Art
Art Market vs S&P 500 Returns
-29.40%
Versus S&P
•
2 hours ago
-29.40%
Versus S&P
•
2 hours ago
6m High
6m Low
Fine Art
304.79
185.68
S&P 500
5,254.35
4,117.37
Fine Art
S&P 500
Does not follow the stock market
Sources: Artprice Contemporary Art Index, SPX
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In the Market
Explore Art in the stock market
Highlights
Time Horizon
7-10 years
Diversification
Multimillion-dollar artwork has long been a cornerstone of investing for the ultra-wealthy, and for the past few decades, it has returned remarkable performance. Over the past 10 years, value of blue-chip contemporary art has risen 132%. (Deloitte estimates the total value of the art market to be $1.7 trillion.) One major perk of art as an asset is that its value doesn’t rise or decline with the stock market, which makes it a great investment to diversify your portfolio and safeguard against stock market dips or crashes.
Did you Know
Forbes estimates Jay Z’s art collection at $70 million.
In 2017, a Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) painting titled ‘Salvator Mundi’ sold for a record breaking $450,312,500
During the financial crisis in 2008, even as the stock market was bottoming out, art auctions were breaking records—Sotheby's held their most lucrative auction ever, raking in $362 million in one evening.
Consideration
Physical assets like fine art have historically provided an inflation hedge for investors
Contemporary art is a fast growing market which gained 63% in value through the pandemic
Invest in a tangible asset that holds both financial and cultural value
Reasons to Invest
Historically, fine art investing hasn't been accessible to most investors due to the exclusivity of the fine art world and the high price tags on artwork.
There are a lot of extraneous costs associated with art investing, including auction fees, appraisal fees, and storage. Art investments are also typically taxed at a higher rate because they're considered collectibles.
Artwork is highly illiquid. Finding the right buyer takes a lot of time and planning.
Drawbacks
How You’re Taxed
Capital Gains
Income Tax
If you are investing on an art investment platform like Masterworks, where you own a fraction of or a percentage of an artwork:
- Sale of artwork: If the artwork is sold, you receive the equivalent of a dividend. Your profits are then taxed as income.
- Secondary market: If you trade your shares on the secondary market, your profits are taxed as capital gains.
For those of you selling artwork you purchased, art investments are classified as ‘collectibles’. Gains on art held for one year or less are taxed as ordinary income—the same tax treatment as short-term capital gains (STCGs). Gains on art held more than one year are taxed as long-term capital gains, except the maximum tax rate for capital gains on collectibles is higher than other assets at 28%.