Current Trends in the Art World

The big ticket items in the art world right now are modern, contemporary, and impressionist artwork. For example, Edward Munch’s painting, “The Scream,” which will be sold by Sotheby’s in May, has a projected $80 million minimum price tag. Petter Oslen, a Norwegian businessman plans to sell the painting and use the proceeds to fund a museum and art center on his farm.

Other high ticket items have been Pablo Picasso’s 1932 painting, “Nude, Green Leaves and Bust,” and Paul Cezanne’s painting, “The Card Players,” which sold for $106.5 million and $250 million, respectively. The amount paid for Cezanne’s painting is reportedly the highest price ever paid for work of art. Many art collectors are also purchasing works by younger artists with the expectation that the demand for and value of these creations will increase.   

According to are dealers, traditional and classical paintings along with antique furniture are currently not popular investments for collectors. However, many collectors are purchasing coins and jewelry because of the inherent value of these pieces and their appeal to the art community.

See Investors Make Art Auctions A ‘Screaming’ Success, Private Wealth, Feb. 24, 2012.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.