Investments in art objects became increasingly profitable in 2013. A clear tendency towards contemporary art has already developed, which, for example, can explain the success of the German Art Fair Art Cologne in April 2013.
Gallery owners of the market for contemporary art and classical modernism were largely satisfied. As the director Daniel Hug announced in a final report, the Art Cologne returned to the first division of international art fairs.
The importance of this statement becomes clear in comparison to global investments: The London market research institute Artactic estimates sales in the global art market at around $ 1.6 billion in 2012 . Investments rose by almost 70 percent within one season.
With a share of 41 percent of sales, China was also ahead at auctions worldwide. The auction houses of Christie's and Sotheby's have benefited in particular from the trend of contemporary art. The proportion of Chinese, impressionist and classic modern art is only just below.
Concave sales increases in the market analysis of Artactic since 2000 from all the genres mentioned. The institute also created an analysis of the reasons for the purchase of art. 83 percent of experts mentioned the emotional character of the works as one of the main motives for investments. Social value was also a frequently mentioned reason, as was the view of the works as a luxury goods.

Source: Art Investment Blog: Art Markets 2013 - Investment Returns of Modern Art
The most important artists 2012/2013
There are four Germans among the most expensive living artists in the western part of the world: Gerhard Richter, Rosemarie Trockel, Georg Baselitz and the painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer.
Manager Magazin published the ranking with Gerhard Richter in first place. Editions of the artist living in Cologne were sold on the Art Cologne for 120,000 euros.
Second place applies to the American concept artist Bruce Nauman . The Düsseldorf woman Rosemarie Trockel the painter and sculptor Georg Baselitz from third place in 2012.
If we look at the sales of auctions of living and deceased artists of modernity, we find a different order. Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso remain the most important artists in third place Gerhard Richter The three names remain unreachable as western brands in the art trade. Their sales values were well over $ 250 million. When included in the Far Eastern art, we find the late Chinese painters Zhang Daqian and Qi Baishi in second and fourth place in the international ranking.
According to the surveys, Western artists, such as Richter, Kiefer, Kiefer and American photographer Cindy Sherman, still remain important. Trust in the art market grows; Not only for Christie’s and Sotheby’s ; 65 percent of collectors believe in a key role in online shops within the art scene.

Owner and managing director of Kunstplaza. Publicist, editor and passionate blogger in the field of art, design and creativity since 2011. Successful conclusion in web design as part of a university degree (2008). Further development of creativity techniques through courses in free drawing, expression painting and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market through many years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with actors/institutions from art and culture.