The global art market is as segmented and complex as the artistic output and the interests and preferences when collecting art. Without detailed knowledge of the art market, an optimal sales result cannot be achieved. We know how art can best be positioned in the market, be it through auction houses, through the art trade, through galleries or through private sales via our international network. Regardless of the type of selling transaction, discretion, a clear contractual relationship free of conflicts of interest and transparency are our top priorities.

Every auction season in spring and autumn, auction houses compete for attractive consignments. Art dealers compete on the secondary market for consignments on commission of important works of art and collections. And collectors appreciate the opportunity to purchase art privately outside the usual forums. Every market participant has strengths and weaknesses and every sales channel entails risks and benefits. The art to be sold and its specific market decide which sales strategy is most successful. We open up the competition for you and advise you if you want to sell works of art. We use our network of contacts to renowned gallery owners, art dealers, auction houses, museums and private collections in order to find the best market for artworks and negotiate the most advantageous sales conditions for you.

We are partners in all issues regarding the administration and management of art collections.

A complete, up-to-date and well-researched inventory is the basis for efficient and uncomplicated collection management and for maintaining the value of an art collection.

We offer support in regard to professional cataloguing and scientific documentation of art collections and provide collection audits and valuations of art collections. We develop and implement fully customised art collection database solutions.

In the early stages after discovering the passion for collecting art purchase decisions are often made spontaneously. In order to preserve the financial value of an art collection and to safeguard it for future generations, it is important to take a systematic approach which also takes the principles and expected developments of the art market into account.

We offer advice on a common thread for your collection and accompany the foundation and development of your art collection. Upon request, we will analyse existing collections and counsel on whether to sell, buy or hold. In dialogue with you and depending on your personal ideas and goals, we will accompany the reorganisation of your collection and support you in sourcing and acquiring new works of art.

The perception of artworks in your collection can be enhanced by placing them on permanent loan to museums and on temporary loan for international exhibitions. The exhibition in major museums and retrospectives can have a very positive impact on both the value and the recognition of artworks by the art world. Our expertise and network allow us to help collectors place their works within institutions.

We maintain a variety of tried and tested contacts to the most diverse participants in the art business. Thus, we can support art collectors in a targeted manner when matters relating to individual works of art in the collection or the collection as a whole need to be clarified and worked out with curators, authors of catalogues raisonnés, art historians, restorers, tax advisors and auditors or lawyers specialising in art law, foundation law or copyright law.

We also offer support with more practical tasks of collection management, such as restoration and preventive conservation, storage, transport, curated installations and art insurance.

The subjective value of a work of art lies in the eye of the art collector.

Independent thereof, however, art is also to be regarded as an asset. Many art buyers are looking for a healthy balance between enjoyment of art and art as an alternative investment with high stability of value. Nuanced valuation and continuous market analysis are cornerstones for professional collection management and value preservation of art collections. As completely independent advisors, we are your reliable partner for this task.

Often a great deal of information is produced in the process of a valuation that can be useful for the future management of a collection. In addition to delivering an up-to-date inventory, a valuation can lead to wider consideration about conservation, storage, acquisition or sale strategies and potential exhibition loans.

The simple principle of price formation in the interplay of supply and demand also applies to the art market. Nevertheless, works of art are extremely heterogeneous assets that can only be assessed individually. The art market is complex and still largely non-transparent. Without professional advice, buying and selling art can entail considerable financial risks.

The decisive determinants for the stability of value and the potential for increase in value of a work of art are still its artistic quality and marketability. But how can quality and marketability be reliably assessed?

For reliable valuations of art that are recognised in the art industry, it is necessary to be very familiar with the relevant segment of the art market. A very good understanding of the factors that determine connoisseurship and collecting preferences in the respective collecting area is necessary.

We provide bespoke inventories and independent valuations of individual artworks and art collections to collectors and professionals, which can refer to diverse purposes:

Due diligence, a method of analysis originally developed in the capital market when buying company shares, has long since found its way into the art world. An incomplete documentation of works of art, especially in the field of provenance, an unrecognised restoration, overlooked previous damages, the lack of an entry in the catalogue raisonné or insufficient knowledge of the latest state of research in questions of attribution can lead to considerable financial losses for both, buyers and sellers of art.

Therefore, every acquisition and sale of art should be accompanied by a careful risk assessment. We support you with extensive research services that enable you to deal safely with artworks in your possession. In doing so, we rely on our far-reaching network, which we have built up in the course of our many years of professional experience in the international art market. This network includes, among other aspects, contacts to scientific experts, lawyers specialising in art law and restorers.

Art is increasingly seen as a store of value for the preservation of wealth. The global art market rapidly develops in novel ways. A new generation of art collectors, well informed about the financial components of art ownership and acquisition of art, makes use of loans secured by high quality artworks to realise other interesting investments, be it the acquisition of further works of art or real estate or the capitalisation of their own company or the acquisition of company shares. The art trade deploys art loans to increase working capital and liquidity.

Art financing can enable collectors and galleries

On balance the financial services sector and the art business are two worlds in which a different language is spoken. The only way to generate liquidity from art through financing is for a financial services provider to understand the monetary value of art and align its business model with the ins and outs of art as an asset.

We are familiar with the structures and business practices of the art market.

We have a good understanding of the relationship between art and capital, between art collecting and market drivers and market developments.

On the basis of this experience, we support private collectors and the art trade in negotiating art-secured loans. As independent advisors we mediate between financial service providers and players in the art market. We work with selected banks and private equity financiers who pursue art financing with a long-term perspective and the necessary flexibility.

The possibilities for art financing are manifold, ranging from credit facilities to fixed and variable loans. Each loan is preceded by a due diligence process. The works of art are examined with regard to their current market value, authenticity and documentation in specialist literature and catalogues raisonnés, provenance and exhibition history, condition and freedom from third-party rights.

These parameters determine the eligibility as collateral and the loan amount. The interest rate charged on the loan is negotiable within an interest spread and depends on the individual structure of the loan (e.g. term, loan amount, type of artwork used as collateral).

The services we offer in connection with the mediation of art financing are remunerated by a fee. In this area, too, we avoid conflicts of interest, put transparency first and define our role clearly. As a matter of principle, we only work for one party. When art collectors or galleries commission us to arrange art financing, we are not simultaneously involved as appraisers.

Services for financial service providers

Verification of eligibility as collateral and due diligence for works of art under discussion as loan collateral, including:

Services for prospective borrowers

Foundations often emerge from large art collections that have been formed with a great deal of commitment over a long period of time. Collectors become donors because their art collections have acquired a size and significance that clearly goes beyond the scope of the private sphere. By transforming a private collection into a foundation its continued existence can be safeguarded for generations to come. Or alternatively foundations are the form in which the estate of an artist is preserved and made accessible to posterity.

The establishment and management of art foundations involve a variety of tasks that can only be fulfilled with a multidisciplinary approach. As independent advisors, we view the art world from a 360° perspective. By proceeding jointly with proven, trusted partners we support foundations in the realisation of their goals.