Art investment strategy: follow the four principles of "specialization", "long-term", "forward" and "stable"

Art investment strategy: Follow the four principles of stability before expertise. When seeking spiritual satisfaction and high economic returns from art investment, in addition to following the four standards of authenticity, precision, rarity and completeness, we should also pay attention to art. The four principles of investment are that it is better to be specialized rather than general, it is better to be long rather than short, it is better to be forward rather than backward, and it is better to be stable and not rush.
1. It is advisable to be specialized rather than general
To be specialized means to be single-minded. As the saying goes: Jack of all trades, master of none. As far as individuals are concerned, their energy and financial resources are limited. It is impossible for a collector to spend his entire life and the financial resources of a room to hide all species in the world. Moreover, in the face of the huge and complex world, if a collector wants to have something If you want to make a success, you must also learn to make choices: only by giving up can you gain, and by giving up can you gain, and if you gain can you lose. "Xunzi Encouraging Learning": Earthworms have no sharp claws and teeth, and no strong bones and muscles. They eat earth and drink from the underworld. They have the same intention. A crab with six knees and two pincers is not a snake and eel that has nothing to rely on in its cave, so it means it is impatient. That's the truth. In addition, in the collecting world, specialization is also important. If you set foot in the Tibetan Sea, whether it is radish or cabbage, you will not only feel like a tiger eating everything, but it will also greatly weaken the collector's interest in collecting and affect the level of collecting. improve. Looking at collectors at home and abroad, many experts are the result of being single-minded. Those who have no ambition, no clear understanding and no shame have no great achievements.
2. It should be long rather than short
Art is not suitable for short-term investment. What is needed is to wait for its value to increase through a period of collection. This is also what distinguishes it from general commodity speculation. Generally speaking, art investment is more suitable for medium and long-term investment. Long-term investment is usually years, even decades or longer. International investment experience shows that long-term investment returns are the most generous. Mid-term investment is not suitable for years. Mid-term investment is suitable for investors who do not have sufficient funds and need turnover or when the value of a certain type of art is suddenly re-recognized and re-evaluated, and the supply exceeds demand for a while. For example, in recent years, the paintings of Mr. Qian Songyan, the leader of the New Jinling School of Painting, have nearly doubled in value during the year. In this case, they are more suitable for mid-term investment.
3. It’s better to do it before, not later
Art investment requires advanced awareness and keen vision. On the one hand, as analyzed above, the popularity of the art creator is directly related to the market price of the art. The works of well-known artists that have been recognized by the market undoubtedly have high collection and investment value, but the prices are also relatively high. Therefore, investors need to develop a keen eye, select some works of young and middle-aged artists with potential, and seize the opportunity to collect them in advance when the prices are low. For example, when collecting Yixing purple clay teapots, it is best to start with the works of young and middle-aged arts and crafts artists, with prices ranging from RMB to RMB per handful. On the other hand, investors must be proactive about changes in social and cultural trends and changes in consumer art appreciation preferences. At the Sotheby's auction in New York on January 1, 2019, Van Gogh's posthumous work "Wheat Field" failed to sell. This gives a signal: In the West, Impressionism and modern art have cooled down. In stark contrast, the Chinese painter Liu Xiaodong's "Three Gorges Immigration" sold for just over 10,000 yuan when it was first created in 2010. In less than 2000, it was sold to a collector for 10,000 yuan.
In 2000, Zeng Fanzhi began to hold solo exhibitions in Siheyuan and the Central Academy of Fine Arts Gallery. At one of the exhibitions, a businessman from the United States saw Zeng Fanzhi's work "Mask Series." A group of adults wearing red scarves and masks stood side by side, which deeply touched him. In the end, the man bought the painting for $10,000. Years later, the seller surfaced. Subsequently, a scene occurred at Christie's Hong Kong auction night that amazed all industry insiders. This work by Zeng Fanzhi was purchased by another collector for HK$10,000 (approximately US$10,000), setting a record for the highest auction price for a contemporary Chinese artist at the time. In the past ten years, the value of this work has nearly doubled. In the 40th anniversary evening auction at Sotheby's in Hong Kong, Zeng Fanzhi's "The Last Supper" was sold for HK$100 million. This painting was purchased by the Ullens couple in 2011.
Successful investors should grasp this change in market signals in advance and avoid buying art works that have cooled down or are showing a cooling trend at high prices, so as not to hoard funds and miss investment opportunities.
4. It is better to be stable and not to rush
A very important point in art investment is to avoid risks and not be impulsive. On the one hand, with the boom in art investment, a large number of fakes and fakes have flooded the market. Investors who are not good at identifying can easily be deceived by these fakes and cause losses. On the other hand, there is a phenomenon of speculation in the art market operated by groups or institutions, which causes the market prices of certain categories or works of certain artists to skyrocket in a short period of time, thus causing a herd effect in the art market where investors flock to buy. These works have returned to rational market prices, and losses are inevitable. In addition, to avoid risks, it is very important to buy works by artists with profound skills, and to avoid blindly following the trend and buying new works by celebrities who are not in this field with high exposure. After the attention of these works quickly dissipates, , the market price will also plummet, and the losses for investors will also be huge.
The article is selected from: Xinchang Silver Artwork Appraisal Database (public account zh), which aims to provide everyone with high-quality art collection and appraisal knowledge and is updated every day.