Best Art Investments and Platforms

Masterworks is the best art investments platform for its low fees, diverse selection of high-quality artworks, and track record of success in the art investment industry.

Investing in art has become increasingly popular as a way to potentially earn significant returns while also enjoying the beauty and cultural significance of artworks. However, navigating the art market can be daunting for beginners. This is where art investment platforms come into play, offering a user-friendly way to invest in art without the need for extensive knowledge or experience in the art world.

These platforms provide access to a curated selection of artworks from established and emerging artists, allowing investors to purchase shares or fractional ownership of the pieces. With the rise of online platforms, investing in art has become accessible and transparent, making it a viable option for those looking to make alternative investments.

Quick Look: Best Art Investing Platforms

• Best for Art Investing: Masterworks
• Best for Diverse Range of Alternative Investments: Yieldstreet
• Best for Finding Unique Investments: MoneyMade
• Best for a Selection of Private Art Funds: Artemundi
• Best for Post-War and Contemporary Art: Anthea Art Investments
• Best for Pooled Art Funds: The Fine Art Group

Best Art Investment Platforms

Masterworks is an example of an investment fund that enables investors to own shares of famous works of art through its crowdfunding platform. The artwork is held in a secure environment while Masterworks searches for a buyer to sell it at a profit. As a result, Masterworks provides an accessible way to enter the art investing world.

If you are unsure which art funds to watch, take a look below for a list of the best art funds available. From Banksy to creatives featured at Art Basel, Andy Warhol and the greater art marketplace, there’s somewhere you can put your money that is both enjoyable, beautiful and profitable.

1. Best for Art Investing: Masterworks

Masterworks is an investment platform that allows individual investors to buy shares of some of the most sought-after artwork on the market. An art collector cannot spend all their time at an art gallery or auction, but the team at Masterworks brings those forums to you.

Investors can buy shares in current art offerings as well as trade shares on the platform's secondary market. Artwork on the Masterworks platform has appreciated at an average rate of 14% annually. Masterworks allows investors to buy shares in legitimate blue-chip artwork.

However, the art sales team charges an annual fee of 1.5% along with 20% of the profits. There is no account minimum but minimum buy-ins can vary as you attempt to diversify your investment portfolio.

2. Best for Diverse Range of Alternative Investments: Yieldstreet

Yieldstreet is an alternative investment platform that allows individual investors to participate in a variety of alternative investment funds. It currently offers two art investment options. One such fund is the Yieldstreet Prism Fund, which holds multiple types of assets such as real estate and art loans. The minimum investment for the Prism Fund is only $500 and has an annual distribution rate of 8%.

The second option is the platform's new Art Equity Fund, which currently has a portfolio of 8 Post War and Contemporary Paintings. The fund has a minimum investment of $10,000 with target returns of 15% to 18% over the 5-year holding period. This is not the same as an auction house, but there will be blue-chip art available from time to time.

3. Best for Finding Unique Investments: MoneyMade

When you log on to MoneyMade, you have a simple task—ask a question. The platform will give you answers to any question on investing, and it will help you find unique investments that you have never seen before. Moreover, it has popular questions on the homepage that you might want to ask first. Think of this as the place where you can go down the “investing rabbit hole” before you determine what you will add to your portfolio next.

You can use MoneyMade to learn about real estate, art investing, fine wine and a range of alternative investment options that give you more than stocks to think about.

4. Best for a Selection of Private Art Funds: Artemundi

Artemundi was started with the idea that it could help clients grow their art portfolios in this asset class without focusing on blue-chip art, buying into the most expensive niches of the art world or over-investing in the fine art market. Here, you can invest in art in unique ways and leverage technology to make the most of every investment. The platform cuts down on fees as much as possible and has an expert team that knows the Impressionist, Modern, Post-War and Late 20th Century art markets very well.

Founded in 1989, there have been billions of dollars in transactions handled by the company, and the firm is also using blockchain technology to better secure artwork and provide for a unique investment experience.

To that end, the platform uses Art Security Tokens (ASTs) to provide a lower barrier to entry. This means that investors can purchase “shares” in artwork, further bolstering the portfolio. Plus, this makes it easier for investors to track where their money is going, because fractional ownership is simpler to track and allows you to buy into several artworks at once.

5. Best for Post-War and Contemporary Art: Anthea Art Investments

Anthea Art Investments offers two platforms: CAIO and CAIF.

The Contemporary Art Investment Fund (CAIF) is a fund that allows for investment in post-war artists, lesser-known artists and young or emerging artists. The fund could include art, paintings, sculptures and even photographs from the Post-War period (after 1945).

The Contemporary Art Investment Opportunities (CAIO) fund is a recent addition to the Anthea stable, allowing for tax-advantaged art investment across a wide range of artworks. In either case, it’s much easier to buy in because investors need not make whole purchases of artwork.

6. Best for Pooled Art Funds: The Fine Art Group

The Fine Art Group offers several options for art investment which include:

• Private Accounts
• Co-Investments
• Pooled Investments

You can open a private account at any time and work with the team to build an art collection. Co-investments allow you to buy into artwork with another investor, ensuring that the two of you share the risk that comes with that investment. This is why you need to check the price tag on your art before you invest because you may want to pool funds with multiple people.

Finally, pooled investments allow a group of investors to buy into artwork, ensuring that each person owns a small percentage of each piece. Yes, these accounts will own artwork wholly, but you may feel safer investing here because you will own a much larger percentage of the investment.

Is Art a Good Investment?

If there is one stereotype about art investments, it’s that it mainly involves older rich people. However, that is not necessarily the case. Even though the costs of investing in art can be high, various ways of investing in art can make money from the investment.

One thing to be aware of is that art is generally a long-term investment. The value of art can make significant gains during prosperous periods or remain stable, but its value can also plummet in recessionary periods.

Like investing in other assets, you must conduct thorough research before making an investment choice. Again, like investing in other markets, you are not assured a profit, but if you complete the necessary due diligence, you will be able to make good art investment choices and, maybe, find a gem or two.

Benefits of Art Investment

Of course, any investment is made because of its potential value over a period of time or the returns it will bring in. Now, unless you are investing in a company involved in art, the art itself isn’t going to bring in a profit every quarter. Investing in artwork can provide returns similar to the bond market. So if you make the right investment choice, art can be a safe investment, providing a return over time.

Another benefit is that it is not correlated to the stock market. The stock market can sometimes be highly volatile, but these fluctuations won’t impact the art world. So if stocks have a bad day or are in a bear market, your art can still gain in value or at least hold its current value.

Of course, as mentioned, art is seen as a long-term investment by many and can build value over a long period. However, some pieces can surge in price. Therefore, if you can find a piece that is blowing up in popularity, you may be able to gain a considerable profit in a short time.

Who Should Not Invest in Art?

As mentioned, art is generally a long-term investment. So, investing in art is not for someone looking to make a fast buck or liquidate the investment quickly. According to a Citibank report from 2019, returns for art investments are similar to that of bonds, averaging a return of 5.3% per year between 1985 and 2018. So, if you are looking for surges in value similar to cryptocurrency, then investing in art is not for you.

Art is a tangible asset, so if you have no interest in maintaining and displaying the artwork, it may be best to avoid investing in a piece. Most art investors not only buy the work because of the potential monetary value, but they also purchase art due to their fondness for it and desire to display it in their homes. As it is a long-term investment, it is better to buy a piece you can display at home and, more importantly, maintain, so that it holds its value before you can sell it.

Finally, if you don’t have the time to learn about art and have no interest in the topic, it is probably best left alone. Like any other investment, you must know and understand the market before putting your hard-earned money into it. You wouldn’t purchase a stock without researching why you believe it will gain value first, and it should be the same when investing in art.

Potential Drawbacks of Art Investments

Art is a non-liquid asset, which is a drawback when compared to other investment types. Unlike stocks, you can’t just open a laptop and invest in art instantly. Buying and selling art can take time and patience. You need to have time to plan the investment if you want to be profitable.

One of the main drawbacks of investing in art is the barriers to entry. These include the cost of financing the purchase and the lack of knowledge for beginners. Investing in art can be a costly process, and it won’t be in everyone’s budget. Meanwhile, it is essential to know the market you are investing in. Art pieces are not the same as stock shares, so make sure to familiarize yourself with the market before you enter it.

Maintenance is another drawback of art investing. While some people may prefer having the physical asset in their possession, for others, storing, displaying and taking care of the piece can be challenging. The work needs to be maintained to preserve its value, and you may also want to insure it. All these considerations can deter potential investors.

Other Ways to Invest in Art

Check out a few other options you have as an investor to add art to your investment portfolio.

Art Funds

Art investment funds are much like any other investment fund, in which the fund managers buy and sell assets, in this case, artwork, with the intention of making a profit. Participation in an art fund allows investors to own fractional portions of valuable pieces of art.

Another fund is the Fine Art Fund Group, which claims to have a 20.2% average annualized internal rate of return (IRR) on all transactions and $3.3 billion worth of artwork. The company focuses on Western art from 1500 to the present with an emphasis on impressionism, surrealism, modern and contemporary art and jewelry.

Unfortunately, no art exchange-traded funds (ETF) trade actively right now, but that is due to the lack of liquidity in the art market.

Art Indices

The Artprice100 Index was launched in 2018 with the aim of monitoring the art market’s value. The index tracks the 100 top-performing artists at auction over the previous 5 years to give a sense of how the art market is performing. Therefore, you invest in the 100 artists whose auction results are consistent and have the highest turnover in the previous 5 years.

The value of the index evolves depending on the individual performance of each artist in the portfolio.

Art Market Research’s All Art Index is the weighted moving average of 24 months’ worth of sales at 130 auction salerooms worldwide. Listed companies such as Sotheby’s (NYSE: BID) often look at the All Art Index to gauge the market.

One issue with art indices is that they fail to factor in the other costs of investing in art.

Buying in Galleries or Auctions

Buying in galleries or at auctions is an excellent way of investing in art. However, a lack of knowledge or understanding of the market and how it works will lead to bad decisions if you invest in this manner.

If you don’t have the required knowledge or lack time to learn about the market, then it is best to trust experts in the field and invest in a fund. For example, buying a piece from a gallery will usually mean you pay a significant mark-up, but it also promotes the artist.

Alternatively, going to galleries and attending auctions can be a great way of learning about the market, eventually leading you to make better investment decisions.

Art is Not Like Other Investments

The art market is unlike any other. Of course, if there is a major economic depression, it will be impacted, but it doesn’t stay in tune with the stock market or strongly correlates with any other market.

If you choose to invest in art or an art fund, research and experience will be key. Take the time to learn online, go to galleries and attend auctions. Learn as much as you can first.

Investing in art comes with difficulties and risks. The most important thing is to have a passion for the market and art itself. In that way, if you invest in a piece of art that eventually rises in value, it will be an added bonus.

Frequently Asked Questions