Something Unprecedented Is Happening With The Value Of Banksy's Pieces

Banksy is the kind of an artist who shreds his auctioned-off artwork only to see it reevaluated for a larger sum. 

His in-your-face graffiti has shocked the general public into conversations about societal shifts, or lack thereof, for three decades. Given the number of eyes his work has drawn, he's arguably the most popular living contemporary art icon today. 

The price tag on his pieces is often in the millions. But for investors, a much more important metric is price movement. In that department, Banksy has been losing out to previously overlooked artists stepping into the limelight. 

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This is what the price movements for his prints look like:

(Source: MyArtBroker)

And here's what the same chart looks like for Tracy Emin:

(Source: MyArtBroker)

And Bridget Riley:

(Source: MyArtBroker)

These charts attest to the turning tides that are uncovering a tremendous investment opportunity more investors than ever can access through crowdfunding. 

Despite its apparent knack for unconventionalism, the contemporary art world has remained traditional in one regard: It has been dominated by Western men at all levels. Until recently, buyers, appraisers, auctioneers and academics were most likely to fall into that category. Artists from different backgrounds experienced a rockier road to the same level of success.

The Bridget Riley Case

Bridget Riley's accolades would lead you to believe her work sells for much more than it does. At 92 years old, she's represented by the largest private gallery, her auction history is impressive and she has had many retrospectives at the world's most famous museums. Nonetheless, her work sells for much less than that of her male counterparts with similar accomplishments. But, according to the chart above, that might change soon. And she's not an isolated case.

Scores of artists of all backgrounds are starting to get the recognition they deserve. But it'll take time before their work reaches the same level of esteem as works from highly established Western male artists. 

You can invest in their artwork today without shelling out millions. Masterworks curates the most promising pieces from the world's acclaimed contemporary and post-war artists and offers their shares to investors. That means you can create a portfolio of different pieces at a fraction of the original cost.

Fine art has long been much more than aesthetically pleasing decoration. It's an asset class with a spectacular track record. From 1995 to 2022, the value of contemporary art increased at a compound annual growth rate of 12.6%. That's significantly higher than what the S&P 500, gold, U.S. corporate bonds and real estate returned for the same period.

(Image courtesy of Masterworks)

A portfolio that includes contemporary art has historically driven higher returns and improved the risk-adjusted appreciation rate at a given target return. The only problem is that the work of proven artists often costs millions. Now, with Masterworks, that bar has been lowered to an accessible sum. You can start investing in the works of today's artistic geniuses starting with $15,000.

Click here to start investing with Masterworks.

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