Art Investment Guide

Second only in size to the US market, The UK art and antiques market is worth well over £4 billion a year, and holds a global share of some 26% of the world’s total art sales. In terms of volume, the UK is the largest marketplace for art on the planet.(1). In 2005, the index covering sales of old masters showed growth of 18.8%, while the similar index covering post-war and contemporary art rose 8.3%. Over the past five years, the average annual returns were 3.1% and 17.7% respectively.(2). That’s a better return than investing in stocks and shares.

Buying art can represent a fantastic long-term investment opportunity. In order to help you make an informed decision on the art you buy through The Art Ministry website, we have put together some key considerations to bear in mind when selecting work from our galleries. With over 25 years’ experience in the art market, our team have followed the same steps to ensure all work available in our Online Store is fairly valued.

1. Buy what you like

It’s important to trust your own taste when buying art. Our aim in providing this collection is to offer artwork for every budget that adds interest to your home or office, a talking point that enriches your environment and lifestyle. Great art needn’t be expensive, and buying artwork should primarily be an expression of your own personality. Like stocks and shares, the value of artwork can go up or down, so it’s crucial you buy what you like and can afford. Ultimately the true value of art is in the pleasure or feelings it evokes. The more people that find it appealing the more demand increases, which inevitably increases the value.

2. Do your homework and understand the value of the work

When you view a piece of artwork to buy, pay attention to detail. If you look into the way it has been physically created, how much time it took and the journey the artist went through in producing the piece, you will come to appreciate the skill of the artist and the effort involved in making the work. When it comes to value, don’t be taken in by the medium either. For example, oil paintings are in general more expensive than watercolours, but the latter can require more skill to achieve the desired impression.

The more artwork you look at and the more background information you obtain on various artists and how they work, the more you will learn what you like and why. Comparing the merits of a work with other artist’s work will help you determine the inherent value in any given piece and assist your buying decision. If you want to know what similar work has sold for, use a source like The Art Sales Index, which has catalogued art prices since the 1950’s, or the Mei/Moses Fine Art Index, which tracks various auction price indexes and compares them to the stock exchange to gauge relative performance.

The comparative merits include:



The artist’s exhibition history

The nationality of the artist

What country the artist works in

The medium the artist uses

The size and dimensions of the piece

The price their work has sold for in the past

3. Buy from a reputable dealer

Only buy artwork from a reputable dealer. The best ones will provide extensive background information on the artists in their portfolio, giving details on how they work and what inspires them. Knowing the artist’s passion might also help you find a work that is right for you. Click here to read ‘About the Artists’ at The Art Ministry.

Reputable dealers will also provide a ‘Certificate of Authenticity’ with all original and limited edition artwork sold. This will be signed by the artist and proves the work is 100% genuine and has been accurately valued. These also include the following information:



The title and visual description of the artwork

Edition numbers and collection details

Materials and techniques used

Size and dimensions of the work

The copyright holder

Distributor details

Release date of the artwork

Printer’s details if relevant

Comments from the artist

Notes on caring for the artwork

Sources:

1. The House of Commons Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport (Sixth Report)

2. ‘Is it just art, or is it investment?’ by Joe Bolger, Times Online 17th April 2006, quoting figures from the Mei/Moses Fine? Art Index

If you require more assistance with buying art from our website, please to contact us, alternatively, feel free to browse our to view the work of all our artists.

Looking for tips and advice on art and design, visit our blog.

By: The Art Ministry

Art in any form is a sheer pleasure to the eyes and to art lovers. Art seems to be simply eternal and possesses an eternal beauty that is completely enticing and mesmerizing. Art is one thing that is noticed by all and nobody can escape the beauty of art. In fact, any form of art manages to mesmerize all. One thing is for sure and that is art reflects the truth and it reflects our daily lives. Any piece of art is a matter of worship for any art lover and for the person who creates it. Art brings with it a world of its own for many and this can be evident from the way people indulge in buying art pieces. However, the passage of time has brought along with it tremendous amount of fraud in almost all aspects of life and it seems that this kind of fraudulence also touches art. Therefore, once you decide to buy yourself a piece of art or by any chance have been a victim of art fraudulence, then you can seek the help of an art lawyer for any sort of a legal assistance regarding art matters.

An art lawyer is a thorough professional who can easily help you to come out of a fraud art case and even win the case for you. Well the circumstances for which you can hire an art lawyer varies but the one thing that you should understand is that an art lawyer should be consulted in any sort of a fraud related to art and you can even consult him before buying a great piece of art. Art lovers love indulging in art pieces and the best thing for them is to buy an art piece from an authenticated art dealer who can provide one with genuine art pieces. However, deceptive art dealers manage to sell fraud art pieces and people generally do not realize that they have bought a fake art piece. In this case, an art lawyer is where one should go to get the legal matters sorted out.

However, an art lawyer not only helps one to fight a legal case for purchasing a fake piece of art but also helps an art dealer to sell the best pieces of art at the best rates and also helps him to get the payments from customers who delay in paying the amount. Practically speaking, hiring an art lawyer to solve cases related to art is the best thing to do. However, before you decide to hire any particular art lawyer you should make sure that you look for lawyer who has a good experience and success record and has won cases for his clients. Then you should see the fee he charges for each case and then if you feel that he suits your needs then you can always go in for the art lawyer.

An art layer is the apt person who can help a person come out of any sort of a fraud that he had to face while buying or selling an art piece. Therefore, if you ever feel that you have been cheated while buying or selling an art piece you can always take the guidance and the help of an art lawyer to solve your case.

By: damey

We all know that art is one of the main ways to improve the look and feel of any room quickly and easily. Abstract and contemporary artwork can transform any room with minimal cost or effort and this has for a long time been one of the key tools that interior decorators have used in order to create a dramatic but effective change to any room.

Not only in the home does this help. Art can be used to redesign an office or workplace – even a study in a home office.

A number of different factors will affect the artwork that you choose and each has a bearing on the final effect that the painting or picture gives to any room or office place.

This can include colour, style or size. However one aspect that is often overlooked is the texture of art. Every painting, if painted using oils or acrylics, will have its own texture automatically created and this can make a real difference to a room.

When buying art online it is certainly worth looking at close-ups in order to determine how the texture of the artwork has been created and the effect that this will have on the piece of art when it is hung on your wall.

Textured artwork when hung in the right way can real add drama to a room or office. Texture is created by layering paint on the canvas and frequently this will involve the artist taking care to ensure that the paint is drying before applying further oil or acrylic to build up a different surface texture.

Once you have selected the painting and it has arrived, make sure you light the painting in the right way in order to maximise the texture on the canvas. Uplighting can be very useful here as it will create shadows automatically that will reinforce the texture on the painting or artwork.

So there you go. If you are thinking about buying some abstract art, don’t forget to think about the texture as this could really make the difference to any room or office in which the artwork is hung.

By: C Smith