If you have the capital to invest and are a fan of art, have you thought about putting the two options together in one? Learn why investing in art is a good option.
Hobby For Various Economic Classes
Once upon a time, only millionaires were investors in works of art. Today, works of art arouse interest among people from various economic classes who have money to invest and mainly opt to purchase paintings.
Over time, works can appreciate or depreciate, but even so, a collection, in general, can reach double or triple the amount invested. That’s because investing in art is a market trend.
Why Did This Happen?
With economic instability, investing in artworks offers protection against rising inflation, as their prices tend to rise along with the economy. In the last seven years, the performance of the executives has exceeded that of Ibovespa, the main stock index of the Stock Exchange.
And it’s not just around here: the same thing happened at The FineastEuropeanArt Foundation, one of the leading international art fairs.
Is It The Right Investment?
According to what we said above, investing in art is safer than investing in stocks. The average price of artwork has doubled in recent years, coupled with an increase in population income. However, with the economic instability of the market, there are few safe investment options left.
Art is an excellent option since today there is distrust of investment in monetary assets.
People do not need a lot of money to shop for artistic works; this is possible even for those who have a limited budget. As their interest and finances grow, investors become more discerning because they usually visit galleries, fairs, and exhibitions and talk with people in the industry.
Thus, one can acquire fewer works after more study. When creating a collection, a person acquires the knowledge needed to choose works more effectively. By understanding the best options, investing in art increasingly becomes a wise choice, especially because, in contemporary art galleries, the artist is usually present to speak with visitors.
Insurance, But With Risks
However, just like any investment, you have to know that investing in art also has its risks. Those who do not follow artistic trends and know little about the segment can lose money. However, the danger is minimized when one knows the seller’s reputation. One should only buy works that include a certificate of origin.
Another essential tip for those who are starting out in this form of investment is to buy works from established artists. In this way, some protection against inflation has already been gained. These works are more expensive, of course, because the artists are recognized in the market for their talent, but the potential for devaluation is certainly lower.
This is not to say that you can not invest in works of art by artists who are starting; quite the opposite. However, it is possible to make an analogy with a new company. The operating history cannot be verified, so the risks may be greater, but there may also be a possibility of recovery.
How Much Do I Need?
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, you do not really need a lot of money to invest in art; it’s an interesting option for various economic classes. From R$ 1,500.00, you can start investing as long as some details are observed:
- Distinguish works of art with a tendency toward appreciation from crafts;
- Do not be afraid to walk around. Visit galleries, fairs, and exhibitions, and talk with artists and industry experts;
- Understand that investing in art is something that can take at least five years, maybe ten years. Before that, valuation is possible but rare;
- Pay attention to some details of the works in case you want to resell them in the future: paintings sell more easily than sculptures or photographs. And the most sought-after colors on a canvas are usually reddish tones.
Hobby, Investment, And Passion
As you can see from the article we have written, investing in art is a way to combine a hobby with an investment for your savings, as long as the works are chosen carefully, while increasing your appreciation for something that can become your passion.
Collection is a relatively common term in the world of contemporary art. The term refers both to the act of collecting works of art and to the practice of certain contemporary visual artists.
Collecting works of art is a phenomenon that has gained prominence, attracting scholars and people interested in visual art to start their own collections. The collection of works of art is not a new phenomenon, but lately, access to the collection has been democratized, allowing more art lovers to start their collections and make their investments. A number of factors have contributed decisively to this development. Among the factors that contribute to expanding access to collecting, I highlight the work of art galleries that have innovated through e-commerce, bringing collectors closer to works of interest and to artists.
The so-called e-commerce of works of art has proven to be an excellent strategy for the art market to stimulate collecting. Among the mechanisms of this form of e-commerce are virtual sales systems that, together with competitive delivery services, reduce distance-related barriers and increase customer convenience. For example, an Asian collector can purchase a work of art by a Brazilian visual artist through Brazilian e-commerce and receive the piece at home, eliminating the need to travel. In addition, e-commerce sites for works of art have a series of tools that help investors choose a work, such as simulations of the desired piece on a wall, information about the visual artist and the technical specifications of the work, and different forms of payment, including installment payments. These options allow investors to adjust their purchases according to their budgets.
Through e-commerce, investors can also access framing and mounting options for a work of art if they want to install the piece on a wall, for example. You can also find storage options that are compatible with the specific characteristics of the acquired artwork. In this regard, in order to assist the collector, I present some manufacturers or stores that resell frames in Brazil and abroad. In Brazil, I mention the Nexo company of Curitiba/PR, the Usadão Móveis Store, located in Mooca in São Paulo, and the company Di Constam, also in São Paulo. In other countries, I cite the fine art materials stores Todo Art in Madrid and Totenart in Seville, Spain.
The collector interested in investing in contemporary art will therefore find great galleries in Brazil dedicated to artistic multiples, whether fine-art engravings or traditional hand-printed engravings. Regarding the galleries, I cite the work of the Engraving Gallery, which, since its foundation in 2003, has revolutionized the art market with unique strategies that have modified the relationship between the investor in contemporary art and the dealer or gallery owner. In addition to the company’s focus on customer satisfaction and convenience, the Engraving Gallery invests in virtual forms of negotiation that make collecting easier, bringing investors closer to the objects of their artistic interest. Investing in innovative ways to trade contemporary works of art, Galeria de Gravura launched an e-commerce platform in 2005 for the online negotiation of contemporary Brazilian and international art. With this initiative, the Engraving Gallery, the first e-commerce platform for Brazilian artworks, brought significant changes to the national art market by stimulating collecting and investing in art.
How To Invest In Contemporary Art
After demonstrating the conditions that have fostered collecting in our country and helped bring investors and collectors closer to works of art, I will now present suitable investment options.
Both the beginner collector, who began his collection recently and still has few works in his collection, and the long-time collector, who has a large collection of works of art, must take into account important observations before making the investment.
To promote the collection, it is worth observing the trajectory of the visual artist and, consequently, his work. Suffice it to say that there are established artists in the art market whose histories are firmly intertwined with national and international art history, as well as emerging artists whose production belongs to the lively and questioning debate that encompasses social tensions within culture and contemporary art. I also emphasize that both types of investment are potentially appropriate and potentially lucrative.
Well, I have dealt with an open and general panorama in which we observed works by renowned and emerging artists and their position in the art market. Now, let me illustrate the scenario and bring options to the collector. The intention is to make it clear that, regardless of the available budget, a collector of contemporary works of art will be able to purchase pieces by renowned or emerging artists according to the collector’s interests.
An important element that contributes to reducing the prices of works of art by contemporary, established, and emerging visual artists is the artistic multiple. Artistic multiples can include engravings manually printed using traditional methods, fine-art prints of graphic pieces, photographs, and Giclée reproductions of paintings. These formats and strategies are adopted by contemporary visual artists and publishers so that their works reach as many people as possible. This makes works by visual artists with great potential, whether established or emerging, available at low or medium cost for collection and investment. It is worth mentioning the artistic and technical quality of an artistic multiple.
Nowadays, fine-art prints have made it possible to reproduce works of art at high quality while preserving characteristics such as color and texture and supporting conservation, since the entire process uses materials of assured quality that are specifically intended for the preservation of artworks.
I also advocate in favor of artistic multiples, reiterating their tradition and relevance in contemporary national and international art. These practices have contributed to the promotion of knowledge and the expansion of critical awareness, thereby contributing to the democratization of contemporary art.
The Engraving Gallery, the first e-commerce platform for Brazilian artworks, is a reference in the country’s online sales segment, possessing a large collection of works by emerging and renowned artists and therefore serving as an important source for investment in artistic multiples.
In the Engraving Gallery, the collector and the investor in contemporary art will find, within reach of a click, works by established and emerging artists from all over the world. To understand the relevance and quality of the Engraving Gallery’s collection, it suffices to say that it has multiples by renowned artists such as Salvador Dalí, Frans Krajcberg, Alfredo Volpi, Burle Marx, Cildo Meireles, Aldemir Martins, Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, Flávio de Carvalho, Paulo Pasta, and Rubem Valentim, among other visual artists recognized internationally for the relevance and cultural value of their works.
In keeping with the avant-garde production of contemporary art, the Engraving Gallery also has in its collection works by emerging artists responsible for changes that have occurred in recent years in the field of contemporary art and culture. Here I mention a few: Eduardo Srur, Daniel Melim, Carlos Dias, SHN, Silvana Mello, João Lelo, Highraff, Nunca, Patrícia Kaufmann, Speedo, Stephan Doitschinoff, Titi Freak, Washington Silvera, Wilton Pedroso, among other emerging artists with consistent production in the contemporary art scene. I should also point out that the Engraving Gallery includes in its collection works by great Brazilian cordelista artists, such as J. Borges and J. Miguel, while also fostering the production of collections by contemporary visual artists from all over the country.
In the Engraving Gallery, the collector or investor in contemporary art will be able to acquire works by Alfredo Volpi, a renowned artist who was part of the Santa Helena Group and was active in the national concrete movement, or invest in multiples by Speto, Daniel Melim, Nunca, and João Lelo, who are emerging artists from the urban art and national graffiti scene. There are also options for investment in art that represent regional aesthetics, such as the J. Borges cordels that can be purchased for only R$200.00, a symbolic value considering the stature of J. Borges’s work, which is internationally recognized for its connection to the popular culture of northeastern Brazil. The collector or investor can also find options for investment in artists who move between urban art and academic reflection, such as Wilton Pedroso and Leandro Serpa.
To the collector interested in investing in contemporary art, I ask that you go to the Engraving Gallery website and study the investment options available. There are several visual artists with relevant production at their disposal. I also emphasize that the Engraving Gallery is an e-commerce platform for works of art, making online purchases and home delivery possible. Access the site, see the options, and click on the option that interests you. Make a good investment, and get a multiple in the Engraving Gallery.
Collectors Club. Shared Investment
The Collectors’ Club has been a strategy adopted by nationally recognized institutions such as the MAM of São Paulo to promote investment in artistic multiples, with the objective of encouraging collecting and the appreciation of works of art and multiples as authentic and potentially critical art forms. The MAM has been notable for promoting collecting in our country and bringing contemporary visual artists closer to collectors and investors in the visual arts. A similar strategy has been adopted by the Art Hall Gallery, which has been notable for its alliances with galleries to promote the work of artists from the contemporary scene, building relationships with new collectors and aiming to promote the collection of contemporary visual art in Brazil.
Innovative Spaces For Multiples
The contemporary art market has expanded its field of action and promotion of contemporary visual art through innovative actions by art galleries that have introduced new proposals in the field of artistic appreciation and thereby fostered collecting and investment in art with strategies that prioritize the work of art as a ‘Multiple,’ that is, more than one copy or a numbered print run.
In order to foster collectivism and investment in contemporary art, two national galleries have deserved special mention thanks to innovative actions that have been inserted into the art market. These galleries offer multiples by well-known and emerging national artists as well as fine-art prints from international contemporary art publishers.
The mentioned galleries are: ‘Multispace Art Space’ and ‘Art Sections’. Both galleries have been working with a focus on the Multiple as a unique strategy for the promotion of contemporary art, thus stimulating the collection and investment of contemporary visual artworks.
The Multispace Espaço Arte proposes to renew reflection and aesthetic enjoyment, attract specialists, awaken new collectors, enrich established collections with multiples and works in other formats by great Brazilian and foreign artists, commercialize works selected according to aesthetic criteria of extraordinary artistic density, and make a permanent research effort to identify and disseminate new works.
Art Gallery, in turn, democratizes contemporary art through the sale of prints, photographs, and objects in limited editions. It is the exclusive representative of the UK’s leading contemporary art publishers, including Paragon Press and Alan Cristea Gallery. In addition, it also represents Brazilian artists who work with photography as a medium.
Why Invest?
Learn about the benefits of investment and contemporary visual art collection.
Up to this point, I have been discussing the art market and the changes that have occurred in the electronic commerce of works of art in recent years, and I have presented galleries and collectors’ clubs dedicated to artistic multiples.
Although I have presented the advantages of investing in works of art because of their status as goods of strategic economic value, I have not yet addressed the fundamental value in question or what actually occurs when a collector buys a work of art.
The art market is a catalyst for contemporary visual production because of its potential to stimulate and foster new artistic experiences. In the art market, two fundamental participants in the creation and circulation of works of art are brought into close relation: the visual artist and the collector. The strategic actions of the art market aim, in short, to bring the creator closer to the collector, thereby establishing a set of relationships in which the artist’s intellectual effort is consumed through the action of the investor who buys the work.
We could further simplify the question by selecting the three participants mentioned above – the visual artist, the art market, and the collector – and identifying them as the backbone of an entire system that encompasses contemporary art. But there are still a considerable number of professionals involved in this niche that we will call contemporary visual art. It should also be said that the art market synthesizes and brings together an intricate and complex network of relations that represents a considerable volume of value in a country’s economy.
However, even acknowledging and considering the feasible market value, we do not calculate the symbolic value of a work of art, a Multiple, an exhibition, or even an artist’s production.
It is in investment in art that the symbolic value created by an artist, society, and even a country becomes prominent and sustainable. I will not go into the merits of discussing the conceptual fields or ideological strategies of this or that artist, art movement, curator, country, etc. In affirming the importance of preserving and fostering the creation of visual art, I highlight the figure of the collector, whose investment closes a generous cycle of human knowledge related to economic, social, political, and aesthetic transformations.
Why invest? Here, I have presented points for reflection. Aside from all the tension that surrounds the contemporary economic scene, including political issues, I reiterate the fundamental role of the collector, whose positive action guarantees the preservation of works of art enshrined in the sieve of history and keeps alive the production and research of emerging visual artists active in the contemporary scene. The investment in visual art promotes its effective transformation, continuity, and renewal. What’s more, the collection fosters the preservation of the visual memory of a period or nation.
To collectors and lovers of contemporary visual art who are beginning to build collections, as well as long-standing collectors, I reaffirm the importance of the role they play in the functioning of the visual field as an economically and culturally active sector, emphasizing the promotion of knowledge.
Were it not for art, a framework of symbolic objects, we would not be in the position of being active, conscious, and critical about existence itself. Were it not for collecting and preservation, we would have no memory and no awareness of our existence and history. We would have neither a present, a past, nor a future. Through the collection, our manifest intensities gain substance, value, and relevance.
Last year’s excitement among market players over the resounding sale of a Francis Bacon triptych for $335.9 million, the most expensive work ever auctioned, showed that it is almost absurd to say that art is not a good investment. But Melanie Gerlis, an economics editor for The Art Newspaper in London, examined the scarce numbers from that market and offered a piece of advice that angered some gallery owners. “If you know how to make money from other things, do not try to win with art,” sums up Gerlis, who has just released “Art As An Investment?”
“This is an inefficient market, full of secret rules.” In a demystifying step-by-step approach, her book attempts to sift through these “tabs” and show how paintings and sculptures do not behave anything like stocks, gold, real estate, and other items in the basket of financial market operations.
In a calculation based on auction results, Gerlis concluded that only 5% of the works were sold at a profit. Even in cases of apparent success, such as when musician Eric Clapton sold a work by the German artist Gerhard Richter for $76.4 million, almost ten times what he had paid 11 years earlier, the author points out that accumulated inflation over the period and expenses associated with conserving the work must also be considered.
“Of course, a piece of art can double in value, but the chance of that piece being auctioned is even greater,” says Gerlis. “That’s what mutual funds in the art are realizing. That is why many of them are failing, “she concludes.
Collective purchase. She speaks of the recent phenomenon – in crisis in China and in Europe, but in vogue in Brazil – of investors who come together to buy works in the expectation of appreciation, only to bid at auctions at the most profitable time. In this strategy, a painting is divided into shares at the time of purchase, similar to shares of a company.
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