Can or should art be considered a good investment? To
invest, apart from the literal meaning describing the act of clothing with a
vest, it has also come to mean to produce interest or profit on capital,
certainly not what goes through my mind when purchasing artwork. As with any
non-essential commodity the value of art will inevitably be governed equally by
rarity and fashion no matter how ancient or modern.
Like most reasonably successful artists I’ve had those lean
years of stock piling that have contrasted with the occasional sell out
exhibition. Just as the job is not a nine to five so the income is erratic. One
of the many added benefits is to be able to fill the walls of my own home with
my art. Looking back I note that the honeymoon period of high prices in the
early 90’s was short lived, but there are several painting from that period I
would gladly buy back. Following the move to Central Finistere in Brittany my
prices had to adapt to the largely rural peasant population. This was the
inevitable penalty I had to pay for leading such an idyllic life style. Sales
were sporadic and my prices ranged from 100-400 euros, rarely topping the
thousand euro mark. Today I still offer work from as little as £50. This still
life, painted in 2003 was marked then at 350 euros, but today I would be asking
£1350, is that keeping up with inflation? As I grow older and the due date of
departure creeps closer I wonder if my artwork can now be considered to have
matured like a fine wine ready for drinking, or does a bad photo and a crass
comment on Instagram have more influence. While there seems to be money enough
for all sorts of instant gratification, I wonder what sort of future we are
investing in.
No comments:
Post a Comment