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Helen Frankenthaler, a key figure in postwar American art, is celebrated for both her Colour Field paintings and groundbreaking printmaking. Her innovative use of woodcut and intaglio techniques redefined the medium and continues to drive collector demand. This seller's guide offers an up-to-date look at her print market in 2025 – from recent auction records and edition types to current values and what makes her most sought-after works stand out.
In a subdued broader market, Frankenthaler’s print segment has shown both resilience and volatility. In the first half of 2025, 18 lots were sold at auction, generating £153,352 in sales. While that represents a decline from the highs of 2023, the slowdown in volume appears consistent with overall art market conditions. Notably, Frankenthaler’s average sale price remains relatively stable: £8,500 in 2025 so far, compared to £8,600 in 2023 and £15,000 in 2024.
Frankenthaler’s printmaking career spanned nearly four decades, with distinct stylistic and technical developments that continue to shape market demand today. Early prints from the late 1960s and 1970s reflect her transition from the soak-stain canvases that made her famous to more intimate works on paper. These editions – often lithographs or etchings – tend to trade at lower price points but remain important to collectors for their historical significance and lyrical abstraction.
The 1980s saw a shift in palette and composition. Prints from this period often feature deeper hues and more structured, mood-driven forms, bridging her painterly style with a growing command of print processes. Works like Grey Fireworks and Reflections IV fall into this period, with recent sales around £6,000–£7,500.
By the 1990s and early 2000s, Frankenthaler entered her most ambitious printmaking phase. These later works are typically larger in scale and richer in technical execution, and they command the highest values at auction. Tales of Genji V (1998) stands out as the top-selling Frankenthaler print of 2025 at £41,500, while Blue Current (1992) and Madame de Pompadour (2002) also led recent results, realising £16,600 and £10,900 respectively. These later works demonstrate not only her mastery of print techniques but also her alignment with broader institutional interest in her legacy, particularly in the decade leading up to her death in 2011.
Collectors tend to favour these mature-period works for their scale, material ambition, and visual clarity – key drivers of current market value.
Among the many printmaking techniques Frankenthaler explored, woodcut stands apart – both artistically and in terms of market value. While she began printmaking in the late 1960s, collaborating with leading studios such as Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) and Tyler Graphics, it was through woodcut that she achieved some of her most technically complex and visually ambitious works.
Woodcut gave Frankenthaler a way to translate her signature “soak-stain” approach – originally developed in painting – into the print medium. Working with multiple blocks, hand-cut stencils, and layered inks, she built up subtle transparencies and painterly textures that pushed the boundaries of what woodcut could do. Many of these works took months to produce and involved extensive hand-finishing, blurring the line between editioned print and unique work on paper.
This ambition is reflected in the market. Frankenthaler’s woodcuts consistently command the highest prices in her print portfolio. Madame Butterfly (2000), a large-scale triptych, achieved £304,730 at auction in November 2024, the current auction record for her print market. Tales of Genji V followed in early 2025 with a record result for a single-panel print. Other key woodcut works such as Savage Breeze, Freefall, and Essence Mulberry have all performed strongly at auction in recent years, regularly achieving results between £50,000 and £150,000 depending on proof type and condition.
These works combine technical mastery, scale, and visual subtlety – qualities that continue to attract institutional collectors and drive market confidence in the woodcut category.
Frankenthaler’s editions exist in both numbered series and a variety of special proofs:
These variants often have hand-coloured embellishments or alternative palettes, giving them a uniqueness that standard editions may not have. In the case of large-scale woodcuts, especially those produced with Tyler Graphics, these proof states can be particularly valuable.
With Frankenthaler's print works gaining popularity and value, navigating print authentication becomes increasingly crucial for art collectors and new investors. If you're initiating the authentication process, here are key steps to consider:
Throughout her lifetime (1928-2011), Frankenthaler established and endowed The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, which became active in 2013 following the closing of her estate. This digital platform serves as a crucial tool, offering a comprehensive archive of Frankenthaler's work from various decades. It also provides invaluable guidance and information on authentic prints, a resource not readily accessible for all artists. If selling a Frankenthaler artwork, this site ensures the authenticity of prints, offering assurance to buyers and collectors.
Frankenthaler's print production extended from the 1950s to the 2000s. Her prints feature her signature, often the surname only and found in the lower right-hand corner. Additionally, they are frequently dated and/or numbered and bear the publisher blindstamps from collaborators of that era. However, the placement of these details can vary. For instance, Grey Fireworks (2000) is signed in both right and left corners, and numbered in the left corner. In contrast, Earth Slice (1978) is signed with the surname and dated in the left corner, with numbering in the right corner. When selling Frankenthaler prints, it's crucial to inform buyers or dealers about these nuances to ensure the best pricing outcome for the artwork.
Provenance remains paramount. Sellers must meticulously track and verify the artwork's provenance, both to establish authenticity and, akin to paintings, to enhance the value of prints with prestigious histories. Authentic prints will be be accompanied by comprehensive documentation, such as certificates of authenticity, exhibition catalogues, gallery invoices that trace to the prints publication and match the blindstamp, or letters of authenticity.
In the realm of the seller's market, condition reigns supreme, arguably surpassing all other considerations. With Frankenthaler's print production spanning from the 1950s, prints from earlier periods, if not meticulously maintained, are susceptible to inevitable wear. The condition of your print significantly influences its resale value; thus, preserving its quality is paramount. Whether through auction houses, dealers, or other selling venues, a thorough condition check is crucial, with all findings disclosed to the seller and buyer. While you can assess signs of damage or mishandling independently, consulting with an expert conservator is advisable for a professional evaluation. At MyArtBroker, our team of experts offers guidance on professional restoration services to provide comprehensive condition reports for your print.
At MyArtBroker, our specialists provide a free market valuation for your artwork, offering a level of transparency unmatched in today’s market. In addition to our valuations, through our online Trading Floor, you can access real-time insights into works by the artist you’re looking to sell, including pieces that are most in demand, wanted, or currently for sale: allowing sellers to trust the valuation that they are provided.
Additionally, the MyPortfolio collection management service grants you free access to our comprehensive print market database. This resource allows you to review auction histories for the specific work you’re looking to sell, including hammer prices, values paid, and seller returns. In a fluctuating market, this historical data is invaluable - and often comes at a cost elsewhere - offering insights into past and current values to further inform decisions based on market timing and conditions. In addition to our specialists guidance, you have concrete data.
Our approach is tailored to align with the unique attributes of each artwork, and offer optimal results:
Unlike peer-to-peer platforms, which lack specialised expertise, authenticity guarantees, and legal infrastructure for high-value sales, MyArtBroker operates through private sales ensuring a secure and seamless transaction process. We charge sellers 0% to sell, and take a small commission from our buyers, absorbing essential aspects including insurance, shipping, and marketing - at no extra cost to the seller. There is no magic to it, we’re a lean specialised business with less overheads than traditional models meaning we can do better for our clients.
Our revenue is derived from buyer commissions only, which are individually negotiated upon offer, and we aim to give the client the best return in the market place. By focusing on high-value artworks in excess of £10,000, we provide specialised care and expertise, ensuring each piece receives the attention it deserves, while simultaneously maximising returns with our clients. For works that fall below this threshold speak to the team about a recommendation, we offer market advisory free of charge. Our goal at MyArtBroker is to offer a seamless solution, setting us apart in the art market.
In cases for artists and artworks, where our existing network of collectors isn’t the best fit due to value, medium or condition we collaborate with reputable partners to facilitate its sale. Carefully tailoring your artwork to the right party. This tailored approach is especially important as it considers the unique attributes of each artwork, providing sellers with the best possible outcome in today’s shifting art market. You can discuss this approach with us without charge as part of our advisory service.
Such recommendations are on a case-by-case basis, and ensures broader exposure and takes advantage of our knowledge of where a work will do best.
In addition to our live trading floor, MyArtBroker's MyPortfolio serves as a collection management system, empowering collectors to curate and oversee their prints and editions collection, while tracking its value in real-time. This feature grants users access to our print market database, uniquely tied to our proprietary algorithm, SingularityX. This algorithm scans and analyses both public auction and private sales data to determine real-time valuations of individual print works, factoring in various aspects such as condition, colour, and other factors affecting value.
Read What Powers MyArtBroker's Technology? In Conversation With Stuart Jameison, Financial Quant to learn more about our algorithm.
Emerging art tech tools are vital in navigating the current, and evolving, digital art market landscape. For instance, by adding Helen Frankenthaler prints from our website to the MyPortfolio dashboard, users gain insight into unique sale opportunities and observe market performance and fluctuations in real time, streamlining the sales process effortlessly. Our pioneering technology has revolutionised art portfolio management, making it more accessible and equipping users with data-driven insights for informed decisions. MyArtBroker harnesses cutting-edge technology driven by data, coupled with a team of industry experts, to deliver an exceptional experience. Our professionals work closely with clients, utilising the MyPortfolio dashboard, to provide personalised guidance for creating a profitable art collection. By merging technology and expertise, we are committed to offering unparalleled curation and customer service.