hier geht es zur deutschen version
safe havens?
first of all, an illusion must be sunk. gold is not a safe haven! anyone who seeks a safe haven in any material goods is lost, because the pockets of the last shirt are empty. nevertheless, it is wise to think about how to invest the wages of the sacrificed lifetime as sustainably and wise as possible.
maybe one or the other has already thought about it in the past or even invested already in the sector, which will be explained in more detail in a moment. but for most, it will be a slightly different reference to the topic of monetary investments. besides the conventional possibilities, such as real estate, shares, bonds or precious metals, one can also find somewhat less common and rather unknown investment possibilities. these are at least as interesting investment possibilities and definitely worth taking a closer look at.
those who have a certain amount of capital can, for example, invest their money in diamonds, in rare earths, in collectibles such as cars, or in another investment that will be looked at a little more closely in the following. those who have the need to realize digital gains from the crypto market in the analog world and transfer them to analog markets will find an exciting market in the art market to transform the worthless fiat money into a value that will outlast it. a work of art is not bound to a currency and can be sold again in different currencies, even a devaluation of money, minus interest rates or inflation cannot harm a work of art, accordingly the art market offers a very old and at the same time quite stable investment opportunity. similar to precious metals or diamonds, this form of investment is also mostly mobile (except for large three-dimensional works of art). a painting, for example, can be removed from its frame without any problems, rolled up and stored in a suitcase. this has the advantage that the owner can protect himself more flexibly against greedy gouvernances. in order to invest money in this area, it is not necessary to have tens of thousands or even millions in the bank account. besides the overpriced and hyped artists, there are many other artists who are just as talented (if not more so) and who are happy to please someone with their work and at the same time get a little money for their tight budget to realize further projects. but also older artworks can be bought and if you really want to have a work by a special artist who is on everyone's lips, you can find one or the other original art print for an affordable price now and then.
the search for the right art
first the question is, if an art collection should be built up right away? for this a little space is necessary and in the first line the occupation with it, whether works of an artist, an art direction, an epoch, a motive, ... should be collected.
no matter in which investment class, whoever invests money in an area of which he has no knowledge whatsoever, takes an extremely high risk. every investor should be aware of this also in the area of art. but an enormous knowledge does not necessarily protect against mistakes and misjudgements. bad investments can be possible like in other finance spaces. in the past, for example, the art historian werner spies prepared appraisals for works of art and certified them as genuine which later turned out to be the works of the art forger beltracci.
stay away from posters and other "artworks" that do not originate from the artists themselves
in order to enter the market, neither, as already mentioned, huge sums of money are required, nor a university degree in art history. a look into the past reveals that artists, who achieved high prices for their works during their lifetime, often even fell into oblivion in the history of art. whereas other works of art by artists (who barely got by), whose paintings nobody wanted and who traded their paintings to get new colors or to get something edible, are priceless today.
because this text is written by an artist and not from an investment advisor, it is recommended not to consider and buy a work of art as a pure speculative object. art is much more than just a sober investment object, like for example a stock. to buy an art object only because of the hip name of an artist, which is written on the work, should be avoided. such behavior does not do justice to either the artist or the work of art, and in a way reveals a disrespect for both. works of art should give pleasure. at the same time, they always reveal a part of the creator, the process behind it, make you think, are pretty to look at, and transform boring walls into exciting places. a work of art should first and foremost be food for though and please, even if many investment advisor advises against choosing a work according to taste. it is definitely advisable to pay attention to the fact that, for example, in the case of a print, it is more likely to go for a print with a lower edition beecause the rarer an object, the higher the value of the individual work - accordingly, unique pieces also achieve the highest prices. in the case of prints (not silk-screen prints), a copy with a lower number is usually better than one with a higher number, since the quality of the printing block decreases as the number of copies increases. in the case of a silk-screen print, on the other hand, the number of copies is irrelevant for the quality of the print, since the screen does not wear out. in this case, the important thing is a clean, flawless print. a clean and accurate work generally fetches a higher price than a work with obvious defects and errors.
strongly discouraged is the purchase of printed canvases, posters, postcards ... which were created without the participation of an artist and can be purchased for example at a big swedish furniture chain or everywhere on the internet. here, actors help themselves to works of art and enrich themselves with other people's work. if artists are exploited, money is earned with them and they don't receive a cent of the income, the people behind these practices should not be supported.
if the money is not enough
now an example, how to proceed, if there should not be enough money for the work of a preferred famous artist. often there are also prints of very famous artists, which are still traded at affordable prices, because they are not unique but works with a larger edition. accordingly, if an original painting of a preferred artist is far outside the budget, it is worthwhile to take a look at possibly available graphics. another possibility is the following: if you absolutely love banksy, for example, you can consider buying an original artwork by another artist who works in the same style but is not as well known. in this case, it would be a good idea to look at artists who work in a similar way and whose works are sold at more affordable prices. for example, blek le rat would be an excellent option. an artist who inspired banksy and who preceded him with numerous ideas by several years. but also dolk or pøbel offer a convinced banksy fan cheaper but also sophisticated possibilities to enter the art market.
unfortunately, art has reached the middle of sell out and for some has degenerated into a pure speculative object. as a result, the time periods in which a work of art is in the possession of a collector before it is sold again are decreasing more and more.
investment advisors sometimes recommend to buy art not only according to whether a work is pleasing but according to other aspects, such as the significance and function of a picture in the oeuvre of an artist or a style, the quality of the craftsmanship, the edition, ... however, those who buy art and want to enjoy it should start collecting works of art that they like, whose creators they find interesting and by which they are attracted, and not purely strategically according to presumed price increases.
unfortunately, the art market is an extremely elitist construct, but no one should be intimidated by this. it is definitely not necessary to study art history in order to deal with this market and also to enter it. it is also advisable, for example, if you like a particular artist, to deal with it in detail, for example through literature, exhibition catalogs, manifestos, reviews, ... .
even if there is a risk involved in the purchase of artworks, the investment in a work of art hardly ever leads to a total loss. this is quite different on the stock market, for example. there, total losses occur regularly.
the art market in upheaval
it should also be noted that a revolution is currently taking place on the art market. if you shy away from using such a word in this context, you can also talk about tremendous upheavals. this process already started a few years ago with street art and is being continued by digital art in the form of nfts. these developments are awakening interest in art among people who previously had no access to art. in addition to the possibility of purchasing analog artworks, there is also the possibility of purchasing digital artworks. this extremely new market contains many opportunities and possibilities. even if it has not yet arrived in the mainstream, it is most likely on its way there and should definitely be taken into account.
this article is neither a recommendation to buy nor investment advice.
finally, some self-promotion
if you are interested in artworks of a young, motivated and upcoming artist, digital or analog, feel free to message in the comments or via dm ;). if you want to know more about the approach, meaning and content of käpt'n kalle's campaign, you will find an interesting essay by the artist himself in the recently published logbuch eines künstlers. unfortunately there is only a german version at the moment.
if you are interested, you can buy the book (also with signature) as well as artworks by käpt'n kalle in cryptocurrencies.
more informations about the presented art works in this article? write it into the comments.