WHAT IS A MULTIPLE IN SCULPTURE?
Original and multiple: what is the difference?
A bronze sculpture can be produced in several examples from the same model created by the artist. The intended number of casts and the type of edition determine its status.
In France, a bronze sculpture issued as an original work is limited to eight numbered examples, with up to four artist’s proofs in addition. Each of these bronzes is considered an original, even though several examples exist.
When a sculpture is intended from the outset to be produced in a larger edition, it belongs to a different type of edition: the multiple.
What is a multiple in sculpture?
A multiple is a sculpture intended to be produced in a larger number of examples. The edition may consist of several dozen examples or more, depending on the artist’s decision.
Each example is produced from the same original model. A multiple therefore allows a work to be made more widely available without presenting it as part of a limited original edition.
This distinction must be clear from the outset: the buyer should be able to know whether the sculpture belongs to an original edition or is a multiple, and how many examples are planned.
A choice made at the start of the edition
The status of the sculpture and the number of examples are determined when the first bronze is produced.
A sculpture presented as a limited original edition cannot therefore become a multiple once the edition has sold out. Likewise, a multiple is not a continuation of an original edition beyond the number of examples initially planned.
This rule preserves the nature of the edition as it was defined from the outset.
A multiple is not simply a copy
The term “multiple” can sometimes suggest a reproduction made from an existing sculpture. This is not necessarily the case.
A multiple may be planned by the artist from the moment the model is created and form an integral part of the original project. The individual bronzes are then produced from the same model using the chosen casting process.
The difference from an original edition therefore lies not in the artistic interest of the sculpture, but in its status and the stated number of examples.
Why choose a multiple?
A multiple allows a sculpture to be offered to a wider audience. A larger edition also makes it possible to offer different acquisition terms from those of a limited original edition.
For the artist, this choice can make sense when seeking wider distribution for a particular model without changing the limited nature of sculptures issued as originals.
Original editions and multiples therefore follow two different approaches, which can perfectly coexist within the work of the same artist.
Alain Choisnet’s Editions
Alain Choisnet’s bronze sculptures are primarily offered in limited original editions. Some models may, however, also be offered as multiples.
To explore this distinction further and understand the exact status of numbered examples and artist’s proofs, you can read the article What is an original sculpture?.