Editions & Provenance
Alex Corvin Fine Art · Pontevedra, Galicia
Each work that leaves this studio carries a documented existence, a number, a date, a clear account of what it is and how many were made. This page describes that structure. It is written not as policy but as practice: the way the work is made, honored, and archived over time.
01 — Edition Structure
What is made, and in what quantity.
The work divides into three distinct categories: unique originals, primary photographic editions, and secondary smaller editions. They are not interchangeable, and each carries its own logic.
Originals
One of one
Drawings, paintings, and one-of-a-kind works in charcoal, ink, watercolor, and pastel. Each is unique, not numbered but fully catalogued. No reproduction is made from an original work without a separate, stated edition.
Primary Photographic Editions
Limited. Closed when complete.
Each photographic work is released in an edition of [edition size — e.g., 12 or 25], size-specific. Signed, numbered, and dated by hand. Price rises as the edition sells. When the edition closes, it closes permanently.
Secondary Editions
Smaller format. Accessible entry.
Selected works are also available in a smaller format edition of [edition size, e.g., 25 or 50], at a smaller size and lower price point. Secondary editions are distinct from primary editions — different size, separate numbering, separately documented.
Archive Prints
Closed editions, kept.
When a primary or secondary edition sells out, it moves into the archive. The work remains documented on this site — title, medium, dimensions, edition size, and year — as a permanent record of what was made.
02 — Edition Policy
The commitments that hold.
Edition discipline is not a marketing position. It is the structural guarantee that makes collecting meaningful. These commitments apply to every work that leaves the studio, without exception.
01
No open editions. Every photographic work is released in a defined, finite edition. The number is stated at the point of listing and does not change.
02
When an edition closes, it closes permanently. No image is re-editioned after the initial run is complete. No additional sizes, no anniversary prints, no "artist's edition" as a workaround.
03
Price rises as editions sell. Pricing is structured in tiers within each edition. Early collectors pay less; later collectors pay more. The schedule is set before the edition opens and is not subject to discounting.
04
Artist's proofs are held to a strict limit. A small number of artist's proofs — no more than [e.g., 10%] of the main edition — may be retained for exhibition or archival purposes. These are documented separately and are not sold into the primary market.
05
Each edition is medium- and size-specific. An edition of 12 at 50 × 60 cm is a different edition from an edition of 25 at 20 × 24 cm, even if the image is the same. Both are stated clearly and documented independently.
06
No discounting. Prices are not reduced for promotional purposes, for collectors, or for any other reason. The edition structure itself is the collector's protection.
03 — Certificates of Authenticity
What ships with every work.
Every work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. The certificate is printed on archival paper and signed by hand. It is the permanent record that travels with the work.
Title. The work's full title, as listed.
Medium. Full material description — paper, printing process, substrate.
Dimensions. Image size and sheet size, in centimeters and inches.
Edition. For limited edition prints, the print number and total — e.g., 3/12. Secondary editions noted separately.
Year. Year the image was made; year the print was produced, where they differ.
Signature. Signed by hand by Alex Corvin. The work itself is also hand-signed.
Studio. Alex Corvin Fine Art, Pontevedra, Galicia.
The certificate is not laminated, shrink-wrapped, or treated as merchandise. It is a document. Keep it with the work.
04 — Archive & Provenance
The record of what was made.
Every work produced in this studio — originals, editions, studies — is entered into a permanent archive. The archive holds the image, title, medium, dimensions, date, edition status, and, where relevant, exhibition history. Nothing is disowned. Nothing is deleted.
Sold-out editions do not disappear from this site. They move to a clearly marked record, a permanent account of what existed, when, and in what quantity.
Provenance records are maintained for every sold work. If you own a work from this studio and require provenance documentation — for insurance, resale, estate, or institutional purposes — write to the studio directly. A full written provenance letter can be provided.
Archive behavior
The practice is treated as archival from the beginning. Every series is dated. Every body of work is documented as a body of work, not as individual listings. Works from years ago are held to the same standard as current work. Same documentation, same care, same permanent record.
This is not a policy about perception. It is a commitment about what happens to the work over time.
05 — Secondary Market
When a work changes hands.
Alex Corvin Fine Art does not control the secondary market. A collector who chooses to sell a work they own is free to do so, and the studio takes no position on resale. What the studio does control is the primary market: the edition sizes, prices, and documentation that make secondary-market confidence possible in the first place.
Verification. Buyers on the secondary market may contact the studio to verify authenticity, edition status, and provenance of any work. Include the certificate information and a photograph of the verso signature.
Provenance letters. The studio can provide written provenance documentation for secondary-market sales upon request. There is no charge for this service.
Re-registration. New owners of a work may write to the studio to update the collector record. This is voluntary and private.
06 — Editions & Commissions
A distinction that matters.
Editions and commissions are different things. They are not interchangeable, and they are not in competition.
An edition is a work that already exists, made at the studio's own direction, from its own subjects, in its own time. The collector chooses from what is available.
A commission is a work made to a specific brief — a subject, a scale, a context — for a specific collector. It is original and unique. It is not numbered. It carries a different price structure, a different process, and a separate set of terms.
The copyright and reproduction rights for both remain with Alex Corvin Fine Art. Purchase of a commissioned work or an edition transfers ownership of the physical piece. It does not transfer the right to reproduce, adapt, or publish the image.
For commissioned work, see the Commissions page.