Public vs Masterworks: Best Way to Invest in Art

Public is a social investing community platform that is trying to change how people invest. Founded in 2017, stars like Will Smith, Tony Hawk, and NFT star J.J. Watt have invested in the platform.

You can invest in the stock market, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies on Public, as well as different alternative investments including art, NFTs, books, comics, sneakers, Birkin bags, and more. Each item offered on their platform has been vetted by the Public team and their network of advisors.

In addition to investing, you can also monitor the investments of other users to learn from their investing strategies, including any other asset classes. Public also offers an extensive learning resource center to help you learn more about investing.

How does Public work?

It’s easy to start art collecting with Public. All you need to do is sign up, link your bank account, and fund your Public account. There are no account minimums. Public’s collectibles are securitized through the SEC, which allows them to offer fractional shares of specific items. They take care of sourcing collectibles at auction houses and art fairs, as well as storage. 

You can buy fractional shares of any of its art or other collectibles directly on the Public app or from other users on their secondary market. You can manage and view a portfolio of all your assets on the app, from stocks to art. You can earn potential returns by either selling your shares on the platform or when Public sells the underlying asset.

While Public doesn’t offer as much physical artwork as Masterworks, you can purchase artwork from several well-known artists whose work tends to increase in value. 

For example, Public offers fractional art investing shares of Banksy’s Police Car. Prices of work by the famous and anonymous street artist have gone up in recent years, with his Love Is In The Bin piece selling for a record $25 million in 2021. 

Another work available on Public is Love Is What You Want by British artist Tracey Emin. The modern artist is a favorite at auction houses, with her work often going for over a few million, and her art piece My Bed going for a record $3.77 million.

Who can invest with Public? 

Anyone over the age of 18 can invest in art through Public. You need to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident with a valid visa and a social security number. You also need to have a legal residential U.S. address. Investing by non-U.S. residents is not available at the moment.