Lucian Simmons

London Summit 2015 - Investing in Art as an Asset Class: Passion or Profit? (I)

Iain Robertson, Philip Hoffman, Howard Lewis, Clare McAndrew, Lucian Simmons

A comprehensive panel discussion explores the global art market's $51 billion scale, analyzing its heavy skew toward high-value transactions and the divergent strategies of institutional investors versus speculative collectors. Experts debate the asset class's liquidity, authentication risks, and regional dynamics, particularly the shifting power of the Chinese market and the volatility of emerging sectors. The consensus highlights a projected 30-year growth trajectory driven by diversification needs, though participants caution that returns range from significant losses to 10% annualized gains depending on strict adherence to blue-chip selections and ownership cost management.