Art Investing for Beginners

Summary

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Earn Your Leisure – “Art Investing for Beginners”

Date: June 9, 2026
Hosts: Rashad Bilal & Troy Millings
Guest: Art Investor (name not specified)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the world of art investing, offering a step-by-step guide for beginners interested in turning a passion for art into a meaningful and strategic part of their wealth-building journey. The guest, a seasoned collector, shares personal stories—from the first nerve-wracking art purchase to collective buying and legacy-building—while Rashad, Troy, and their co-host stir up energetic, real-world discussions about the risks, rewards, and best practices of acquiring art as an investment.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. How to Get Started in Art Investing

• Personal Journey:
  • The guest started art investing after hearing Jay-Z rap about it and realizing she hadn’t “bought that yet.”
    • “The first real piece that I invested in was a piece of art from South Africa from an artist named Nelson Mokomo. The reason why I say invested in it is because it was literally half my bonus.” (02:35)
  • Her initial investment met skepticism from friends, reflective of cultural and community unfamiliarity with art’s value.

2. Buying What You Love

• Emotional Connection First, Value Second:
  • “I only invest in what I love. Like, if I don't love it, I'm not really going to spend my money on it.” (03:41)
  • Building relationships with artists and buying directly when possible.
  • Circumventing the gallery system to ensure artists get the full value.

3. Art’s Appreciation in Value

• Case Study:
  • Bought a piece for $12,000; later saw a similar work by the artist go for $90,000 at auction.
    • “I have one of her bigger pieces, earlier works that I bought for $12,000. That's clearly gone up in value.” (05:19)
  • Recognized parallels to wealthy individuals who invest in art, wine, and real estate.

4. Living with Art: Practical Challenges and Storage

• Managing a Large Collection:
  • Over 40–50 diverse pieces, kept everywhere, from bathrooms to floors.
    • “It's in my bathrooms, it's on the floors.” (06:39)
  • Discussion about the limitations of display and the practicality—some use specialized art storage, others expand homes or create galleries for their collections.
  • “I'm working to sell a lot of wine so I could buy a nice big house so I can have all my art up in it.” (07:14)
• Debating Art Storage:
  • Co-host concerns: “If you’re just storing it, I feel like it’s actually disrespectful...now it’s just become like a file cabinet.” (07:32)
  • Clever retort: “While it’s stored, it is appreciating.” (07:58, Art Enthusiast/Co-Host)

5. Art as a Tax Strategy

• Office Use:
  • “If you put it in your office, it's a tax write off.” (08:52, Interviewer)
  • “It is a tax write off.” (08:56, Art Investor)

6. Collective Buying and Community Wealth

• Pooling Resources:
  • Collaborated with 10 collectors to acquire high-value art, including a Bisa Butler piece donated to the Smithsonian.
    • “Myself and 10 collectors got together. We...acquired three pieces together. We purchased a Bisa Butler piece that we then donated to the Smithsonian.” (09:11)
  • Noted benefits: increased collection value, building legacy, community access.

7. Best Practices for Art Investing

• Direct Buying:
  • Prefer buying directly from reputable artists, but also trusts select galleries.
• Financial Hygiene:
  • “Only buy what you can afford...I’ve never financed any art, although you can.” (12:00)
• Insurance:
  • Essential to insure every piece, with policies specializing in art insurance.
• Display & Preservation:
  • Avoid exposure to direct light; use quality framing (UV/museum glass).
• Partnering:
  • Carefully vet collective partners, similar to business relationships.
    • “I respect all those people. I respect their portfolios...That’s a relationship you’re getting into...it’s a business relationship.” (13:41)
• Legacy & Wealth Building:
  • Positioning art as an inter-generational asset:
    • “This is what I’m going to leave behind for my son...this is really legacy building for me and wealth building for them.” (13:55)

8. Museums and Art Lending

• Museums Paying to Display Art:
  • Sometimes museums pay owners; sometimes collectors donate for connections and prestige.
    • “Sometimes you will get paid by museums to have the work. Sometimes it’s that you’re donating it because you want the equity of the institution.” (14:50)
  • Donating to museums, like the Smithsonian, boosts prestige and collection value.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I only invest in what I love. Like, if I don’t love it, I’m not really going to spend my money on it.” – Art Investor (03:41)
• “I realized I was like, I love this...Wait, we belong Here too.” – Art Investor's personal revelation about art collecting and representation (04:46)
• “While it’s stored, it is appreciating.” – Art Enthusiast/Co-Host (07:58)
• “For me, it’s legacy building...this is really legacy building for me and wealth building for them.” – Art Investor (13:55)
• “I know people who have like, bought the houses next to their house...for art.” – Art Investor on collector extremes (08:12)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:32] – How the guest entered art investing, first major purchase.
• [03:41] – Philosophy: Only buy what you love.
• [04:46] – Guest’s realization of belonging in the art world; diversity in collecting.
• [05:19] – Story of purchasing early works and their appreciation in value.
• [06:23] – Managing a growing collection and storage challenges.
• [07:14] – Art storage and the dream of a bigger space.
• [07:58] – Debate: Art appreciation vs. appreciation.
• [08:52] – Tax write-offs for art in business settings.
• [09:11] – Donating to Smithsonian and collective buying story.
• [11:59] – Art buying best practices: direct buying, insurance, and financial hygiene.
• [14:50] – Museums paying for art, donation for prestige.

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Conclusion

This episode serves as both inspiration and a practical guide to art investing, stressing the importance of personal conviction (“buy what you love”), community wealth creation, and careful stewardship of assets. The hosts and guest weave in valuable strategies, personal anecdotes, and actionable advice, making the mysterious world of art investing accessible and empowering for beginners—especially those from underrepresented communities.

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Transcript

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[Interviewer]

How do you get into art investing?

[Art Investor]

So you know, I used to get these big bonuses. The wine and spirits business is a Bonus based business. And I would get these big bonuses and I would buy a watch, buy a purse, buy all the toys, the things, the things. I like things. And I remember hearing a record, I think it was a J record. And he talked about art, and I was like, I have not bought that yet. You know, it like it pricked my conscience. And the first real piece that I invested in was a piece of art from South Africa from an artist named Nelson Mokomo. It was incredible artists. And the reason why I say invested in it is because it was literally half my bonus. And I. And it was hard for people to understand. They were like, you're going to spend what you're going to. What. What are you talking. That's a lot of money. Just because we haven't really been taught the value.

[Interviewer]

How much. How much was.

[Art Investor]

Was like $25,000.

[Interviewer]

And who educated you to know that that was something that you should buy?

[Art Investor]

Well, in. In with that purchase. I just loved it.

[Interviewer]

You just looked at it and just

[Art Investor]

like, I loved it and I. I researched the artists and it. I mean, it fell in line with just kind of me falling in love with South Africa too, you know, And I loved it. So I think the first thing that I always like to tell people is even though I invest in art, I only invest in what I love. Like, if I don't love it, I'm not really going to spend my money on it. And so I've been really fortunate to get to know a lot of artists directly buy from artists directly. So you circumvent the whole gallery and all that kind of stuff, and you're supporting the artist. Like the artist is getting 100%.

[Interviewer]

How much is that worth now?

[Art Investor]

You know, I don't know.

[Art Enthusiast/Co-Host]

That's interesting, right? I see it. I love it.

[Art Investor]

Definitely worth more than what I bought it.

[Art Enthusiast/Co-Host]

I'm assuming that maybe it was Picasso babies, the jasong that. That might have sparked it. But does that now spark your love for art or did it just transition to South African art? Right. Did you start studying American artists, artists throughout the world, and now this becomes a passion for you based on that one purchase?

[Art Investor]

Yeah. You know what I realized? Art for me was I just got lost in it. Like, I realized I was like, I love this. Like, I had just like this genuine passion for it. I didn't grow up going to museums. I didn't grow up going to art exhibits. I didn't grow up in a house where there was art. And so I think for me, I was like, oh, wait, we belong Here too, you know, that it was really that that fueled me. I was like, wait, this is a space that we belong in as well. And they're such an incredible art community. So I also was enjoying, like, getting to meet people, you know, and those people are, like, involved in. In some cool stuff, you know. So I think it was that definitely, you know, African art, art, black artists in general, you know, was something that I was like, okay, I love this. These stories are incredible. And then it became like, yeah, like, you know, I remember buying a piece. You asked about the value. I bought a piece for like $12,000. And I remember seeing an auction for the artist and her piece sold for $90,000. And, like, I have one of her bigger pieces, earlier works that I bought for $12,000. That's clearly gone up in value. So I then also started just to understand, like, oh, okay, this is how that works. And then I think when you study, really wealthy people, really wealthy people have a few things in common. They have real estate. A lot of them have a lot of investment in wine, and they invest in art. And I was like, okay, this all kind of makes sense for me, you know, this is the space that I play in anyway.

[Interviewer]

So how many pieces do you have roughly?

[Art Investor]

Oh, now I probably have over 40 or 50 pieces of art and everything. Not just, you know, I have sculptures, I have vases, I have.

[Interviewer]

I mean, you know, where do you keep it all?

[Art Investor]

It's everywhere. I mean, it's in my bathrooms, it's on the floors.

[Interviewer]

But does it ever get to a point? Cause it's like, all right, you could invest in a variety of things that are to somewhere where it has to be kept, right? So after a while, it's like, you can't really fully appreciate it, I don't think, because you can't put it on your wall. You can't put 50 pieces of art on one wall, right? So it's like you could put it in your office, you can put it in different places. But when you really start to get a lot of art, I'm always curious to know, like, what are people doing with all of the art that they are? They just hoarding it in the basement?

[Art Enthusiast/Co-Host]

Take the dame dash roll.

[Art Investor]

Yeah, I mean, listen, people do have, you know, art storages that are specific for art. Just like they have wine storages. For me, I'm working to sell a lot of wine so I could buy a nice big house so I can have all my art up in it, you know, I mean, now it's because

[Interviewer]

the Art, the art storage, that kind of. I don't understand that. I used to go. I used to go to art school when I was young, but I don't understand art storage because the point of art is to be appreciated. And if you're just storing it, I feel like it's actually disrespectful to the art form. Right. Because now you've taken the. The beauty out of it, and now it's just become like a file cabinet.

[Art Investor]

Yeah.

[Art Enthusiast/Co-Host]

I don't think it's a double entendre. You use the word appreciated while it's stored. It is appreciating.

[Art Investor]

Appreciating.

[Interviewer]

But it's.

[Sponsor Voice]

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[Interviewer]

From an artist standpoint, I understand the business.

[Art Enthusiast/Co-Host]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

But art should always come first. The business should come second.

[Art Enthusiast/Co-Host]

But some people create galleries. Right? They create their own galleries, which, I

[Art Investor]

mean, I know people who have, like, bought the houses next to their house and the house next to the house.

[Interviewer]

It's for.

[Art Enthusiast/Co-Host]

Art is the gallery, which is amazing.

[Art Investor]

Right. So I'm with you, like, part. And when you ask me, like, the buying, you know my rationale around buying. I only buy what I love because, like, you, I want it up, I want to see it, I want to appreciate it. I also want to share it with people. So, like, when friends come over, they'll be like, your house is like a museum. And that makes me feel so good. You know what I mean? Like, I'm like, yeah. So, um, everybody does it for a different reason. But what I could tell you is, again, one thing I learned is that people that understand wealth, they into art, they into wine, and they into real estate.

[Interviewer]

But one thing I learned about art is that if you put it in your office, it's a tax write off.

[Art Investor]

It is a tax write off.

[Art Enthusiast/Co-Host]

Yeah. So I was saying, the. One of the places that we definitely know that your art is gonna show up is the Smithsonian.

[Art Investor]

Yes.

[Art Enthusiast/Co-Host]

Talk about that. I mean, that's something that people will be able to frequently. And you go down in history forever, right?

[Art Investor]

Yeah. That's exciting. So myself and 10 collectors got together. We. We've now acquired three pieces together. And it's. It's our way of, you know, collective economics. And we purchase a piece of a Bisa Butler piece that we then donated to the Smithsonian museum in. In D.C. and so my name will forever be on the museum walls at the Smithsonian as a donor of the piece. And not even that little thing. Right. Like, we talk about, like, having the art in your home and wanting to see It. I remember thinking, like, wow, donating to a museum. But that's really also a big part of, you know, the art world, art collecting and also increasing the value of your collection. So. So my collection inadvertently increases in value because I own a piece in a museum, and people who are in the art world, they know all these little nuances.

[Art Enthusiast/Co-Host]

Yeah. Do you see? Cause we talk about it in real estate, right. A lot of times, if people can't afford the property, let's have a collective. Maybe it's five people, and we make the down payment or we go into. Do you see that? Is that something that happens often, especially amongst our community?

[Art Investor]

You know, I don't want to misspeak. You know, the collective that I'm a part of, that was the first instance that I had ever heard of it. I'm sure people are doing it. I just don't know. You know, the two pieces we bought, they were both $150,000 each. They go together. It's Adam and Eve by Harmonia Rosales. So the total price of the work was $300,000. And when we all thought about it, we were like, I can't do that, but. But I could do this. And so 10 of us got together and purchased it. Those two pieces have been on display at different museums. It's actually at the Spelman Museum right now. And so we're allowing the work to just tour so people get to experience it. And once we did that one, we were like, all right, let's keep doing this. This is amazing. So I don't wanna say that it does happen, but I don't wanna say that it doesn't happen. I just wasn't aware of it. I know that when we had the opportunity to do it together, I said, come on, y', all, let's do this. Because it was $30,000. But at the end of the day, I'm part owner of $300,000 worth of art.

[Art Enthusiast/Co-Host]

Yeah.

[Art Investor]

And that's just that one buy.

[Interviewer]

So what are, like, some best practices for people that want to get an art? Like, is it, like, always go through a art dealer, have insurance? Like, you know, like, when you buy a watch. Right. Like, you. It's best practices to go to authorized dealer as opposed to just a jeweler.

[Art Investor]

Right.

[Interviewer]

Best practices to have insurance on the watch.

[Art Investor]

Right.

[Interviewer]

What are some of the best practices for art buying?

[Art Investor]

Yeah. I mean, again, I've been really fortunate. I've been able to buy a lot of art directly through art, through artists. And the reason why I say fortunate is because One, you get to know who you're buying the work from. I mean, this work is in your home. It's energy, right? A lot of these pieces have stories. These artists may be going through different things while they're actually creating the work. And so, you know, I'm an advocate for people that want to get to know the artists, if you can. It's worked for me secondarily. You know, I've gotten to know some galleries that I respect, that I think are doing good by artists. So, you know, it doesn't hurt to have some galleries in your repertoire. Only buy what you can afford. And so I would say that that's my biggest advice to people. You know, I've never financed any art, although you can. You know, there are financing programs for art, but I just like to think for good financial hygiene, buy what you can afford. That's worked for me. You absolutely have to insure your art and you have to make sure that it's a reputable insurance that specializes in art insurance. You need to think about where the art is going to be in your home. A lot of light is. Is not friends, is not arts friend. Like. Yeah, so it ruins it. It can. Yeah, it can. So, you know, making sure that the art is in a position in your home that it isn't getting damaged, making sure that you're framing with a reputable framer that's going to talk to you about UV glass versus museum glass. I mean, this is all the stuff that goes into thinking about preserving your art. And then, you know, I have not been someone who's gotten into the business of selling my art. I know people that are in that business of selling. I can't say that I would never do it. For me, it's legacy building. So this is what I'm going to leave behind for my son, my goddaughters, my grandchild, you know what I mean? Like, this is really legacy building for me and wealth building for them. So I think it's just making sure you get educated like you do in. In anything, that you're going to be investing your money. And the last thing I'll say is the 10 people that I invested in art, I respect all those people. I respect their portfolios, what they've done with their money. I would have never just gotten with 10 people and bought some art that I didn't know. I felt were a good fit in what I was trying to do. Because that's a relationship you're getting into A. A business relationship with them. But I think the Biggest thing is buy what you can afford and then do all the due diligence, the insurance, and all that kind of thing to make sure you're protecting your asset.

[Art Enthusiast/Co-Host]

So when it's touring, museums are paying to have it on display.

[Interviewer]

How.

[Art Enthusiast/Co-Host]

How does that work?

[Art Investor]

Yeah, so sometimes you will get paid by museums to have the work. Sometimes it's that you're donating it because you want the. The connection. You want to lean into the equity of the. Of. Of. Of, I think, the institution. Right. A lot of these institutions have incredible equity. Smithsonian, for example. I mean, for me to say that I've been collecting for five, six years and I already have my name in a Smithsonian museum is like a big deal. So, you know, it's a mix. But yeah, there are times when institutions will pay you to actually have your art in their exhibits.

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