Are you looking for an investment artwork by up and coming artists? It’s a tricky business to get right since art can take years, even decades to appreciate in value and become proof of a worthy investment. Art investment is typically a long game, and it starts with being able to identify genuine artistic talent that has the potential to become valuable and sought-after in the art community.
Here are some tell-tale signs not just of artistic talent in general, but of talent you can invest in.
1. Originality
This one should go without saying, but some people do forget this as they get taken in by artists producing work in styles that have already become and been popular for some time. These artists and their work have great aesthetic and fashion appeal, but they aren’t necessarily ones to invest in now for a potential pay-off later down the line or even in the next generation. They are more trend followers rather than trend setters.
True originality is found in those who create new directions in art that others later follow. They use new and previously unused materials, styles, and even embrace new technology and mediums to create and share their works of art.
2. A Strong Local or “Cult” Following
It’s hard to invest in artists who already have a huge national following. By then, they’ve reached a point where investors would want to start seeing some return on their financial input. The best time to invest is when artists have proven their potential by building a small, localised and even “cult” following that you can reasonably expect to spread wider once given the right kind of exposure and opportunity.
When the following is small, there’s a track record to support and good reason to think things will get better. When the following is already large, you’ve missed the train.
3. Innovative Use of Materials
Truly great and investable artists are those who can create an entirely new medium, or at least a new way of using existing or everyday materials. Using more common materials, for instance, is powerful because it creates a potentially very powerful popular artistic movement that huge numbers of people might try to emulate and share. When you’ve influenced that many, it’s hard to deny that you’re someone of great talent and vision.
4. Real Skill
Perhaps we should have put this one higher on the list. At any rate, it is very important for an artist to have real “traditional” artistic skill. The trouble with those who lack these fundamentals is that it’s hard to take them seriously as real artists. An artist who can really draw and paint but chooses to operate in a more abstract medium can more easily capture the hearts and minds of art lovers than those who possess no fundamental skill but have some wacky ideas about throwing paint or other material onto a canvas one day.
5. Integrity and Commitment
Following on from the previous point, with the fundamental and genuine artistic skills we described above also follows the need for genuine artistic integrity. Artists need to have a message, a guiding philosophy or central idea that people can relate to. Art isn’t made just for the sake of making art. It’s a visual expression of the soul.
6. Evolving Themes
Finally, when you encounter artists who apply interesting, original and powerful themes to their work, and you see how those themes evolve over time, what you have is an artist with a sense of direction and development. They aren’t afraid to change and adapt their thinking. This is much more investable talent than even an artist who has reached their peak in one particular medium early on. The early peakers are also the early burnouts. Evolvers will continue to produce a body of work that tells an ongoing story.