[Alberto Collecto]

Alright, this is all getting a bit much in my eyes. Every gallery seems to have a new found obsession with timed editions.

What are everyone’s thoughts? A short term money grabbing scheme or a genuine attempt to make art more accessible?

[Jesty]

As usually a mix, but IMHO the main scope is to avoid to have unselled editions. If an artist has unselled editions for a long time, then he is less attractive for collectors, especially for upcoming editions.

[drip]

Everything is a money-grabbing scheme.

They're not doing this for us. If anything, they find us annoying. If they could just have direct access to our bank accounts, without us getting in the way, they'd be fine with that.

I don't work in the industry, but if they've crunched the numbers, they might believe a timed edition generates more sales, as folk "panic buy" the item at their one opportunity. They might also think that a timed edition means actual sales, rather than creating an edition that could hang around in their stock room for awhile.

I don't have a problem with timed editions. I rather like the random nature of seeing prints in exciting and mysterious edition sizes of 1746, 347, and...2.

[Pawel]

Times edition seems to me a very self-regulatory thing. If too expensive, less people buy them, if the image is crap, less people buy them, if too many releases, less people buy them.

Bad if you buy something as investment, good if you want something on the wall.

[Onket]

They are good for allowing people to own something by an artist they like. As above, they are self-regulating.

[its all about me]

I don't have strong views either way but I have to admit, I rather like timed editions. I'm hopeless at beating the flippers when things sell out in 15 seconds. At least with timed editions I know I can get a signed print from an artist I like. There's too many releases I have missed out on.
But, having said that, I also like having proper limited edition prints on my walls as well. I think a mixture is nice.

[My Name is Frank]

Timed editions make sense every way you cut it from a gallery perspective. You can get all the test prints out the way, then pull the trigger on printing, inventory will not sit waiting to be sold so less physical space and costs to store. No massive stream of complaints that the edition was not even for sale, just came up as sold out, got it in my cart and by checkout gone emails. Its a win win really. Buyer also has time to really think if they want one.
The final cherry is it makes them damn hard to flip, so you control the market by effectively killing secondary pricing, so your price point can be managed (limited editions being sold for £200 and flipped for £2-3K resulted in start up artists commanding those sorts of prices at source as gallery/ artist wanted the margin, killing many an artists market).

Down side, no bun fight (thank god) and not having a faster finger sell it to you for a big mark up a day later (thank god). Think its the future unless you have a permanent space where you can potentially hold racks and racks of prints in pristine smoke and dust free environments ad infinitum.

[nobokov]

Unless the artist has a massive following of rich idiots, you're pretty much throwing your money away on a piece of paper with an autograph when you're buying a timed edition. Might as well just buy a high quality printer for less, download a high res pic of your favorite artist and print it out to frame.

The print market is quickly following the lead of NFTs so galleries are cashing in while they still can, with little risk. If I were a print collector, I'd boycott timed editions and not buy any editions above a size of 50 until the market fully crashes and the galleries are forced to bring down their prices to what they were a few years ago, affordable.

[Jonas B]

Never bought a timed edition and never will.

[qest]

Feb 6, 2024 16:14:37 GMT 1 nobokov said:

Unless the artist has a massive following of rich idiots, you're pretty much throwing your money away on a piece of paper with an autograph when you're buying a timed edition. Might as well just buy a high quality printer for less, download a high res pic of your favorite artist and print it out to frame.

The print market is quickly following the lead of NFTs so galleries are cashing in while they still can, with little risk. If I were a print collector, I'd boycott timed editions and not buy any editions above a size of 50 until the market fully crashes and the galleries are forced to bring down their prices to what they were a few years ago, affordable.

Bill Ackman is to Herbalife as you are to editions.

[┏( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)┛ EnS]

Timed edition = safe and secure number (no leftovers)
Generally a higher number of prints rather than a simple 100-200 edition = more money
They are all giclees/ printed from a copier = less work

[Lroy]

Feb 6, 2024 16:20:07 GMT 1 Jonas B said:

Never bought a timed edition and never will.

We are both. They are often more expensive, it’s only the gallerists, artists, making the most of money, and as said captain Drip, they tell that it’s for their fans but not. 
Real collectors like to own a bit of art history, with not a lot of editions, to own a rare artwork in all the world is a privilege! Even if it’s not a Picasso, we agree. 
Maybe you find me haunting or pedantic, I’m not, I like rare things !
edit : anyway, if you want to sell ( we never know) one day one of the millions of a timed edition, you will sell it at lower cost.

[Newar]

Where is the Condo Timed Edition ?

[Pawel]

Feb 6, 2024 18:27:16 GMT 1 Newar said:

Where is the Condo Timed Edition ?

Shhhh, do not even bloody mention it

[Wanchope]

There won’t be

[Superfuzz bigmuff]

I like them as a means to getting prints without a struggle and having a chance to properly look at images rather than buying in a blind panic and deciding later whether or not I want it on the wall. They are better than open editions - they are limited editions, it’s just the ‘limited’ bit is defined in a different way. Like all editions, there are some great ones and some crap ones, some are well considered, some are more opportunistic.

If the image is good and well produced (screens vs giclees etc) and the artist is sought after I believe they will have reasonable value as there is always someone who missed the timed drop, newcomers to the artist etc

If all you care about is a quick flip or bragging rights on rarity then they’re probably not for you.

[LJCal]

I think they're very harmful for an artists edition market, the bulk of artists who have done timed releases are artists I have in my collection or would consider but now many of them I won't touch with a barge pole. Hirst, Wei Wei, Rokkaku, Invader, Calleja are all artists that I believe have harmed their print market by publishing large timed editions.

[Jeezuz Jones Snr]

Good post fella and didn't it all pick up during covid?. I mean there was a lot of free cash flying around and all art at the time seemed to go up in value. So it's inevitable the galleries and artists started doing this more and punters would be picking them up.

I like a timed edition for charity, I think that is a great idea 👍 and hats off to artists and print house 👏

[unforgotten PC Baby]

I like timed edition prints for charitable causes!
You get time to decide; you get a lovely-looking, good-quality, often affordable print; and you get to do some good with your cash as well - win win in my humble opinion 👍

[Lroy]

Time edition are good on a short time per example. Not for a week or a month ! otherwise it will be an edition of billions of prints !
Anyway my insta is blocked, can’t see these timed editions..

[Pawel]

Whike we at it:
Lego timed editions just dropped through bricklink (it's owned by Lego)

www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-1/main.page

[Lroy]

Look : Invader 3D sculpture was a timed edition no ? Ot there was just a lot and people could buy 2 or more ?
The result : It was good for flippers at the beginning, but now ? They are selling at cost ! So, what is the interest ?
I think ( Yes it happens sometimes) that a timed edition print could be like a poster edition ( so a bit illimited ), and without a great value at the end.
Question : are the WeiWei Coca vase was a timed edition ? What about all these flowers or Pokemon cards by Murakami and all those Hirst onhte market ?
Is it not Heni that created this selling method ?
At the end, too much is too much and is just a commercial thing.
Nothing special nor sexy.

[Acme Thunderer]

My opinions…

- There have been 10 x more ‘poor/average’ timed releases than ‘good/stunning’ ones.

- Timed releases are great if raising money for charity.

- I would rather buy a timed release than an open edition.

- I would rather there be larger edition sizes from the outset (e.g. 500) than a timed release.

- I personally don’t like timed releases that are a rehash of an old/used image.

- I expect to see tiered pricing introduced on timed releases (not saying that is a good thing though).

- Timed releases aren’t to help the collector, but just to make more money for the gallery and artist (don’t believe any different as it is BS).

- Unsigned timed releases are a rip off and should be avoided.

- Even some signed timed releases are becoming a rip off.

- Heni and Avant Arte are now starting to kill the art market by the number of poor/average timed releases that are flooding the market.

- It’s getting a bit boring now and I miss the thrill of refreshing the page and the old days of pressing F5.

[Happy Shopper]

"Archival pigment print", or similar, feel like the laziest Timed Editions.

[stuff]

Timed editions are most entertaining when people put their investor hats on. Then they become an "easy pass", "killing the market", "overpriced" until the point they're sold out, which is when they become desirable. Game theoretically interesting and surely entertaining to watch. Aside from that I pretty much don't care. I usually buy art to put it on the wall.

[Onket]

Feb 8, 2024 18:19:17 GMT 1 stuff said:

Timed editions are most entertaining when people put their investor hats on. Then they become an "easy pass", "killing the market", "overpriced" until the point they're sold out, which is when they become desirable. Game theoretically interesting and surely entertaining to watch. Aside from that I pretty much don't care. I usually buy art to put it on the wall.

Yep, it seems 'investors' don't like them, but people who buy stuff for their walls do.

[nobokov]

Man I wish I had money to burn like those who buy expensive timed editions.

I don't mind throwing away $100 or so on an image I like, but jeez the way they're pricing editions now is ridiculous.

[inefficiencyof]

Revok just dropped one through Louis Buhl. It’s pretty nice tbh.

[Londown 01]

Feb 8, 2024 19:54:17 GMT 1 nobokov said:

Man I wish I had money to burn like those who buy expensive timed editions.

I don't mind throwing away $100 or so on an image I like, but jeez the way they're pricing editions now is ridiculous.

That's the point. There is a justification for every print/ product, from the unique canvas to the museum shop reproduction. But they must be priced accordingly, and I think most timed editions have too high of a price. 

[Onket]

Feb 8, 2024 19:54:17 GMT 1 nobokov said:

Man I wish I had money to burn like those who buy expensive timed editions.

I don't mind throwing away $100 or so on an image I like, but jeez the way they're pricing editions now is ridiculous.

A high price just makes it less desirable.