Why collecting and investing the Art?

WHY COLLECTING AND INVESTING THE ART

By "Why Collecting or Investing the Art

1 . INTRODUCTION

A fine piece of artwork can change the fortune of its owner in one fine morning . On the other hand , someone possessing a roomful of them might go through a long phase of tough times . Between these two poles , the prospect of investing in art swings like a pendulum . This is a sector that is still considered as relatively unexploited and thus , the investment players gradually increasing their focus on this

However , the examples of investing

in the art dates back to the Italian Renaissance Period (1537- 1631 ) between which four Medici grand dukes heartily backed the flourish of arts and science of the region . The first one , Cosimo I started the trend of commissioning the painters and sculptors for both private and public purposes , all the while founding an academy of the artists . These events encouraged the artists community to a great degree , which saw the emergence of the painters like Poontormo (1494-1556 ) or Agnolo Bronzino (1503-1572 ) besides the time-winning master crafter , Michelangelo

The period ruled by Cosimo-I can be earmarked as the beginning of the commercial dialog with the arts through royal patronage . His son Francesco-I gradually augmented this trend , while personally rising in ranks as a collector of the paintings and artifacts . His interest on this subject not only invoked the artists and craftsmen from other areas of Italy and northern Europe to settle down in Florence , but also the art-importers , who combed through Asia for art-objects that could match the taste of Francesco-I . The activities of the craftsmen also included costly elements like gold and gemstones (History , 2007

The symbiosis of art and commerce kept gaining momentum even in the periods of Fardinando , the brother of Fansesco , and later Francesco 's son , Cosimo-II . The ruling dynasty 's constant patronage to arts had heightened its value proposition , and that paved the way of commerce to sneak in . However , that was not an age of easy communication or market interaction , and that proved the biggest bane for those who wanted to carve out an industry out of this practice . So the activities in this trade had to be limited within zones with limited number of buyers , who had limited number of options as well . Thus the situation itself yearned to grow and create wide , collective base of money spinning , which however , has become the of the modern times

In any case , the components are the same - here is the patron and the collector , and here is the middleman and the buyer . What has added to it is a package of various interconnected marketplaces and organized financial engines , facilitating the common man to investing in art and benefiting from it

2 . RECENT MARKET TREND

Gone are the days when investing in art could mean a long waiting game Now the transactions are taking place even with mouse-clicks , which are capable of bringing the all the players on a common virtual platform The modern...