Advantages of investing in art

The Institute of Art Management, division for research, statistics and education of the Artmark group, is known in the public space not only for the organization of courses about art and the art market, but also for regular monitoring reports regarding the state of the Romanian art market.

Increased accessibility

  • The minimum amount needed to start an art investment is in the low hundreds of euros

  • There are no market entry restrictions, such as: authorizations, master agency agreements, trading platforms

Average liquidity

  • There are multiple channels for selling a work of art, each with a different degree of liquidity and performance, and the time to completion can vary from a few hours to several months

  • Transaction costs are average, usually negotiable

  • Documentation accompanying transactions is minimal, limited in principle to a legal covering sale certificat

Minimum administration costs

  • The management of the works during the investment period usually consists of: the cost of storage or display (negligible if the investor chooses to revel in their aesthetic value by displaying them in their own premises) and the cost of insurance, if the owner chooses to insure them, strictly in relation to the value invested

  • Kept in proper conservation conditions, works of art require no periodic restoration or cleaning (even on a long-term basis)

Low correlation with other investments

  • Artwork is a "safe haven asset" whose minimal correlation with traditional investments recommends it as a safe investment in times of economic uncertainty

  • A tangible asset with a functioning trading market, artwork provides protection against inflation and is a safe way to preserve value

  • Real asset and "emotional investment", the work of art has an intrinsic value given by the uniqueness / rarity of the object and its objectively recognized aesthetic value

Medium to long investment horizon

  • Art is a medium to long-term investment, with variations in the speed of asset appreciation depending on the type of art targeted

  • As a rule, in a mature art market, contemporary art needs a shorter investment term, while heritage art appreciates gradually; in an emerging market, however, heritage art, starting from low prices, can appreciate at the same pace as contemporary art.

  • The investment horizon aims at the market appreciation of the artwork by: the promotion of the artist / style / period / theme in question, the rarity of the work through the end of the artist's creative process / the absorption of important works in museums or their closure in private collections, or the increase in market demand due to the increase in the number of art collectors and investors

Low investment risk

  • The art market in Romania is at an emerging stage, having experienced continuous growth and a sustained rate of appreciation since 1990, especially since the 2000s.

  • Works of art tend to appreciate in value in the medium and long term, with variations in expected returns occurring mainly between styles and periods of creation, heritage works are usually considered the safest, while young contemporary art has a more pronounced investment risk.

  • Average difficulty of intermediate performance measurement

  • The current market value of the investment can be estimated by: comparison with similar transactions in the market or the opinion of an authorized appraiser

Average difficulty of intermediate performance measurement

  • The current market value of the investment can be estimated by: comparison with similar transactions in the market or the opinion of an authorized appraiser