Tom Wesselmann stands alongside Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Indiana as one of the defining voices of American Pop Art — and his prints are among the most consistently collected and stably valued works in the post-war print market. At Conceptually Yours on Walton Street, Chelsea, we offer a carefully selected range of Wesselmann editions, bringing one of the twentieth century's great figurative artists to collectors in London and around the world.

The artist: from Cincinnati to the New York art world

Tom Wesselmann was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1931. After serving in the US Army during the Korean War, he returned home, completed a degree in psychology, and then changed course entirely — enrolling at the Art Academy of Cincinnati before moving to New York in 1956 to study at the Cooper Union School of Arts and Architecture. It was there that his ambition crystallised. Surrounded by the emerging generation of American artists who would define the 1960s, Wesselmann made a decisive break from the dominant Abstract Expressionism of the day and returned to the classical subjects of painting — the nude, the still life, the interior — but transformed entirely by the visual language of advertising, mass media and American consumer culture.

His stated aim was bold and simple: "The prime mission of my art, in the beginning, and continuing still, is to make figurative art as exciting as abstract art."

The Great American Nude: an iconic series

Wesselmann began his Great American Nude series in 1961 and continued it through to number 100, completed in 1973. These monumental works — combining oil paint, collage, shaped canvases and found objects — depicted reclining female figures stripped of individual identity and rendered in the flat, saturated palette of American advertising. Red, white and blue recurred throughout, anchoring the nudes in the iconography of national identity. The series established Wesselmann as a significant figure in the New York art world and was exhibited at major galleries including the Green Gallery and the Leo Castelli Gallery.

The Great American Nudes remain his most celebrated and collected works. The paintings command serious auction prices — Great American Nude No. 48 sold for over US$10 million at Sotheby's New York — and the prints and editions produced around the series are actively traded on the secondary market.

Key series and what collectors seek

Wesselmann's output across five decades was remarkably varied. The principal series that collectors focus on include:

• Great American Nude prints — screenprints, lithographs and etchings related to the iconic nude series, ranging from smaller signed editions to large-format works. These are his most historically significant print subjects and the most actively collected
• Bedroom Paintings and close-up nudes — from the late 1960s onwards, Wesselmann zoomed in on fragments of the female figure — lips, hands, breasts — juxtaposed with bedroom objects. Prints from this period offer an intimate counterpoint to the monumental nudes
• Smoker series — close-up depictions of lips and cigarettes in bold, graphic colour. Among his most recognisable and commercially popular motifs; a 1980 Smoker print from an edition of just 25 sold at Christie's in 2022 for over £81,000
• Still Life prints — vibrant, large-format compositions of flowers, fruit and everyday objects in his characteristic reductive, flat style. Highly decorative and extremely popular with interior-focused collectors
• Steelwork editions — from the 1980s onwards Wesselmann pioneered a laser-cutting technique to translate his drawings into cut-out steel and aluminium reliefs. These three-dimensional works occupy a unique space between print and sculpture and are among his most innovative and collectable late works
• Times Square Nude — his most celebrated single print: a silkscreen and oil on formed vinyl, sold at Christie's in March 2024 for over £121,000

The print market: stability in a volatile world

Wesselmann's print market is distinguished by something increasingly rare in contemporary collecting: consistency. According to Artprice data, his prints account for 54% of his work sold at auction, with the majority reaching between £1,000 and £5,000 and significant works exceeding £10,000. In 2022 alone, 134 Wesselmann prints were sold at auction, generating over £705,000 in turnover. Unlike artists whose markets swing dramatically with fashion, Wesselmann's secondary market has maintained robust demand for over two decades — a quality prized by collectors who view art as both a cultural and financial asset.

His top auction result stands at over US$10.6 million for a Great American Nude painting at Sotheby's, and his estate is represented by Gagosian, one of the world's most prestigious galleries. The Fondation Louis Vuitton recently staged Pop Forever, Tom Wesselmann &…, a major survey of his legacy presented alongside thirty-five artists across generations — a significant institutional endorsement of his standing in art history.

What we stock at Conceptually Yours

Our Tom Wesselmann collection includes signed and numbered limited edition prints, screenprints, lithographs and steelwork editions sourced from documented provenance. We provide full condition reports and edition certificates for every work.

We are also happy to advise on framing — Wesselmann's shaped canvases and steel works in particular benefit from specialist presentation, and our custom framing service on Walton Street can accommodate unusual formats.

Why buy Wesselmann from an established London gallery

Wesselmann's market is well-established but not immune to fakes and misattributed works — as with all significant Post-war artists, provenance documentation matters. Buying from a gallery with a track record in the field gives collectors the authentication trail and expert knowledge that private or online purchases often lack.

Conceptually Yours has been on Walton Street, Chelsea, for over a decade — a short walk from Knightsbridge and South Kensington — and our online shop serves collectors worldwide, 24 hours a day. We offer worldwide shipping, secure packaging and full insurance.

Practical collecting advice

Signed versus unsigned. Wesselmann hand-signed the majority of his print editions in pencil. Signed, numbered works from small editions — particularly runs of 25 to 100 — command a significant premium over larger unsigned open editions.

Edition size and subject. The most sought-after prints combine a small edition number with a iconic subject: nude studies, smoker close-ups and steelworks from limited runs are consistently the strongest performers at auction.

Condition. Works on paper require careful storage away from direct light and humidity. We recommend museum-quality UV-protective framing, available through our in-house custom framing service.

The estate and authentication. All editions are licensed through the Estate of Tom Wesselmann, represented by Gagosian. This provenance should be verifiable for any serious work. We are happy to provide full documentation for every piece we sell.

An undervalued name? Among serious collectors, Wesselmann is considered one of the most important and undervalued figures in American Pop Art — less commercially famous than Warhol or Lichtenstein but no less historically significant. His stable market and strong institutional profile make his prints a compelling choice for collectors who value substance over hype.

Visit us or buy online

Conceptually Yours is at 152–154 Walton Street, London SW3 2JJ, between Knightsbridge and South Kensington. Browse our full Tom Wesselmann collection online, or visit us in person — we welcome appointments and are happy to arrange private viewings.

For enquiries about specific works such as condition reports, contact us at shop@conceptuallyyours.com or call +44 20 7581 2332.