Since its inception 20 years ago by Director Sarah Ryan, New Blood Art has occupied a unique place in the emerging art market. Identifying artists at the beginning – often the very beginning – of their career, we curate those with the most promise: the ones carving out a unique aesthetic with dedication and talent. New Blood Art has a proven track record of doing this successfully, with artists going on to increase dramatically in price. Our Investment Tips articles on the blog indicate when an artist’s value is about to increase: an ideal time to collect.
Our History of Successful Investment Tips
The art market has fluctuated and grown but New Blood Art has retained its place, thanks to a couple of things. A rigorous selection process is one of them. One of the most important ways this takes place is through the graduate degree shows each year. Sarah will visit the shows, talk to the tutors, and see the stand-out works in person and in 2023 New Blood Art launched its Emerging Art Prize in collaboration with UK art colleges and universities across the UK. Numerous artists who first showed online with New Blood Art have gone on establish meaningful careers, as their recognition grew and prices increased, often dramatically.
Take for example Georgia Dymock, an artist we introduced to the market in 2020, following her Graduate Diploma course in Fine Art at University of the Arts London. We listed for sale her painting ‘Purple Pinch’ for £1,700 in 2020. It recently sold at Phillips New Now Auction (April 28th 2022) for £23,940.
Orlanda Broom, whose 120x150cm paintings were selling for between £600 and £800 at her degree show, and now (she’s a sell-out artist so it’s not easy to secure new work) the same size going for around £15,000.
Jo Hummel has been showing with New Blood Art since 2010. Her work was available in the low hundreds when we introduced her to the market and she now exhibits internationally, selling work for 5 figures. We came across these kind words Jo Hummel gave in an interview a while back – which really capture the gallery’s ethos:
My first experience of being represented was with New Blood Art, a pioneering online art gallery curated by Sarah Ryan. Sarah set out to champion new graduates and put their work in front of collectors. It transformed my career and gave me the exposure I needed to create a sustainable practice.
Thanks to Jo! It’s been fantastic to see her career take off – including shows in Malmo, Sweden, this summer at the Nordic Art Agency and in LA upcoming this autumn. Her work is almost sold-out at the moment on the site but we hope to have more available soon.
Iain Andrews is another artist whose work was available via New Blood Art many years ago – in the early 2000’s, with works on canvas available at the time in the low hundreds, Andrews has gone on to achieve significant acclaim and sells work upwards of 5 figures.
Rebecca Fontaine-Wolf showed with New Blood Art since before embarking on her MA in 2013, at which point we were selling canvases by the artist for around £500, until summer 2022. Comparably sized work would now cost 10 times this figure.
You can see the investment tips offered for each of the above artists ahead of subsequent increases:
Orlanda Broom
Jo Hummel
Georgia Dymock
Iain Andrews
Rebecca Fontaine-Wolf
So, what artists to invest in now?
See our regularly updated tips, where we tipped artists such as Lorena Levi who we discovered at Edinburgh College of Art degree show, she is now represented by Marlborough Gallery. We tipped her many times ahead of this representation noting that she was sure to increase in price in the near future as her career took off.
The Financial Times reported on New Blood Art as the place ‘to invest in fledgling artists’. It’s a good way to put it: our essential mission is to make owning art accessible in curating exceptional emerging artists. We have an incredibly diverse range of artists on display. We’ve been recognised on these lines by the likes of The Guardian, Stella, Style, The Independent, BBC Radio 4, Elle Decoration, UK, Times, Observer, and others.
We also have a long history of maintaining relationships with those we represent as their career matures into those of successful mid-career artists. Our Art Masters section is the place to find this cohort of artists with a history of solo shows, significant art prizes and notable collectors behind them.
Newsletter Signup For 10% Discount of First Order
Sign up to our newsletter to get the first look at the latest new work on display, as well as investment tips (when an artist is set to rise in value due to receiving awards, significant shows, and notable collections) and featured discounts. If it’s your first order with us then you’ll receive 10% off.
We love what we do. Being directly in touch with the artists, seeing their work develop and fulfill its promise. You can see our regular curations on the blog under Director’s Picks, also sent out in the newsletter.
Investing in Art: What to look for?
Buying art can seem overwhelming, though ultimately it can be a hugely exciting process of discovery. New Blood Art founder Sarah Ryan discusses the characteristics she looks for when identifying stand-out investable artists in this article published in Money Week. New Blood Art has been widely featured by the national financial press for success in identifying investable emerging artists right at the start of their careers, when their prices are at their lowest – see our press section for more details.
Investing in emerging art can be appealing for several reasons:
Potential for Growth:
Emerging artists often have lower initial prices for their work compared to established artists. If the artist’s career takes off, the value of their early works can increase significantly, providing investors with a potential for high returns.
Diversification:
Art can be a valuable addition to an investment portfolio, providing diversification benefits by offering a non-correlated asset class. This can help spread risk across different types of investments.
Discovery and Innovation:
Investing in emerging art allows collectors to discover new talent and support artists at the early stages of their careers. It can be exciting to be part of an artist’s journey and witness their development over time.
Personal Enjoyment:
Many collectors are passionate about art and derive satisfaction from owning and appreciating works that they find aesthetically pleasing or intellectually stimulating. Investing in emerging art allows collectors to build a personal connection with the artwork and the artist.
Potential for Social Impact:
Some investors are motivated by the opportunity to support emerging artists from underrepresented backgrounds or regions, contributing to diversity and inclusion in the art world.
Overall, investing in emerging art offers the potential for financial gain, the thrill of discovery, and the opportunity to make a positive impact on the art community. At New Blood Art we carefully select the emerging artists we represent and have a proven track record for identifying artists who go on to establish meaningful careers.