Release time: 27th Dec. 2012 News source: 《Strait business》
Under the condition of economical crisis, buy national debt is risky, deposit bank is risky, investment in real estate and finance are also risky, so where should the money go?
Xiamen famous calligrapher Wu Xingtang of having 17 years collection history thinks that, some artworks play the part of gold in a certain period, in fact become keep value and value added produce, investment in artwork is relative reliable at the present stage. according to historical experience, in previous financial crises, the price of antiques and artworks appeared on art market is still very stable.
Work auction “a single word is worth a thousand pieces of gold”
Wu Xingtang is rich experience of artwork investment and collection, is the first artist of established personal art collection gallery. It located in Xiamen Haicang Runtang art gallery, three storey villa hung his painting and carving works, there are full of beautiful things in eyes, such as ancient pottery, stone carving, jade article, wooden art, famous painting and calligraphy, furniture of Ming and Qing dynasties and bronze ware and so on, more than 2000 in total. The collection gallery has great reputation, become the gathering place of many foreign friends to known Chinese history in Xiamen.
Not only for collect antiques, Wu Xingtang’s personal works is the hot point of the collection. He was born in calligraphy family, learn widely from others’ strong points for several ten years, formed unique style of painting and calligraphy, his works always are the champion in artwork market.
In the beginning of September in 2003, Beijing Hanhai auction is very living, Wu Xingtang’s calligraphy work “hidden dragons and crouching tigers” was auctioned more than 4000 Yuan successfully. During the period of 2005, Wu Xingtang successfully auctioned five works in Hanhai, each one is above 5000 Yuan, so called “a single word is worth a thousand pieces of gold”.
Beijing Hanhai artwork auction company is a specialized company who approved by state administration of cultural heritage, the transaction of volume and rate in auction center all come out top among in many domestic art auction companies, and created many top prices in the history. As a young painter and calligrapher, the work can be auctioned successfully in Hanhai auction, fully explain the collectors’ affirmation for his art.
It is estimable, Wu Xingtang since last century 90s stepped into the collection circles, until now he haven’t stop the step of study, he was studying the essence of traditional painting and calligraphy, while learning the antiquity appraisal, successively to Beijing Forbidden City and Tianjin joined jade, painting and calligraphy advanced appraisal study class, hosted by state cultural relics bureau, and wrote a book 《Runtang painting and calligraphy appreciation》, become the authority of the industry.
Investment in art can keep value and avoid risk
In his view, the primary function of art is aesthetic, bring the sense of beauty to people. but many collectors ignore this point immediately. No aesthetic things even old but are useless, such as stone, but some contemporary artworks, such as oil painting, as long as there is a very high aesthetic art, is also anticipated value.
He said, investment in art has several benefit, the first is to bring spiritual pleasure beauty, second, the volume of art is general smaller, easy to save and keep value, not subject to time and political constraints.
An extreme example of art hedge. When Germans persecuted Jews, what did the Jews take when they fled? Stamp. Exactly because it is small, easy to take, the value is recognized. This function embodied from the antiques and some recognized objects, you can only look forward to hedging, because the investment goods were influenced by liquidity finally.
In today’s society, along with the accumulation of people’s treasure, already not satisfied with eat fill and wear warm clothes, demand for culture has also begun to improve, for example, furnishing and decorating arts art home, etc., in this sense, art is a factor in the real economy.
Wu Xingtang said, this is from the consumption point of view, and from the perspective of investment analysis, art as the virtual economy, must be directly determined by market cycles and liquidity.
Short term investment will take risks
Current art market has high middle and low points, people enter the market because of experience, aesthetic taste and economic strength are different, determined the art collection level. But, on the market, Chinese art market development time is very short, transaction is not standardized, market information asymmetry. Now the art market as Chinese stock market has just started, there will be jump up and down, which is inevitable.
Therefore, ready to enter and just enter the art collectors must have put long-term fishing big fish investment philosophy. Want to do short-term investment in the art market, is bound to face great risks. But if you put the art for ten years, unless you buy a fake, basically is not lose. Any art as long as the artistry in place, the price is moderate, then it is necessary to invest decisively buy, with the growth of time, the value will continue to increase. But if you want to buy this year, sell next year, the target will be difficult to achieve."
Investment in jade is the most appropriate in the crisis
This wave of crisis, Chinese contemporary art due to the previous rise too much, resulting in this round was the most affected. From the recent auction point of view, good arts have reached a very appropriate price, and not beyond everyone's imagination. Especially the traditional calligraphy and painting and antiques price, after full adjustment market in recent years, the market is relatively stable, the price is close relative to the artistic value, the most important thing to buy art is concrete analysis of concrete problems.
Wu Xingtang suggested that the current investment in jade is the most appropriate. In particular, Hetian jade not only will not devalue, in this environment of the downturn is also very easy to make money. In 2008 Sotheby's Hongkong autumn auction, Qianlong dragon crown jewels "Qianlong Yubi" white jade Yuxi turnover of HK $63 million 380 thousand, refresh the world auction record for white jade, amazing.
The jade has three advantages: one is the Chinese dynasties are recognized jade as jewelry. Two jade is hard currency, more artistic than gold, appreciation potential is big. Three jade is scarce resources, one piece of investment market is less.
Wu Xingtang analysis, in the long run, art collection to some extent the function of money, but there are ethnic differences, at least there are cultural preferences and choices. "From the global linkage point of view, I think the current European and American art overall showed a downward trend, while the east especially China art showed an overall upward trend, which is decided by the pace of the world economy as one falls, another rises."
From this perspective, in the investment and collection of works of art, also should be judged within the value, like buying a house, if you always buy a position, you may be the last one down.