The first semester for the art market is about to come to an end and before its conclusion Christie’s auction house is going to try itself out with an auction completely dedicated to author prints. Indeed, on 31st July Christie’s New York is going to propose a very interesting sale that will attract many neo-collectors, thanks to the very low estimates that vary from 300 to 18 thousand dollars. “Prints & Multiples” will auction 357 lots, including 29 works by Pablo Picasso, 23 by Joan Mirò and 5 by Marc Chagall. If we look through the catalogue we will see many interesting works that could give an excellent result to this sale dedicated to prints and multiples, a sector considered as one the minor sectors of the art market.
One of the most important pieces that will be auctioned is lot number 348, “Marilyn (Announcement)”, a colour lithograph dating from 1981, published by Castello Graphics New York to advertise the exhibition “Andy Warhol: A Print Retrospective”, which will be presented at the New York sale with an estimate included between 12 and 18 thousand dollars. An extraordinary subject which Warhol worked on a lot during his career. Marilyn Monroe died in August 1962. In the following four months Andy Warhol started working on more than twenty serigraphs which had the US actress as their protagonist, all based on the same photograph of Monroe in the film Niagara from 1953, In this woman’s wonderful face, the genius of Business Art found the fusion of two very important themes for his art poetics: death and the cult of celebrity.
Besides this famous print, during the auction the public will view various works from very different artistic periods.
Very interesting the prints by French artist Pierre Auguste Renoir, such as: “Femme me couchèe (Tournèe a droite)” (estimate 2-3 thousand dollars), “Ambroise Vollard, from Douze lithographies originales de Pierre-Auguste” (estimate 2.5-3.5 thousand dollars) and “Femme au cep de vigne: four plates from Douze Lithographies” (estimate 4-6 thousand dollars).
As well as Renoir’s works we should mention also some beautiful works realized in the early twentieth century. Unmissable a selection of prints realized by Henti de Toulouse-Lautrec, artist from Paris defined as “the soul of Montmartre”,  as he often represented life at the Moulin Rouge, and other places and theatres of Paris. A work to look out for is “A collection of song sheets”, which will start from an estimate of 4-6 thousand dollars. Without forgetting “Les Danseuses (Fond Jaune)” by Fernand Lèger, estimated at 3-5 thousand dollars; “Women” by Joan Mirò, starting from an estimate of  4-6 thousand dollars;  “Lettera amorosa: on plate” by Georges Braque, estimated between 3 and 5 thousand dollars and “L’Aube” by Marc Chagall, presented with an estimate of 5-7 thousand dollars. 
The selection of the New York auction is also characterized by an importance presence of Pablo Picasso. The most outstanding works are definitely “Joie Maternelle” and “Au Cabaret” (both estimated at 8-12 thousand dollars) . Not less precious “Le Peintre et Son Modèle” (estimate 7-9 thousand dollars) and “Profile of Woman Looking to the right” (estimate 5-7 thousand dollars).
Great aesthetic beauty characterizes some prints of the great protagonists of sixties-seventies art, among which “Minnie Mouse” by Willem De Kooning (estimate 5-7 thousand dollars); “Fenerana, from Imaginary Places” by Frank Stella (estimate 5-7 thousand dollars); “Wavy Lines (Grey)” by Sol Lewitt (estimate 5-7 thousand dollars) and “0 through 9: three plates” by Jasper Johns (estimate 9-12 thousand dollars).
With regard to the selection of prints more related to contemporaneity, the works that stand out are
“Four Prints by the Artist” by Takashi Murakami (estimate 3-5 thousand dollars), “Gillette”  by Chinese Wang Guangyi (estimate 4-6 thousand dollars), “Untitled (Bastian 28)” by Cy Twombly (estimate 7-9 thousand dollars) and “Last Supper” by English Damien Hirst (estimate 3-5 thousand dollars).

(translated by Giorgina Arcuri)