Art Investment

Art Investment

​I get asked about art as an investment often. I would suggest that there have been many people somewhat duped that were guaranteed they  would profit from selling their artwork if they held it for 10 years.

My question is, where are those dealers now? It is irresponsible of an art dealer to sell art by average artists as investments.
Maybe their magical crystal ball was in the workshop that day..
I might make a joke but surely being misled is no joke..

I put it to you like this - to varying degrees, all art is an investment of your hard earned.
True, to a point, but I want to prepare you a little more than being told the artist is dead so buy their work..  an artist must be successful whilst living! 
 
The word investment sometimes gets thrown around a lot a little too casually for my liking. 
Buying for investment is a rewarding and great way to indulge in the way of art.
It's just important to be armed with the facts...that's all.
This is for the newbies.

I have some clients who approach me and ask" if I had $50k to invest, What would you recommend"
My answer is always, keep it simple..buy the best artwork by the "best artist" that matches your budget. You can buy some incredible artworks by award winning,established artists and they are still painting believe it or not!!!

​What I'm in essence saying is that art for investment is a gamble like any other investment.
However, you can buy smart with key factors in mind.
The "best artists" surely fall under the below questions.

• Has the artist been widely collected? This, by the way is a key point as an artist needs exposure to create a market.
• Are they in key collections, such as the National Gallery?
• Is there a strong secondary auction market?
• Have they had publications written about their work?
• Have they won any acclaimed awards?

These are some good questions to ask .
If you love the artists work, have you seen many examples and are they all good "quality" or consistant with the artists approach to painting?
If you can tick these boxes , and buying an artwork for an investment for you is an added bonus to your already wise investment arrangement, then I would say go ahead and invest.
Art is bricks and mortar and a great artwork by a great artist will always be just that.

Let me know if you have found anything of interest in this blog or you like to discuss the value of your work,
I am also available to source works with pedigree provenance they may potentially be a good investment for you.