The CN series
"Commemorative" Nagels
After Nagel's very abrupt and unexpected death in 1984, his publisher, Mirage Editions, went on to produce a series of "commemorative" graphics. some of which were being earmarked for future release as signed and numbered prints. They were printed in large editions, in an attempt to satisfy the demand, and were large, beautiful serigraphs, printed by Samper Silkscreen in Los Angeles. They are what they are: posthumous reproductions. And as such, they have little investment value. They are, however, high quality prints and wonderful examples of Patrick's work and brilliance.
That's The Good News
Unfortunately, there was also a lot of "investment hype" about these prints and many people were duped into paying thousands of dollars for them. They are now only worth a 10th of that in most cases. In addition, there were a LOT of posthumous graphics done of both new images and previously released limited editions. These were printed as offset posters and were not limited in supply, but rather 'open' edition posters. As a result, there is some confusion as to why, as an example, there is "GrayLady" that sells for thousands of dollars, and another of the same title that sells for $30. At TBFA we deal in only 'lifetime' Nagel graphics or in some cases, the CN series you see here. Some of those later lithographs were legitimately published by Nagel's widow, Jennifer Dumas. Others are just out and out fakes.
