Paris’s Art Exchange isn’t the only place to buy shares in works of art, according to Xinhua, the Chinese news agency:
A pilot art market opened Wednesday in north China’s Tianjin city to allow small investors to buy shares in the ownership of art works previously traded only in auction houses by the super rich.
The market, operated by the government-backed Tianjin Cultural Artwork Exchange, is considered a financial innovation by the Tianjin municipal government.
China had no precedent, said Chen Zongsheng, deputy secretary of the municipal government. […] Shares in two traditional Chinese paintings were offered for sale on the Tianjin market Wednesday: one valued at 6 million yuan and the other at 5 million yuan. Ownership was divided into 6 million shares for the first and 5 million for the other, said Wang Mingda, an official with the exchange.
“Investors are very enthusiastic and trading has been active since the market opened at 9 a.m.,” Wang said.
According to the market’s rules, an investor who buys up to 67 percent of an artwork can require the purchase of the remaining shares from other investors.
Shares in Art Works Offered in New Chinese Investment Market (CRIEnglish.com)