Art – An alternative investment option – Michael Kanyuchi – takuragallery.com

I have written a couple articles about art as an investment, and have received feed-back from readers comparing the return of investment of art with that of other investment options. For starters i have always stated that art is an long-term investment and those who interested in short-term high risk investment returns then gambling would be a better option. One has to understand that art is an passion investment, when one buys an art-piece one should should not think of an immediate return, instead on should focus on satisfying their soul. Art is about taste and preference ,either you like it or you don’t, other peoples views should’t influence you when you decide to purchase an art-piece. Its said that ‘Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder’.

What makes art an investment is that historically ark-works appreciate in value over time, beating all other short-term investment options. One can take a cue from Warren Buffets investment principles. Warren Buffet only invests in want he likes and understands.  When he invests in anything he is not looking at short-term returns but long-term and that the reason why he is regarded as the worlds greatest investor. For one to appreciate art as an investment, one should has to first appreciate the art and most importantly take a long-term view.
In other words buy your art-piece and showcase it in your home or office and enjoy the beauty and splendor of the art piece. Over time when the art-piece has appreciated in value and you are in need of funds you can use the art-piece as collateral and borrow against it instead of disposing the art-piece. The beauty of art is that its an investment that can be passed down from generations to generations. One should ask themselves how many share certificates from say 1900s are still worth the value of the paper that they are printed on, while comparing the value of art-works from the same period. One must ask themselves why extremely wealthy people invest heavily in art collections, the answer is to retain their wealth.

Michael Kanyuchi

The famous Shona stone sculptures is an art form that is unique only to Zimbabwe, one may travel around the world but we never come across the same craftsmanship found in Shona stone sculptors.

This art-form can be likened to Persian rugs from Iran or scotch whiskey from Scotland. It is a true Zimbabwean art form that has been practised for centuries since the days the Munhumutapa empire at the ancient city of great Zimbabwe, the same art-form that have passed from generations to generations.

During the days of the Munhumutapa empire the artists resident at the ancient city of great Zimbabwe produced beautiful sculptures of the now famous Zimbabwean birds, these artworks were sculptured from soap stones. There is a new generations of sculptors still practising the same craftsmanship of their ancestors, whereby each and every sculptor is hand-crafted with simple tools without the aid of heavy machinery.
The only difference from the past artists is that today’s artists have evolved from using soft rocks like soap stones to hard semi-precious rocks such as granite, opal, lepidolite and springstone just to name a few. Today’s Shona stone sculptures have managed to carve a niche market, making it one of the worlds much sought after art-forms by serious and discerning art collectors.