Art is now considered a highly attractive investment opportunity beyond the turbulence of the stock market. Such commitments, however, are not entirely risk-free. In the second part of her interview with WealthSummit, art expert Simone Töllner explains how to find one’s way into this world.
Art historian and consultant Simone Töllner (Image: Christian Vogt)
Simone Töllner, how does one enter the art world if one is seriously interested in it — whether out of passion, as a collector, or with a view to financial investment?
First of all, it is a question of budget. That is part of being honest about it. But the most important thing is to engage with the art world. It is a very particular world, but an enriching one.
Young art in particular can be exciting, though it should not be viewed primarily as an investment. In financial terms, that would be pure risk. Today, however, it is entirely possible to buy art in the lower and middle price segments, which are growing noticeably.
How should one go about it in practical terms?
My advice is to let yourself be inspired and to take your time. First, you should get to know your own interests. What kind of art speaks to me? What budget do I have? And do I want to live with art in my own rooms?
Anyone who answers these questions honestly will find a more natural way into art than someone who thinks first about resale. Look — a lot, and over a longer period of time — in museums, galleries, and during studio visits. This trains the eye and helps build a network. And then you have to allow yourself to become involved.
What should newcomers pay particular attention to to avoid simply chasing short-term trends?
You have to look a lot and listen to your gut feeling. One clarification is important to me: a trend is not in itself a bad thing. Let me give you an example.
I am still annoyed today that I once failed to buy an original work on paper, a collage, by Mithu Sen, an Indian artist. The work cost 2,500 Swiss francs. Unfortunately, that was slightly above my budget at the time. Even so, I was fascinated by it, and the work stayed with me for a long time. Shortly afterwards, the artist quickly became well known, and I had missed the opportunity.
That taught me that genuine enthusiasm and an emerging trend do not exclude each other. What matters is the order in which they come.
Meaning?
If you first listen to your own feeling and truly love a work, you buy out of conviction — even if others discover it later. If you buy only because everyone else is buying, you are merely chasing the trend.
The most honest test question is whether you would still keep if its market value fell. That question reliably separates conviction from speculation.
How did you personally find your way into art?
I grew up in a family of artists. My grandfather was a painter of the Old Munich School, a tradition of figurative landscape painting that was highly sought after in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
My earliest memories are of stretched canvas in the studio and the smell of turpentine. You do not forget the smell of that painting medium. From my grandfather, I learned not only how to see, but also the craft itself: colour theory, mixing techniques and a feel for what quality in painting means. It was not theory, but daily practice at the canvas.
Later, I moved to the gallery side. That change in perspective shaped me. I know both worlds from the inside: the perspective of artists, who develop a work from within themselves, and the perspective of galleries, which represent that art and bring it into the market.
This dual experience makes me more sober-minded than some romantic notions of art might allow. Artists, too, need and want to make a living, as do galleries.
Art arises from passion, but it exists within an economic reality. Those who understand both sides do not play them off against each other.
Which work of art is particularly valuable to you personally, regardless of its market value?
That is a demanding question, because works of art are usually unique pieces — one-offs that cannot be copied. That is what makes them so valuable, far beyond any price. Two works are especially close to me.
One is a small landscape miniature that I painted together with my grandfather under his guidance. It has no market value, but to me it is priceless, because it contains everything he taught me.
The other is a large-format painting by the Iranian artist Samira Hodaei, titled Dance on a Knife Edge. It was created using her own technique with glass paint, which she applies dot by dot directly from the tube. For that reason alone, the painting is, quite literally, unrepeatable.
It hangs in my home and belongs to my family. The main motif is a full-body portrait of a veiled woman holding a sabre above her head and looking directly at the viewer. The background of the work is political, but to me it stands for something greater: beauty, struggle, and victory at the same time.
It reminds me every day how strong we can be, and what power art can have.
- Read also the first part of the interview with Simone Töllner: «Between Investment Hypes, Record Prices, and Genuine Passion: What Really Drives Art Basel?»
Simone Töllner is an art and cultural manager, communications specialist, and founder of ST ART | Concepts & Consulting. She develops concepts at the intersection of art, culture, communication, and strategic positioning. She is the co-founder of finews.art, a bilingual platform that connects art and finance. With almost 15 years of experience in communications, marketing, event management, and art education, she has realised more than 90 exhibitions as well as numerous cultural and corporate events. Previously, she was Head of Marketing at swisspartners Group and Associate Manager at Häusler Contemporary Zurich.
