Do Art Investors Cheapen The Craft?

There are several schools of thought with regard to art investors. A capitalist will tell you that America was founded on commerce and that anything that can make money should.

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On the other end of the spectrum, art purists may denounce the idea of paying for art at all. They will argue that it demeans the very integrity of art and puts a price tag on something that should be free to the world. The latter opinion is probably not a popular one among the artists.

Art investing is becoming more mainstream as time goes by. With this onset, many have begun to see precious pieces of art as nothing but multi-colored paychecks. Ideally, art is a phenomenon of human nature that should be enjoyed by everyone that can see, hear or feel it. Does this mean that you cannot put a price tag on art? Jackson Pollock and $104 million say that you can. However, it seems that there could be a middle-of-the-road compromise where art investors and art appreciation can coexist.

For centuries artists have been revered after their time, and often never while they are alive. Perhaps the death of the artists makes a piece more valuable in art investing because you know that the artist will never create again. It is also possible that it simply takes society that long to catch on to genius. Either way you look at it, money seems to play a backwards roll in art and art investing. An artist lives in poverty while the world ignores his work, then pays millions for it a century later.

Though it may outwardly appear as though money has a negative effect on art as a whole, there are positive attributes that art investing reflects. One very constructive purpose of art investing is the preservation of great works of art throughout time. Imagine that you just spent $11 million on a oil painting. Regardless of who you are or where you stand financially, you are going to take very good care of a painting you just spent that much money on. Because of this, the artist will live on in his work which you are protecting from time and the elements.

There are obvious negative attributes to the idea of art investing. Largely, art investing takes place among the very wealthy, which represent a small portion of the population. Because great works of art carry million-dollar price tags, these are the only people that will ever own them. Many of these wealthy people demonstrate their generosity by donating or loaning their collections to museums or galleries for exhibit. However, there are others that see art investing as a financial venture only and keep their priceless works of art locked in a safe for protection. While this does indeed protect the piece, it is also robbing the artist of the very purpose for which it was created, to be seen by the masses.

Honestly there is no crime in art investing. By purchasing great works of art you can help preserve a piece of history. However, before you make your investment, it is important to contemplate what you will do with it, and where you stand in the art and financial community. Do you see art as a free expression of human nature or a potential future profit?

Perhaps you are one of the rare few that have the ability to see art investing for what it is. Investing...in...art. Many lose sight of the art and see only the investing. The key is a balanced position where art and investing meet and complement each other. There is money to be made from art investing, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, it is imperative to respect the art, respect the artist, and allow your investments to be seen and enjoyed as the artist intended it to be.