ART GALLERY
 Art Gallery
Every work of art causes the receiver to enter into a certain kind of relationship both with him who produced,
or is producing, the art, and with all those who, simultaneously, previously, or subsequently,
receive the same artistic impression. Art begins when one person, with the object of joining another
or others to himself in one and the same feeling, expresses that feeling by certain external indications.
by Leo Tolstoy
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Art Funds
ART investing can be a lucrative and successful business venture. However, many people that spend much of their time and money in the financial stock and bond market may find the transition to art investing difficult. The two are not synonymous, but can be conducted simultaneously as long as the investor understands how the two are alike and different at the same time.
Anyone can see that there are obvious differences between priceless works of art and shares in a multinational oil conglomerate. ART is a tangible object which offers many people more peace-of-mind than securities, stocks and bonds. If the bottom falls out of the stock market, the money may be lost forever. A painting may diminish in value, but unless it is physically destroyed, it is probable the value will go back up.
Although there are advantages to being able to see and touch your investment, art investing is much less liquid than investments made on Wallstreet. In art investing, buying and selling is not as simple as pushing a button or calling your broker. You may own a Van Gough painting that appraises at $35 million dollars, but that doesn't mean that there is a buyer waiting in the wings. It may take a while to sell items from your collection for what they are worth.
The art investing market is similar in nature to the stock market in that there are ups and downs due to certain economic and environmental factors. However, the art investing market is not directly tied to the stock market and the two have a surprisingly low correlation. This has a lot to do with the reason most art is purchased. Art investing is not usually done simply to turn a profit. Purchasers do so to own a valuable work of art and often the bragging rights to go with it.
The majority of people that will purchase a masterpiece by a well know ARTIST are appreciative of the work. They simply admire the piece and want to add it to their collection and show their friends at dinner parties. These are often people of means, they have made their money elsewhere and can afford to spend a great deal of money art investing. Unlike stocks and bonds, art investing is not often done as simply a means to turn a profit. The selling of artwork is often done because the owner wants a new piece for their wall.
Financial investments such as stocks and bonds have become endeavors that even the most inexperienced investor can attempt. However, there have been few attempts over recent years to establish art investing as a popular venture. This is surprising to some, given that the return on investment is remarkably close. In the past fifty years, has shown an average annual return of 10.9%. Similarly, art investing has returned an average of 10.5% per year. This combined with the knowledge that you are helping to preserve great works of art would appear to attract more investors than it does.
Mutual art investing funds in the past have turned a profit for their investors, some over 11% annually. Even Merrill Lynch made an attempt at launching an art investing fund that wealthy people could buy into. However, lack of interest grounded this before it had much of a chance to take off. This is more evidence that art investing is simply not an avenue many choose to pursue.
A financial advisor will never recommend that you choose art investing as your sole investment. However, most would agree that diversification is the basis of a great portfolio, and that art investing is a good diversifier. The art market fluctuates at different times and rates as the financial stock market. By combining art investing with your other investments, you can help protect your financial future and add a little culture to your investment portfolio.
Buy ART
Investing in fine art in general has proven to be a great venture for people wanting to make a profit over a long term. Investing in fine art, however, can be a different undertaking all together. Fine ART, which is loosely defined as arts, of all mediums, that is more traditionally artistic and expressive than more mainstream art. The difference between fine art and mainstream art can be seen comparing a Monet painting to a paint by numbers piece.
There are many different genres of fine art in which an interested buyer can invest. Those genres include: fine art paintings, abstracts, prints, photography and landscapes works, to name a few. Choosing ART, as always, should be about the individual investor's personal taste. Chances are high that if the investor likes the piece, that there are others that do as well.
Unlike investing in other, less refined ART categories, FINE ART requires knowledge and appreciation of all different types of artistic styles. There have literally been hundreds or artistic movements created that apply to the FINE ART. Some examples of the most popular ART styles are Romanticism, Dada, Surrealism and Baroque.
Besides PAINTINGS, there are FINE ART available in other materials-from sculpture to pottery to photography to household items like lamps. These items are usually bought and sold in different arenas than FINE ART paintings. Investing in FINE ART in general, means inputting a sizeable sum into an antiquity that will usually appreciate in value.
As a general rule, purchasing a big name ART piece as a first acquisition isn't really a good idea. Purchasing a good piece of FINE ART by a less known artist is smarter than sinking a large amount of money in an artist that has an over-hyped reputation. An unknown artist has much more room to grow and become more popular. Also, the starting investment in a lesser known fine art piece is much lower.
Having intrinsic knowledge of fine arts is only half the battle in investing in fine art. Spotting a valuable piece goes beyond knowing the name of the artist. All works by Van Gogh, for instance, aren't created equally. His "Starry Night" painting would obviously be a more expensive and profitable investment than a random sketch done by the same artist.
Investing in a quality piece of fine art by a particular artist is also important. If a piece has folds, smudges or any noticeable damage to the picture, the value will severely decrease; even if the piece is that of a well-known artist. In this case, buying quality is definitely better than buying quality.
Obtaining a copy or unoriginal work that was purchased as an original is a somewhat common and costly occurrence in the art world. Making sure a piece is an original requires the discerning expertise of an appraiser. These professionals can distinguish between such tale-tale forgery signs as fake artist signatures and the age and coloring of paint.
FINE ART investments are more expensive on the front end, but they can yield a much higher return over time. Taking the time to study artistic styles and choosing a few genres that interest the investor is always helpful. Becoming an affective art investor begins with learning to appreciate art as it relates to the buyer personally.
The Saatchi Gallery
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