How to Invest in Sculpture

Investing in sculpture is one way to invest in fine art. Like other commodities, your investment's value is based on the market at the time you want to sell the sculpture and the supply and demand of the sculpture or the artist's work.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Plan to invest long term. The market continually fluctuates in fine art and sculptures may lose value after you purchase them. By holding a sculpture for at least ten years, you should be able to sell the sculpture for a profit. An exception to this would be if your sculpture becomes popular before ten years has passed.

2. Buy authentic sculptures. The fine art industry isn't as regulated as other investment fields. You want to buy mint condition sculptures that are signed by the artist and have papers. The papers provide the provenance, which is the lineage of ownership.

3. Invest in smaller sculptures. People who buy art consider where they can display their new acquisition. Most people have space for smaller sculptures, which means your sculpture is worth more money per square inch if it's smaller.

4. Watch out for scams. Forgeries and fakes are common in fine art. Insiders bid up prices at auctions to inflate the purchase price. Some antiquity dealers sell sculptures without owning the piece.

5. Like what you buy. You weather the inevitable market swings better if you enjoy the sculpture. Don't buy sculpture based on its current popularity; it's the popularity of the sculpture when you resell it that matters.