The art world is vast, and the art market generates quite a bit of revenue. In 2020 alone, the global art market was valued at $50 billion. This encompasses everything from sculptures to art installations, to traditional painting. It also encompasses something called giclee printing. Technically speaking, giclee prints cover more than they did when the process was first invented. Fortunately, the art market is constantly growing, and there is a place for everything -- including giclee printing. But if you're not familiar with this particular approach, we're here to help. Let's delve into the fascinating world of giclee printing, so that you can see if this is the type of artwork you're interested in investing in -- or even creating for yourself down the road!
What Is Giclee Printing?
Jack Duganne coined the term giclee printing, though he didn't necessarily invent the process himself. Duganne himself was a printmaker who worked for Nash Editions, a mainstream printmaking company. Throughout the 1980s, Duganne and his coworkers had been utilizing a printing technique through which a modified Iris printer was used.
The Iris printer was an industrial-strength high resolution, large-format inkjet printer. In this case, the printer had been modified to produce fine art prints. Because the Iris printer had originally been used for commercial printing, Duganne wanted to differentiate between the process used for commercial printing and the process used for fine art printing. Thus he coined the term giclee, which was based on the French word gicleur (this in itself referred to a jet or nozzle).
How Do We Use Giclee Printing Today?
One of the benefits of giclee printing is that it allows printmakers to use dyes and fade-resistant inks for art pieces. This ensures that the prints last for an extended period of time, staying vibrant longer than they would if weaker inks or dyes were used. Artists typically use giclee printing to create reproductions of their works. The giclee printing process ensures that the reproductions are high quality, and have a higher value. At the same time, the artist is able to save money as they do not need to pay for a printing plate, which would be much more expensive.
Through giclee printing, we can appreciate and consume art more widely. Yet ironically, the process has become an art form in itself. If you want to learn more about giclee printing or want to try it out for yourself, reach out to us today!