INDEX feature Ian O’Neill Alternative
investments Art
Journey’s End by Edward Robert Hughes, £14,000 from O’Neill Fine Art
Mark Paul Perry’s Hope
Ian O’Neill of O’Neill Fine Art, a gallery in Tunbridge Wells, is seeing a rise in the number of people looking to buy art for investment, rather than aesthetic, purposes. He says modern British art is proving to be a good investment and cites Stanley Spencer, Mary Fedden and Louis Duffy as favourites of the moment. It can be diffi cult to generalise about returns, as every picture is judged by its own merit, but to illustrate just what can be achieved, Ian points to recent paintings by American artist Richard Prince. The artists ‘nurse’ paintings, which sold for around £10,000 a few years ago, are today valued between £1m and £1.5m. Of contemporary local artists to watch, Lesley Samms, co- founder of arts marketing and promotion business Pure Arts Group, says, “Tunbridge Wells-based artists Dani Humberstone and Mark Paul Perry have both established their niches and seen steady sales growth and price increases year on year.” Local investor Andrew Spencer says he invests in art because it, “makes me money”, but adds: “I do enjoy the paintings, and they can be passed down through generations. However, if you buy a picture you love, it doesn‘t really matter if it goes up in value as you always have it to enjoy.” Ian O’Neill’s tips for investing in art are to buy from a reputable gallery or dealer. “Would-be investors can get caught out if they buy from an auction rather than a knowledgeable expert,” he said. Fine art galleries, which sell paintings by well-known historical artists, antique art and contemporary artists, are the best placed to advise potential investors.“If you buy something from a fi ne art gallery by a well-known artist, you can be confi dent of recouping a good percentage of its value,” explains Ian.
Sound advice
• High risk investments such as exchange traded funds should ideally form a small percentage of a balanced investment portfolio. • Gold bugs can go to
www.gold.org for a list of respected local dealers of gold bars and coins. • En Primeur investors should visit
www.thewineindex as a fi rst port of call. Click on
www.bordeauxindex.com for details of reputable wine merchants and traders. •Art investors should go to a reputable fi ne art gallery. • Do take the gallery’s advice when considering a purchase.
• Stamp investors should buy stamps with a recognised certifi cate from a reputable dealer. Beware of forgeries. • Would-be investors should seek fi nancial advice and be aware that investments can go down as well as up.
CONTACTS:
The Chapel Down Winery, 01580 763033
Havelock Hunter Stockbrokers, 01892 522311 O’Neill Fine Art Gallery, 01892 539356 Pure Arts Group,
www.pureartsgroup.co.uk Plusmarkets,
www.plusmarketsgroup.com The Stamp Shop, 01892 529898 The Wine Index,
www.thewineindex.com World Gold Council
www.gold.org
www.indexmagazine.co.uk 17
The INDEX magazine February 2012
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