Masterworks Review 2024: Is it Legit? And is there a Catch? (2024)

Masterworksis a new platform that gives the everyday investor the chance to invest in fine art, worth up to $30 million by investing in shares of fine art.

With Masterworks, you’ll have the option to:

• Diversify your portfolio
• Invest in blue-chip artwork
• Earn profits from 8% to 30%+
• Protect yourself against inflation
• Protect yourself against stock market volatility

But is it safe and legit?

Let’s take a deep dive into this Masterworks review and find out if Masterworks is the best art investment platform for you.

Fees

Art investment options

Projected profits

What is Masterworks?

Masterworks is a fine art investing platform that combines the element of investing in blue-chip art worth up to $30 million with the element of fractional investing.

Typically, the world of fine art investing is exclusively available to the high roller, glitz, and glam world.

Thanks to Masterworks, virtually anyone can now partake in high-end art investing.

Masterworks Pros and Cons

Let’s take a big-picture look at the Masterworks pros and cons:

One reason why Masterworks could be an attractive income producing asset for many is that it offers the investor the opportunity to diversify their assets through artwork.

Artwork is a hedge against inflation and stock market volatility.

As an example, below is a graph illustrating the consistent increase in value with the contemporary art index versus the interest rate environment over the past 2 decades:

The art index (green) continues increasing – which means more money in your pocket.

The interest rates (red) keep decreasing – which means less money in your pocket.

If you’re already invested in the stock market, then you may want to branch out and consider other investment options todiversify your portfolio.

Pro Tip:Never invest more than you are willing to lose in alternative investment platforms like Masterworks.

To give a little more detail on the reason for my ratings, take a look at my breakdown below:

• Art Investment Options – Masterworks io offers a wide variety of art investment options with works ranging from the famous street artist Banksy to historical legends such as Pablo Picasso
• Usability – The platform is extremely user friendly plus there is a Masterworks app that you can download on the App Store as well to access your investments
• Projected Profits – Art investments historically have not correlated with the stock market and that’s a good thing, especially with rising inflation and the market volatility
• Customer Service – Very friendly, very responsive, and you can simply call the customer service phone number and talk to an actual human!
• Liquidity – While you cannot simply press a button and “sell” your invested shares as you could in the stock market, you can go to Masterworks’ secondary market. The secondary market offers some liquidity but not as much as the regular stock market
• Fees – Unfortunately, the fees do tend to be quite high (read more in the “Fees” section), at least when compared to investing in low-cost index funds, for example

Masterworks Customer Service Review

There are two ways you can have your questions for Masterworks answered:

• By Email
• By Phone

The good news is that you at least have the chance to speak to someone live – not just reach out to the team using email or instant chat.

Pro Tip:Did you know that with Masterworks, you’ll be able to speak with financial professionals who can work with you to create an investment strategy that fits your long-term goals?

However, to make sure you get the full picture, you should either check out the BBB (Better Business Bureau) or TrustPilot.com.

In March 2022, Masterworks received an A+ rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau.

Additionally, I did take a peek at the TrustPilot website, and have some information for you below:

Pro Tip:Keep in mind that typically those people with negative customer service experiences are much more inclined to post about their experience versus those who had average to great experiences, so there typically will be a negative bias on customer service review sites like TrustPilot.

That being said, I still think it’s important to read the reviews – both good and bad – to make sure you know what an experience with Masterworks could look like for you in the future.

Common complaints include:

• Customer service not responding
• Money transfers do not appear in a portfolio
• Too many phone calls and emails (from customer service)
• Customer service representatives not showing up for the phone interview

Chances are, these complaints are one-offs since there were only 4 one-star complaints (out of 6 total reviews) over the past 4 years since Masterworks has been active.

Take this information with a grain of salt.

About Masterworks Investment Platform

If you’ve ever seen a Monet, Da Vinci, Andy Warhol, or Banksy painting, you may have wondered how much money those pieces of art would cost.

The answer is probably in the millions – if not in the tens of millions.

Thanks to Masterworks, based out of New York, virtually anyone can now have access to the exclusive and high-roller art investing world.

Masterworks is the disrupter, being one of the first platforms to pioneer what is known as fractional art investing.

Fractional Art Investing Definition:Fractional Art Investing is when investors can “buy into” artwork shares in increments. Instead of owning the full million-dollar artwork, investors own a small share.

Once the artwork is sold (by Masterworks), the investor receives a profit proportionate to the amount invested in the artwork.

Below are some famous artists Masterworks currently invests in:

• Banksy
• Zao Wou-Ki
• Jean-Michael Basquiat

Below are some examples of the works of art Masterworks is investing in.

As the investor, “all” you have to do is invest your money in the artwork that you feel will bring you the highest return.

Masterworks does the rest of the work – the analysis, the artist pre-vetting process, the storage, the insuring of the artwork, and ultimately the sale process as well.

Note:Masterworks partners with leader research analysts from Citi, Bank of America, etc. to better understand historical and potential future returns.

After the Masterworks team analyzes artists and paintings, the team purchases a select number of artworks to be held at the Masterworks secure facility for up to 10 years before the artwork is sold for a profit.

The artists that Masterworks selects have typically shown an above-average historical appreciation (with returns typically higher than the average returns of the stock market, which range at around 7% to 10%).

Note:Did you know that Masterworks’ main investment thesis is focusing on female minority artists and ethical investing?

How Does Masterworks Work?

Masterworks gives everyone the chance to buy fine art by allowing virtually anyone to invest in shares of blue-chip artwork.

All you do is invest your money and wait for a paycheck in the mail that’s hopefully bigger than the amount you invested.

Here’s an outline of how Masterworks actually works:

1. Analyze – Determine the most profitable artists
2. Buy – Purchase the highest return potential artwork with the lowest price
3. SEC Approval – Artwork is qualified with the SEC
4. Invest – Investors are now allowed to invest in the artwork
5. Storage – Artwork is held and insured at a secure location
6. Holding Period – Average holding period lasts between 3 to 10 years
7. Sale – Artwork is sold and you receive profits proportionate to the shares you own

As you can see, there are many steps involved with owning fine art, and Masterworks really does the grunt work for you.

The main downside here (which I’ll explore further in the “fees” section of this article) is that Masterworks charges pretty hefty fees (similar to a hedge fund) where they take 20% of any profits upfronton topof your annual fee.

Nevertheless, when Masterworks sells an artwork, your expected profit could be pretty high.

Pro Tip:You can also sell your Masterworks shares on what is known as the “secondary market.”

Masterworks: The Secondary Market

Do you want to sell your Masterworks shares because you’re sick of waiting for them to sell the painting and give you your cut?

There is a potential solution – and it’s called the secondary market.

Masterworks Secondary Market Defined:The secondary market was built by Masterworks for individual U.S.-only investors who purchased fractional Masterworks shares to buy and sell their shares to other investors.

I should note the secondary market is strictly peer-to-peer.

That means you’ll only be able to buy/sell your Masterworks shares to other Masterworks investors (so your pool of potential candidates is very small).

Typically, the only reason you would want to resort to the secondary market is that you’re looking for liquidity (aka you need the cash) before the painting itself is sold.

I should note that selling your shares is not guaranteed – even on the secondary market.

As my Masterworks representative said to me, “the secondary market is an escape hatch, it’s not a front door.”

Masterworks: The Phone Interview

In order to activate your Masterworks account, you do need to schedule a phone interview (which typically lasts between 15 to 20 minutes).

I scheduled my phone interview within 2 days of setting up my Masterworks account – so time-wise, I was pretty lucky to land a spot right away.

Here’s what the phone interview is really for:

• KYC
• Suitability
• First transaction

…And here’s what all of this means in plain English:

• KYC – “Know Your Client”– discussion of your financial profile (how much money are you able to invest, when you want to invest, your profession, etc.)
• Suitability – Match Masterworks’ minimum investment to your investment profile
• First Transaction – It sounds like the phone interview is used to help walk you through your first investment purchase

Masterworks Fractional Share Investing: Explained

Investing in fractional art shares is revolutionary – it’s new, it’s disruptive, and it could be pretty profitable.

Here’s a quick overview of how investing in fractional shares with Masterworks…works:

• Artwork is bought
• Masterworks files the artwork with the SEC
• Masterworks creates an LLC for each artwork purchased
• You can buy $20 shares of ownership for each LLC, until all shares are bought
• The artwork is kept for up to 10 years before it is sold
• Masterworks sells the artwork, dissolves the LLC, fees are paid, and proceeds are distributed to the investors

Keep in mind that because you’re technically a part-owner of an LLC, you should expect to receive a tax form that’s called a K-1 at the end of each tax year tofile with your tax returns.

Masterworks Usability & Interface

Here’s what I love (and appreciate) about Masterworks:

• Anyone can invest
• Easy to link your bank account
• The website platform is easy to use
• Easily accessible Masterworks funding calculators

The major con when it comes to signing up to Masterworks is that you will have to undergo a phone interview (which takes about 15 minutes).

Pro Tip:If you’re interested in signing up for Masterworks, then you may want to act today. There typically is a waitlist to qualify for phone interviews, which could take a few days or even weeks.

Masterworks Features

Masterworks is a user-friendly “blue-chip” fine art investing platform that gives the average Joe the chance to invest in million-dollar-artwork at a fraction of the cost.

If your portfolio is already diversified in the stock market and you want to find alternative investments to protect yourself against stock market volatility and inflation, Masterworks could be the right next choice for you.

Note:One thing that surprised me (for the positive), was that the 1 painting that Masterworks has sold (the artist was Banksy), yielded a 32% net of fees annualized return (aka after paying commissions and other fees, you would see a 32% return… which is pretty awesome).

Masterworks Sign-up Process [Step-by-Step Guide]

Are you ready to start investing in art?

I’m going to take you through my step-by-step guide on how to sign-up for your Masterworks account today.

First, head to theMasterworks website.

Next, you’ll want to click on the blue button, “Request Invitation.”

Here, you’ll have to complete the information to apply for your membership.

After you’ve input your information, you’ll want to click “request invitation.”

Next, Masterworks will send you an email to verify your information.

Make sure to click on the “Confirm Email” link to verify your account.

Next, you’ll be sent to this homepage for Masterworks investors.

To complete the Masterworks sign-up process, you’ll need to answer a few of the questions on this Investor Profile page and then hit “finish.”

Note that with each investment input, the calculator to the right of the screenshot above (aka Masterworks Hypothetical Gross Value in 7 Years) spits out a number for how much return on your investment you could expect.

Here’s an example for $1,000:

So, if you invest $1,000 with Masterworks, you could see a potential return of just over $2,500 in 7 years.

Once you’ve mentioned how much you plan to invest, click the “finish” button.

It looks like I was one of the lucky members who were able to skip the waitlist and am ready to schedule my phone interview to join the Masterworks community.

Masterworks uses Calendly to schedule appointments, so you can select which date works best for your schedule.

From there, you’ll have to select whether you’re a/an:

• Other
• Family office
• Financial advisor
• Art dealer/advisor
• Individual investor
• Existing art collector
• Institutional investor

Once you’ve selected your fit, next you click finish and you can start linking your bank account to Masterworks using a secure system known as Plaid.

Next, you can start browsing which offerings are open for investment – and simply take some time to browse their website.

To start browsing, click on the tab at the top of the website, labeled “Offerings,” and you can scroll through the available offerings.

I just downloaded a 5-page research document detailing all necessary facts for me to better understand a painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat, which I could invest in through Masterworks (this is the $24 million painting).

The Deal Sheet reviews the following:

• The life of the artist
• Auction results for similar paintings
• The potential future returns of the painting

The investor (aka you and me) getsa lotof data and information about the potential painting so you can make an informed investing decision.

I like that.

If you want to learn more about the historical prices of paintings created by specific artists, you can always elect to click on the top tab that says “Price Database.”

Note that only US investors would be available to buy/sell shares using Evolve.

You would also have to link your bank account with Evolve so that you can start buying/selling shares on the secondary market.

At this point, you should be ready to start investing in the art world.

Pro Tip:Remember to invest only as much as you are willing to lose. Investing in art can be risky and long-term. Do your research before you commit yourself financially.

Masterworks Fees and Pricing

Let me be upfront about the Masterworks fees and pricing: The fees are a bit high and they may be a little complex.

Basically, the Masterworks fees operate very similarly to how fancy hedge funds operate:

• An annual management fee is charged (1.5%)
• Masterworks takes a flat 20% commission once the artwork sells
• Whatever money is leftover, is then redistributed to the investors (you and me)

Here’s what you can expect when you invest in Masterworks:

Masterworks typically keeps a piece of art between 3 to 10 years.

If Masterworks is unsuccessful in selling the painting to individual investors for a reasonable profit by year 7, then Masterworks reconsiders its strategy.

By year 7, Masterworks then considers selling the artwork at auction houses, where there is a higher chance to sell the painting and pay back the investors (aka you and me) their initial investment + any profits.

Note:If the artwork is sold using an auction house, the fees associated with the sale are typically much higher. Typically, auction houses charge between 10% to 15% of the sale of the artwork.

Masterworks Education on Fine Art

Do you want to diversify your investment portfolio with fine art pieces but really don’t know much about the art world?

You’re not alone (I’m right there with you!).

Masterworks realizes that most potential investors may not have a solid background when it comes to art – and the platform has found a solution for art newbies like me with their educational resources.

Take the anonymous British street artist Banksy, for example:

Masterworks shares a bio about Banksy, and then shares several of Banksy’s paintings – and for how much they have sold in the past.

Here’s a list of the additional educational resources Masterworks offers its investors:

As you can see, Masterworks certainly doesn’t keep the customer in the dark.

Granted, some of the research articles and data are pretty dry and boring, but if you’re wondering how (and where) your hard-earned money is going, I would definitelyrecommend you to do your research first.

What Artwork Does Masterworks Offer Investors?

As a Masterworks investor, you can invest in a lot of different pieces of artwork – many of which typically cost between $1 million to $30 million (or more!).

The trick to becoming a successful art investor is to not allow your emotions (aka whether you like a piece of art or whether you hate it) to come in the way of your investments.

Investing should be a rational and analytical process.

Not an emotional one.

And that’s why Masterworks partners with analysts from well-known firms like Citi to perform deep-dives into each proposed artwork and artist before actually investing in art.

Here’s a little more insight:

The good news is that even if you’re not well versed when it comes to art investing, you can rely on the Masterworks team of analysts to make an informed and relatively calculated decision to help your investment earn money in the long run.

Just remember to never invest more than what you are comfortable losing.

Is Masterworks Worth It?

The answer is not as straightforward as I wish it could be.

Masterworks could be worth your time and money if you:

• Don’t have high-interest debt
• Are ready to invest in artwork
• Want to protect yourself against inflation
• Want to diversify your investment portfolio
• Want to earn potential returns between 9% to 39%
• Want to protect yourself against stock market volatility
• Don’t mind having your money locked up for 3 to 10 years
• Want to invest in something that isn’t correlated with the stock market

If you feel like these points are you, then Masterworks could very likely be one of the best investment platforms for you.

Especially if you’re alreadyinvesting in the stock market, then you may want to protect your money against stock market volatility.

Pro Tip:If you want to invest in something that is independent of the stock market, then investing in artwork could be a good choice. The economic environment does not appear to influence the value of the artwork, so an art investment could preserve your overall net worth in a recession.

Analysts from Citidetermined that the correlation between contemporary art and the stock market is about -0.04, which is a very low level of correlation (i.e., a low correlation is good, especially during a recession).

You can also earn some serious money by investing in art.

In fact, the chart below reveals how the annualized performance of contemporary art investments was better than the annualized performance of the S&P 500 (which is the 500 largest companies of the US):

Between 1995 and 2020, contemporary art investments returned around 14% while the S&P 500 (and I’m a huge fan of the S&P 500) returned about 5% less, at 9.5%.

Now I’m not saying stop investing in the stock market and dump your money into the art market to get higher returns. That would be a bad idea, especially because the art world is unregulated, it’s risky, and your money is tied up often for multiple years at a time.

But, I am saying that investing in art is a potentially lucrative idea.

Pro Tip:Masterworks will not allow any single investor to own more than 10% of an individual piece of art.

Who Should Use Masterworks?

While the concept of investing in fine art might be novel – and exciting – it’s important not to get carried away and invest your life’s savings with Masterworks.

Below is a list to show you who may want to consider using Masterworks:

• You’re looking to diversify your portfolio
• You’re already invested in the stock market
• You want to protect yourself against inflation
• You are looking to earn returns between 9 to 39%
• You don’t mind locking your money up for 3 to 10 years
• You want to protect yourself against stock market volatility

Remember that investing in art may not be the right next move for you – but it’s still important to stay informed of your options.

Masterworks Alternatives

Not sure if investing in fine art is the right next step for you?

Here are a few more lucrative investments:

• Stocks
• Fine wine
• Farmland
• Private REITs
• Rental homes
• Cryptocurrency
• Small businesses
• Alternative assets

Just remember to do your research – no matter the investment type – before you commit financially.

Masterworks Review Verdict

Not many people can say they are “blue chip” art investors – in fact, it’s typically only the top 1% who can boast about their latest art investments.

Not anymore.

Masterworks is the art investing platform we’ve all been waiting for.

Now, you and I can invest in million-dollar-artworks for a fraction of the price.

Here’s how you use Masterworks:

• Sign-up toMasterworks
• Complete the phone interview
• Meet your dedicated sales rep
• Start making your fine art investments

While all of this sounds just dandy, keep in mind that Masterworks does charge fees in line with hedge funds.

However, the interface and user experience itself (in my opinion) makes up for the complexity in the fee structure, because it’s very easy to navigate your Masterworks portal.

Pro Tip:While art investing is exciting and an alternative form to earn profits, you should not consider Masterworks as a replacement for your retirement planning and other long-term investment goals.

Masterworks Review: The Bottom Line

Masterworks makes it possible for almost anyone to start investing in blue-chip art worth up to $30 million+.

Instead of buying the full artwork, you (the investor) buys shares of the artwork, in $20 increments.

Keep in mind, the minimum investment depends on your financial situation (this is why you have a phone interview with Masterworks first, before investing).

While you can certainlymake money investing with Masterworks, it’s important to recognize that there are risks involved when investing in art, some of which include:

• High costs and fees
• Long lock-up periods
• Unregulated industry

It’s so critical that you are cautious with how much money you invest in Masterworks – make sure that whatever you invest, you are OK losing (worst case scenario).

Think about your options today, because your bank accounts will thank me tomorrow.