What Can You Invest In? What About Art?
Donna Williams
September 30, 2008
The artist should be recognised. This is not the same as being recognised in their field. Winston Churchill, for example, was not recognised in the field of art, but is a highly recognised figure. He was also a hobby artist and his works have sold for a high price. So if someone is well known, you should be able to mention them to 50 people and at least 1 in 50 people will have heard of them. If they are widely known in a particular culture group, then mention them to 50 people in that culture or group. If 1 in 50 has heard of them, then, yes, they are 'recognised'. When it comes to reselling your art investment, that will matter. The first question a buyer may have is, 'so who are they and have I heard of them?' especially if the buyer is buying your investment as a future investment for themselves.
The artist should be recognised in their field. That could be that they consistently won some high profile major art competitions but entering competitions is not the philosophy of all artists. You can also win a series of prestigious art competitions and nobody knows your name, or knows your name but wouldn't have a clue about your style or work. Van Gogh and others like him won no awards before his death. These days there are other ways an artist may be recognised in their field. Do a google search for their style or category of work, does their name come up? If it does it means that the internet world 'knows' of them and that's good for you when it comes to resell your investment.
An artist should have been 'tested' in exhibitions. Have they exhibited? They should have been in several shows which should indicate their work is worthy of being exhibited. Is a massive list of exhibitions sign of a great artist? Not necessarily. Some artists are selective about shows like actors are about movies. Some are socially reluctant (comes with the territory) so haven't jumped into every show possible or only go with shows run by someone they feel comfortable with regardless of whether the show is big or small, high or low profile. Many of the greatest painters, never exhibited before their deaths. Do they need to have been exhibited internationally? Not necessarily. These days they may have sold works internationally via buyers finding them in online galleries. Some artists don't like to send works overseas for exhibiting purposes because if an unsold work gets lost or damaged in transit on route to an exhibition, it's really tough on the artist. Hence some prefer to exhibit in their own state or country even if they have sold works internationally.
The artist's work should be lasting. No point buying a work that will fade badly, fall apart or rot. Works on paper should be preserved by framing. Works on canvas should be done with reasonable quality materials. Saying that, some of the works of the greatest painters were done with cheap materials because the artists were poor and struggling, and those works are still preserved well today.
The artist's work should have impact. No point buying a work which evokes little emotional or mental experiences. If it's something you'd pass without a thought, then it may be so for those you'd like to resell it to 10-20 years from now. Saying that, as an artist, sometimes a work that has been my least favorite has been my most popular and vice versa, so no one person can judge a work on behalf of any social majority. If you intend to purchase a work, it's always useful to show it to 4-5 people whose opinions you trust. If someone is usually indifferent to most art and loves the work you show them, that's always pretty cool. If you get a wide range of opinions on it, that's good too, it means it's evocative and speaks differently to a range of people. If most you show it to say it's bland or missable, then it may be it really is! But if a work is jarring, don't think that's a bad investment. What jars one person is often highly moving or relateable to another. Two of my works in particular would have this effect. With one of them it was a clear love/hate divide. With another it would bring some people to tears, others it would really jar and disturb them. In my books, that's good.
An artist and their work should be unique. What makes that artist 'different' to any other in their genre? What is it about their work which stands out from the crowd? It's fine to have 'good art' or 'professional art' but if the artist or their work come over as 'run of the mill', why would a buyer want to buy that work from you and pay you more for it than what you already bought it for? They might as well buy the work of any artist if there's nothing unique about the artist or work you're trying to resell.
Is the artist on the way up? If an artist is fading into obscurity or their style is unlikely to remain popular, their work may still be a good investment because you may buy the work more affordably and as fads shift, the artist may well rise again and then the value of your investment goes up. Is there something about the artist, their style, their philosophy, their message that is likely to be really lasting, even timeless? If so, it's possible their work may be a good investment.
Art Limited Edition prints an investment? If they are by a recognised artist, if they are an appealing or evocative work, if they are a quality print on good materials and hand signed and the edition has less than 150 copies per work, then they may be a reasonable investment. If a print is one of more than 150, fact is, it won't be rare. Rarity matters. It makes people feel special about what they have and means they are the only one or one of very few with that same work. That's why originals will always be better investments than limited edition prints. But if you don't have the money for an original work and you find a quality, evocative limited edition print that is hand signed and part of a small print run, then it can be a way to enter the world of art investment. Sure, you may buy it for yourself, but if you know that if you need to sell anything, you can resell it for the same or more than you bought it for, you may feel that's an added bonus. You usually can't say that of your sofa, your washing machine, your car or presently even your house!
Art investors buy works by new, emerging and mid-career artists because they can often buy those works affordably and if they pick the right artist and the right work by that artist, they may find that after 5 years, they can resell that work at an art show or art auction for significantly more than they bought it for. If they buy a collection, they have several works which may resell to the same buyer, all at an increased value to what the first investor had bought them for.
Of course none of this means that the pleasure of owning a work of art is not an investment in itself. It is surely a spiritual investment and no amount of resale would figure in that. Even taking the time to view and be moved by a work of art is an investment of your time, and if that experience is 'worth it', that's something you give to yourself.
Donna Williams
author, artist, singer-songwriter, screenwriter.
http://www.donnawilliams.net
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