Art Market Explainers
The Guarantee System: How Auction Houses De-Risk Major Sales
Auction house guarantees now cover 72.9% of evening sale lots by value. Learn how irrevocable bids work, who profits, and what they mean for art investors.
Features & Analysis
Long-Form Research on the Art Market
Deeply reported features from the Masterworks Research Team, published weekly.
Opinions & Explainers
Private Sales vs. Public Auctions: Where the Real Money Moves
Private dealer sales totaled $34.8B in 2025, dwarfing public auction revenue. Learn how private art sales work, why sellers prefer them, and what it means for investors.
Art Market Explainers
Picasso at Auction in 2026: Still the Most Traded Name in Art
Picasso sells more lots per year than any other artist. We look at the data behind his market depth, its liquidity, and how investors should read it.
Data & Indices
Open Data Initiatives in Art: Who Is Publishing What, and Why It Matters
A guide to who publishes open art market data and price indices in 2025-2026, what stays private, and why transparency matters for investors.
Art Market Explainers
Living vs. Deceased Artists: How the Supply Dynamic Changes Everything
A living artist can always make more work, so supply stays elastic. Death fixes the count forever. That single shift reshapes price, liquidity, and risk.
Research Reports
Inflation Hedging: Art vs. Gold vs. Real Estate vs. Crypto
How art, gold, real estate, and crypto perform as inflation hedges, with 2021-2025 data on returns, CPI correlation, and real purchasing power.
Opinions & Explainers
How the $84 Trillion Wealth Transfer Is Changing Art Demand
The $84 trillion Great Wealth Transfer is reshaping the art market. Here's what's moving, who's buying, and which categories gain.
Opinions & Explainers
How Tariffs and Trade Policy Affect International Art Flows
US tariffs, EU import rules, and Brexit red tape are reshaping where art is bought, sold, and stored globally. What art investors need to know in 2026.
Art Market Explainers
How Kerry James Marshall Challenged the Canon, And What Institutions Did Next
Kerry James Marshall put Black figures into Western history painting. Museums followed, and his auction record hit $21.1 million. Here is the market story.
Art as an Investment
How Geopolitical Crises Redirect Art Capital Flows: A Historical Pattern Analysis
War and sanctions have moved art capital for a century, toward neutral, rule-of-law hubs. The historical pattern, and what it means for investors in 2026.
Art Market Explainers
How Auction Estimates Are Set, And How Often They're Wrong
Auction estimates come from comparable sales and specialist judgment, then get set as a marketing band. In H1 2025 only 10% of paintings sold within range.
Research Reports
How Asian Demand Influences Western Art Prices
Asian buyers now drive up to 26% of Christie's global auction turnover, reshaping prices for Picasso, Monet, and Basquiat. What investors need to know.