Deeply reported features from the Masterworks Research Team, published weekly.
When an artist dies, their auction prices often spike. But the size and length of that jump depends on how the estate handles supply. Here is what investors need to know.
How the US dollar's rise and fall shapes global art auction prices, bidding behavior, and cross-border collecting strategy for investors.
Masterworks focuses on investment grade, blue chip art rather than speculative ultra contemporary work. Here is the data behind that distinction and how we choose what to buy.
How undisclosed markups, dealer insolvency, and weak title and authenticity warranties create counterparty risk in art deals, and how investors manage it.
Single-artist exposure carries 25% to 40% volatility versus 10% to 15% for a diversified art index. Here is why concentration is the risk that hurts most.
How art appraisers build a fair market value from comparable sales: selecting comps, adjusting for size, medium, date, and condition, and the limits of thin comps.
Art-backed lending lets collectors borrow against artwork at 50-60% LTV ratios. Learn how it works, who lends, the risks, and why the market now tops $36 billion.
Banksy built a career attacking the art market, then became one of its most valuable assets. We unpack the paradox, the prices, and what it means for investors.
How the Big Three auction houses earn revenue from buyer premiums, seller commissions, guarantees, private sales, and financial services, with 2025 results.
How fine art and venture capital compare on return shape, volatility, correlation, illiquidity, and Sharpe ratio, with 2024-2025 data for HNW portfolio construction.
How fine art and Bitcoin compare as stores of value, with 2025-2026 data on volatility, drawdowns, Sharpe ratios, and correlation to equities.
Art prices are a call option on the wealth of the top 0.01%. As that wealth concentrates, a fixed supply of trophy works reprices upward.