Editions, or the sales of prints and multiple works, is an auction category that is rarely discussed. For many artists, editioned work is a significant part of their practice. Over the last several years, there has been an explosion in interest and auction activity. In 2021, Phillips saw a record-breaking year for its Editions sales. Since then, auction volume has risen another 30% to a total of $40 million in sales in 2022.

Phillips editions department was founded in 2008. Since that time, there has been a five-fold increase in bidders registered with the house. To discuss the growth of the editions market, we spoke with Robert Kennan, Phillips’s head of editions in Europe.