Arabic version: خبراء يحثون جامعي الأعمال الفنية الجدد على البدء محلياً

According to Cnbc, new art collectors should begin with curiosity, local galleries, art fairs and direct engagement with artists rather than expecting exceptional financial returns. Experts say art has lagged stocks over a recent 10-year period through 2024, while the market remains illiquid, opaque and difficult to navigate.

Canice Prendergast, an economics professor at the University of Chicago, said the market is divided between the primary market of galleries and the secondary market, typically auctions. He said major gains can occur when artists move between gallery levels and eventually to auction, but such shifts take time and are exceedingly difficult to predict, particularly for outsiders.

Roman Kräussl of Bayes Business School said collectors should “Buy what you like!” He said art can offer cultural, intellectual and human benefits, even as costs such as buyer’s premiums, shipping, insurance, framing, storage and resale fees weigh on investment returns. He urged buyers to attend small events, meet artists and develop their own taste.

Magnus Resch, who teaches art economics at Yale University, said most art is not a good investment and buyers with limited budgets are unlikely to see a financial return. For a $5,000 budget, he suggested prints or works on paper by blue-chip artists; at $10,000, he pointed to original contemporary works in day sales at major auction houses; and at $100,000, he favored one exceptional work by an artist represented by a leading gallery and exhibited at major museums.

Georgina Adam, editor at large for The Art Newspaper, advised buyers not to purchase on a whim and to study artists first. She said collectors should research dealers, compare gallery and auction prices, and seek galleries with established records, professional-association memberships or participation in well-known fairs.