Specialist Picks: Shop the Best Editions to Buy Now
A curated selection of standout editions that embody innovation, craftsmanship, and the unmistakable signatures of today’s most influential artists.
This month’s Specialist Picks present a compelling selection of editions by influential contemporary artists whose work continues to shape the language of modern collecting. From El Anatsui’s richly textured explorations of surface and material to Ai Weiwei’s ambitious multi-panel relief print, each work demonstrates how editioned formats can retain both conceptual depth and visual impact. Alex Katz’s iconic portraiture distills form and color to their most essential elements, while Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons expand the boundaries of the category through sculptural editions that blur the line between print, object, and installation.
Carefully selected for their artistic significance, technical execution, and enduring appeal, these works offer collectors an opportunity to engage with established artistic practices in editioned form—providing both accessible entry points and distinctive additions to mature collections.
El Anatsui, One in Two, $22,500
A compelling example of El Anatsui’s continued exploration of material, texture, and surface, One in Two reflects the artist’s distinctive visual language translated into print. Created in 2024, this hand-sculpted UV pigment print on aluminum sheet echoes the compositional complexity and tactile sensibility that define Anatsui’s celebrated sculptural works.
Signed by the artist on the verso, the work is issued in a limited edition of just twenty-four impressions, underscoring its exclusivity within Anatsui’s contemporary practice. The aluminum support enhances the work’s sculptural presence, allowing color, pattern, and relief to interact dynamically with light. Bridging fine art and material experimentation, One in Two offers collectors a refined entry point into the work of one of the most influential artists of his generation.
Damien Hirst, Eternal Beauty (Black and Gold), $27,000
A striking expression of Damien Hirst’s enduring fascination with beauty, transformation, and mortality, Eternal Beauty (Black and Gold) exemplifies the artist’s iconic butterfly motif rendered in sculptural form. Created in 2017, the work translates the delicacy of nature into a luminous object of permanence through the lost-wax casting process.
Executed as a crystal sculpture and finished in black and gold, the piece is signed and numbered by the artist and forms part of a limited edition of fifty. The butterfly, a recurring symbol throughout Hirst’s oeuvre, evokes themes of life, fragility, and transcendence, while the precious materials elevate the subject into the realm of the eternal. Combining strong visual impact with conceptual depth, Eternal Beauty (Black and Gold) stands as a compelling collectible work by one of the most influential artists of the contemporary era.
Jeff Koons, Balloon Dog (Blue), $40,000
An instantly recognizable icon of contemporary art, Balloon Dog (Blue) exemplifies Jeff Koons’s ability to elevate everyday imagery into objects of polished spectacle. Created in 2021, the work translates the artist’s celebrated stainless-steel sculptures into a refined collectible format while preserving their playful scale and mirror-like finish.
Executed in Limoges porcelain with a chromatic coating, the sculpture is signed and numbered on the inside of the front right leg and forms part of a large yet finite edition of 799. The high-gloss blue surface reflects light and surroundings, reinforcing Koons’s exploration of consumer culture, nostalgia, and desire. Balancing accessibility with unmistakable presence, Balloon Dog (Blue) stands as a defining example of Koons’s enduring influence within contemporary art.
Alex Katz, Blue Hat, $45,000
A refined example of Alex Katz’s instantly recognizable style, Blue Hat captures the artist’s enduring interest in portraiture reduced to its most essential forms. Created in 2004, the work exemplifies Katz’s use of flat color, crisp contours, and striking compositional clarity, resulting in an image that feels both timeless and unmistakably modern.
Executed as an aquatint in colors on Somerset Velvet paper, the print is hand-signed and numbered by the artist and forms part of a limited edition of seventy-five. Presented unframed, Blue Hat reflects Katz’s signature balance of elegance and immediacy, offering collectors a quintessential work by one of the most influential figures in postwar American art.
Ai Weiwei, After Les Nuages, $95,000
A powerful example of Ai Weiwei’s ongoing engagement with abstraction, materiality, and collective memory, After Les Nuages reinterprets painterly gesture through a contemporary printmaking lens. Created in 2024, the work translates layered color and atmospheric depth into a complex relief surface, reflecting the artist’s interest in transformation and fragmentation.
Executed as a forty-color relief print on an aluminum Dibond backplate, the work is signed, dated, and numbered across different panels and is issued in an exceptionally limited edition of just fourteen. The multi-panel construction and sculptural surface invite close viewing, allowing color and texture to shift with light and perspective. Combining technical ambition with conceptual resonance, After Les Nuages stands as a significant collectible work by one of the most influential artists of the 21st century.
Together, these selections underscore the breadth and sophistication of editions in contemporary art today. Whether through material experimentation, sculptural form, or bold graphic clarity, each work reflects the innovation and intention that define this dynamic category. For collectors seeking museum-quality editions, sculptural multiples, or thoughtfully produced works by globally recognized artists, this month’s highlights represent exceptional opportunities—each one affirming the lasting relevance and versatility of the editioned art form.
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