Is it possible to invest intelligently, that is to say safe from storms and crises? And also advocate for a responsible kind of capitalism, a constructive capitalism that also favours innovation and beauty. Is this utopia? Quite the contrary, such is the new way of investing money with accuracy that hits the right mark, that helps our society grow. Grow in conscience. Grow in beauty. Grow by also favouring investment in art. Today, in all honesty, who knows what to believe anymore: our daily life has been shaken up, our values turned on their heads, our beliefs compromised. We dream of intelligent investment. But how can it be done? If there was not a storm but a hurricane, we would struggle to protect our heritage by simply waiting for the calm after the storm. So are we now resigned to powerlessly watching the skies turn dark and unleash a cyclone.
No, because we must believe in the strength of finance tamed by art, in the beauty of art valued by finance. Art in service of finance – this of course matches a traditional vision of financial investment. Investing in a work of art and recovering one’s investment at a comfortably higher value – what could be more agreeable for an investor? Agreeable and also as classic as rare are those who can at once advise you in your financial investments and at the same time in the domain of art. However, this can indeed be a means to an end for an investor. Some are interested in art as a financial product that they intend to turn a profit from, which is completely respectable and takes nothing away from the beauty of investment. For these investors, while they obviously wish to turn a profit , the fact remains that they are also proud to participate, in their own way, in the take-off of an artist’s career. Thanks to their investment, the art world gets to hear about a new creator. What an honour it is to sniff out new talent and make it flourish by giving it value! These investors purchase art as an investment in their legacy, but there is also the element of human interaction that is nourished by exchanges, and by the power of dialogue between artist and investor that is sometimes maintained for the long haul.
An in-between also exists, and it is common. An investor can be interested without being completely passionate, aware that the current system has little chance of surviving for long due to the crises that keep hitting us. Rightly in search of a long-term investment, this kind of investor wants to build with the world. It pleases them to know that their investment, while profitable, is also a real opportunity to create history for art and for an artist whose talent will then be given a value. It must be said that such an investment is likely to create widespread social recognition. What is more agreeable for someone who wishes to invest their savings than to be considered as a patron of sorts? In our society that is lacking in points of reference – this same goes for financial investments – we must rethink how to protect a legacy and savings that have been gained through hard graft. Investing in art thus helps to redeem a world on the verge of madness. Also, art and finance make a good mix and even offer a lifeline in the face of the uncertainties of this particular time. A time when our humanity seems to have taken a turn for the worse.
Being a visionary, no longer being decided by algorithms: is there no hope for this? Indeed, there are different, novel solutions that, as well as preserving legacies, also allow us to act as trailblazers for society and the world of finance. This is why it is important to bring together these concepts by mastering all that makes up the valuation of a work, from its exposition in a museum to its placing into storage. Whether you choose to put your legacy up on your wall or make it – so to speak – see the sights and gain notoriety, everything is possible because what is risky is to sit back and wait, and it would be quite mundane to be content with traditional types of investment without giving it any extra thought! The future belongs to the brave, to those who dare but who are not driven just by fear.
The real virus is the one that was unfortunately not cleansed in 2001 or in 2008. It is still with us, gnawing away at the arteries of legacies until the knockout blow. This is why leaving lots of money in the current financial system – it so appears to us – is the real risk of today.