Investing Guide
In this report, I want to introduce you to 3 Blue Chip artists that investor and collectors should be considering for investment. Each artists’ worthiness has been determined by evaluating their current desirability among collectors and investors as well as the likelihood that they remain art stars for the next decade and beyond.
I have also looked for Blue Chip artists that have prints or sculptures that are cheap enough that beginner/ young collectors can afford to invest in them. Additionally, I have focused on artists that are included in art funds (such as Masterworks or Yieldstreet) which offer fractional shares in their incredibly expensive one-off large scale paintings and sculptures. In my opinion, the confidence I have in these artists as worthy investments is supported by these art funds (that are run by a team of experts in the field of art investing) investing hundreds of thousands or millions of dollar in the work of these 3 artists.
So, with no further delay, here are 3 Blue Chip artists that you should be adding to your art collection or investment portfolio:
Jean-Michel Basquiat
With Jean-Michel Basquiat, you will want to avoid buying any incredibly cheap editions or prints because these are not typically numbered or signed or limited, which effectively makes them worthless as an investment. Buying a non-edition work is throwing your money away (Learn More: What to Look for in an Art Print). The starting price of a Basquiat artwork that is worthy of investment starts at about US$15,000, which is on the cusp of unaffordable for most art collectors, but Basquiat’s investment potential is just too great to leave him off this list.
Fortunately, Jean-Michel Basquiat is included in both Yieldstreet’s Art fund and Masterworks portfolio, so beginner investors have other opportunities to invest in Basquiat.
As Yieldstreet notes on its website, in 2021 “sales of Basquiat’s artwork generated $439.6 million, placing him behind only Pablo Picasso as one of the most highly valued artists…”. As a potential investment, I’m loving the comparison to Pablo Picasso, and wouldn’t be surprised if Basquiat were to surpass him and move to the number 1 spot in the next few decades.
Mickalene Thomas
In 2021, Mickalene Thomas crossed the $1.5 million mark for the sale of her work in Raquel Reclining Wearing Purple Jumpsuit. Still, even as she set personal records, Mickalene Thomas has a lot of room to appreciate in value, and is perfectly positioned to benefit from large institutions and collectors reallocating more funds to purchase work from African-American artists, which is why she will make a fantastic investment.
Mickalene Thomas prints can still be picked up for US$1,000 to US$5,000, with reasonably small edition sizes of 100 to 150. Yieldstreet has also picked up on the potential of Mickalene Thomas as an investment and she can be found in its Art Funds. However, she is absent from Masterworks to the detriment of their client base.
Ed Ruscha
You’ll be looking at a price tag of about US$4,000 – US$5,000 for a print edition from Ed Ruscha, which is not that unreasonable considering he is one of the most sought after living artists in the world. Alternatively, there are editioned/ signed books from Ed Ruscha that are cheaper than his prints, but these objects are typically less desirable than a traditional artwork like a print or a painting for investors. Ed Ruscha is still making art at the age of 85, and will likely become more desirable when he passes away and no new work enters the market to satisfy demand. In my mind his status as a worthy investment is all but guaranteed.
While his imagery can appear kind of dry at times, there is enough variety in his artworks that there is bound to be something that appeals to you. You may also like to know that Ed Ruscha often paints and draws with atypical materials such as gunpowder, blood, and Pepto Bismol, but this is unlikely to be true for his editioned prints which will be made from normal print making materials.
Yieldstreet and Masterworks are both huge fans of Ed Ruscha with each platform having made multiple investments in this artist over the years.