Buying Art - What and Where Should You Buy

As in life, nothing concerning the world of art is ever certain. While art prices have remained relatively buoyant, even in this difficult economy, things can always take a turn for better or worse at any moment. Despite this fact, many people have become very rich over the last few years due, in large part, to the rising popularity of art as an investment with affluent Chinese, Russian, and Indian collectors. When the economy is in trouble the stock market is a huge gamble, and many traditional investments are a lot riskier as well, but art and gold bullion are safe and stable investments. Things that are real, solid, and have concrete value are much safer bets in an ailing investment marketplace. Because of this, buying art is still a safe bet, and should remain so for quite a long time to come. For those who wish to begin investing in art, the question then becomes what to buy.

WHAT SHOULD YOU BUY? Exactly what sort of art to buy, as always, will largely depend on your taste in art and where your interests lie. The choices are wide and varied, and can be anything as simple as collectible art prints to large installation piece sculptures, and anywhere in between. Once you've investigated and decided where your artistic tastes lie, you can then focus your attention on finding exactly the right investment for you.

WHERE SHOULD YOU BUY? Once you know what you want to buy, the question then becomes where to buy. While London is poised to be the centre of the European art market, other cities could emerge as major players in the art investment scene. Certain key European cities are increasingly becoming more important and well-known in the art investment game, cities such as Vienna, Dubai, Berlin and Budapest have begun to emerge and attract the attention of the art collecting world.

As prominent and well-known as these cities are, the one market that has really exploded for art collecting and selling has been the internet. Art dealers are taking their galleries online and selling traditional artworks across the globe, and some digital artists are making a name for themselves and marketing their art through online store fronts and galleries.

The whole world is opening up for artists and collectors alike. For those wanting to collect art, for pleasure or as an investment, the world is truly your oyster. The possibilities are now endless for artists as well, because they no longer have to rely on being able to get their work into a gallery or finding an art dealer to represent them. It is now possible for artists to sell their own work, so finding something you love to invest in is infinitely easier for collectors as well. No matter where you focus your attention when you decide to invest, before making a decision you should always do your research to be sure what you're buying is a good investment and likely to hold and increase its value over time.