75 cm would set you back £650 in a gallery. Large Jug c1983 measures 116 x 93 cm limited edition of 80, a classic example of optic art would cost you £1200, the Pitcher is from a series of four c1981 and measures 102 x 79 cm will cost you about £650 not a bad price really for something so iconic!

My advice? Invest in Patrick Caulfield while his prints are still relatively cheap for such an important British artist, I feel sure they will only go up in value. Be selective the prints MUST be in top condition, no tears stains or signs of fading. Happy hunting!

© Michael Hogben