When Framing an Emile Bernard Print Pays for Itself
Framing can double the price of a reproduction, and for Bernard's flat, cloisonnist colour that considered is not always earned. Here is how to decide where the extra money goes further.
For most buyers, no. Framing usually adds 30 to 100 percent or more to the cost of a reproduction, and Bernard's bold outlines and flat colour blocks read well on unframed canvas. Framing earns its price mainly for paper prints, small works, or formal rooms where the frame completes the look.
What the frame actually costs you
Framing is the single largest add-on in the reproduction market. A ready-to-hang framed edition commonly costs 30 to 100 percent more than the same image printed on unframed canvas, and ornate mouldings or conservation glazing push that higher. The print itself does not change. You are paying for materials, assembly, and the labour of finishing the object.
That arithmetic matters more for Bernard than for most artists. His cloisonnist works, with their dark outlines and broad areas of flat colour, carry a lot of visual weight on their own. A frame adds a border around an image that already behaves like one. The money spent on moulding buys less here than it would for a delicate tonal landscape.
Where framing earns its considered
There are honest cases for paying up. Paper prints nearly always need a frame, because bare paper is fragile and sags on a wall. Small works also benefit, since a frame gives a modest image the presence to hold its own in a room. And in a formal setting, a hallway or dining room, the frame does decorative work the canvas alone cannot.
Bernard's own history cuts both ways. He worked at Pont-Aven alongside Gauguin in the late 1880s and helped develop a deliberately simplified, poster-like style. That graphic quality suits a plain, slim frame or no frame at all. It also means a heavy gilt frame can fight the picture rather than finish it, which is a real risk for the extra spend.
A practical test. If the wall is casual and the room is lived in, unframed canvas is the better value. If the print is small, on paper, or destined for a room where you want the work to read as a finished object, the considered is justified.
Splurge on framing when
- The print is on paper rather than stretched canvas
- The work is small and needs help holding a wall
- The room is formal and a finished look matters
- The frame is slim and dark, echoing Bernard's own outlines
The resale question, answered plainly
Buyers sometimes justify framing as an investment. For reproductions, it is not. A framed print of a historical work does not appreciate, and a frame adds nothing to any future resale. Framing is a purchase for the wall in front of you, not for a market. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling moulding.
This is a different market from originals, and it is worth keeping the two apart. Original works by Bernard carry real value and real authentication costs. Reproductions, framed or not, are decorative purchases judged by how they look and how long they last. On those terms, spend where you will see the difference daily. For most people that is the canvas, not the frame around it.
A frame around a cloisonnist painting is a border around a picture that already drew its own.
| Situation | Unframed canvas | Framed print |
|---|---|---|
| Large statement piece over a sofa | Better value, image carries itself | Considered adds little |
| Small work in a hallway | Can feel thin on the wall | Worth the extra cost |
| Casual or eclectic room | Suits the setting | Can look stiff |
| Paper print, any size | Not suitable unprotected | Essential |
Where the framing considered goes further
Key takeaways
- Framing typically adds 30 to 100 percent to the cost of a reproduction and changes nothing about the image itself.
- Bernard's flat colour and strong outlines let unframed canvas hold a wall on its own.
- Framing is worth paying for on paper prints, small works, and formal rooms.
- A frame adds no resale value to a reproduction, so treat it as a decorative decision only.
Related questions
Does a frame protect a canvas print?
Marginally. A frame shields canvas edges from knocks and keeps dust off the surface, but stretched canvas is already reasonably durable. Paper prints are the real case for framing, since bare paper is fragile and needs glazing and support to survive on a wall.
What frame suits Emile Bernard's paintings best?
A slim, dark, plain frame works with his heavy outlines and flat colour blocks. Ornate gilt or wide mouldings tend to compete with the graphic quality of the work rather than complete it, which undermines the reason for paying the considered.
Is framing a print a good investment?
No. Reproductions do not appreciate, framed or otherwise, and a frame contributes nothing to resale value. Original works by Bernard are a separate market with separate rules. Buy a frame because it improves how the piece looks in your room, not for value.
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View the collectionGeneral art-historical background drawn from public museum records and standard reference literature. Pricing reflects Auvrique editions and is indicative only.