Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Inflation: The Art Dealer's Friend

December 21, 2009 by Marion Maneker

The Economist‘s coverage of the art market is always sharp even if it involves using a variety of different writers to cover each collecting field. What unifies the coverage is the awareness that art is now viewed as any other sort of asset that a person might own. It has also become an overwhelming theme of the art market that art is now a favored asset among those who are seeking assets to hold. Here’s a relevant comment from a dealer in Victorian and British pictures:

David Mason, a London dealer who joined his father’s firm, MacConnal-Mason, when he was just 17. Mr Mason, who has seen recessions come and go in the 53 year he has been in the business, said afterwards: “Prices today reflect what is happening out there. People are discounting the coming inflation and buying quality. They know that inflation has always been the art dealer’s friend.”

Buyers in every sector of the art market, from Chinese porcelain to Old Masters, now seem to follow a pattern. They are happy to pay over the odds for top-ranking pictures, but leave the rest untouched.

Back to the Future (Economist)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • Art Fund Attracts a CrowdArt Fund Attracts a Crowd
  • Seen at FriezeSeen at Frieze
  • Tully: Cohen Gets a D in the Art MarketTully: Cohen Gets a D in the Art Market
  • Why Do Rich Persons Buy Expensive Trophies Instead of Looking for “Better” Returns?Why Do Rich Persons Buy Expensive Trophies Instead of Looking for “Better” Returns?
  • Van Dyck Original Emerges on UK’s Antiques RoadshowVan Dyck Original Emerges on UK’s Antiques Roadshow
  • Can Private Sales Rival Auction Totals at Major Houses?Can Private Sales Rival Auction Totals at Major Houses?

Filed Under: Economic Trends

About Marion Maneker

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

Top Posts

  • Keith Haring’s 1989 Retrospect Comes to Sotheby’s London Prints Sale
  • Tony Podesta's Secret Art Buying
  • Four of Picasso's Women Valued at $28m Come to Christie's from Rose-Walters Collection
  • Norman Rockwell's Not Gay. But Is He a Great Artist?
  • Roy Lichtenstein’s Top Ten Auction Prices
  • Aboudia, Zemba Luzamba, Dickens Otieno Anchor Contemporary African Art Sale at Artcurial in Marrakesh
  • How to Chant Like an Auctioneer
  • Selection Bias In Art Is What Creates Value
  • Tracey Emin Neon Lights Up Sotheby's 'Contemporary Showcase' Pop-Up
  • Sotheby's Pulls in a $9m David Hockney for November
  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor