The rise of female artists

Three more artists to look out for

In a sign of both her eclectic taste, and also the eclectic styles of female artists currently producing work, Victoria cites three more women whose art she admires.

• Njideka Akunyili Crosby: Nigerian-born artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby creates densely layered paintings in a precise style that conjures the complexity of contemporary experience.
• Howardena Pindell: Working since the 1970s across figurative, abstract and conceptual art, Howardena Pindell has created a complex and nuanced body of work that addresses intersecting issues such as racism, feminism, violence and exploitation.
• Celia Paul: Celia Paul makes intimate depictions of people and places she knows well. From 1977 to 2007 she worked on a series of paintings of her mother, and since then has concentrated on painting her four sisters, as well as a number of close friends.

Putting a price on it?

Mohammad Syed, Head of Asset Management at Coutts, explains how the Passion Index taps into the joy, and not just the finances, of our clients’ hobbies: “While the headline numbers for art were down again this year, there’s still reason to cheer for collectors. Victoria’s insight reveals that there are pockets of success shining through –such as female artists – and our report also focuses on a vibrant contemporary art scene.

“But ultimately intrinsic value is only a very small part of passion asset investing,” he continues. “It can be very hard to quantify the joy that great art can bring, and it’s a special thing that’s unique to each person. That said, when it comes to the crunch and financing is needed, we’re here to help our clients pursue their passions to the fullest.”

If you would like to find out more about the Coutts Passion Index, please ask your private banker or wealth manager for a copy of the latest edition.

* Methodology:

The Coutts Passion Index is a total return index comprising many of the objects our clients own , from trophy houses to wine, fine art and stamps. It shows how the value of each component has changed, and also reflects cost to now. At an aggregate level, it provides a broader story on how non-financial assets perform.

The index uses four categories of fine art (Impressionist and Modern Art, Old Master and 19^th Century Art, Post-War and Contemporary Art and Traditional Chinese Works of Art) derived from the Sotheby’s Mei Moses Art Indices. The Sotheby’s Mei Moses indices are based on prices achieved at auction in US dollars. These price indices are repeat-sales estimators, which are calculated once a year. The indices were rebased to 100 in 2005, having previously been based at 1.

Read more about the Coutts Passion index 2019

When investing, past performance should not be taken as a guide to future performance. The value of investments, and the income from them, can go down as well as up, and you may not recover the amount of your original investment.