The art market has gone global thanks to the internet, so art investors who want to make money should look beyond their neighborhood for artists that could make it big. Despite this, emerging artists are still flocking from all over the world to cities like New York and London with hopes of getting recognized by a gallery or making it in shows like Art Basel.
Here are some emerging artists you should know if you’re looking for the best art to buy for an investment.
Xie Lei
The Asian art market has seen explosive growth in terms of investor interest as well as new talent hitting the scene. One such up-and-coming contemporary artist is Xie Lei. Born in China in 1983 and now based in Paris, Lei is this year’s artist in residence at the Boghossian Foundation in Brussels. The photorealistic depth of his work ranges from capturing the beauty of nature to the sterility of a hospital and it’s all accentuated by dark colors, broad strokes, and ambiguous detail that gives it a dreamlike surrealness.
Lei’s merger of the abstract with impressionist styles gives his work broad appeal. Lei’s 2019 ‘I Will Be Your Mirror’ exhibition is a series of canvas oil paintings of owls each currently on sale for €4,500 at the HdM Gallery in Beijing. Lei has also worked with other media such as acrylic, watercolor, and paper. Over his career, Lei has sold several works at Sotheby’s and other international auction houses for prices ranging from $1,000 to over $183,000.
As of writing this writing, Sotheby’s is auctioning off the 2012 piece Whisperer which, at an estimated sub-$5000 price, could be a steal considering Lei’s track record.
Claudia Bitran
Another contemporary artist emerging on the international stage is Claudia Bitran, a Brooklyn-based artist from Chile who had her first solo museum show in 2011. Bitran is a visual artist whose work pairs traditional painting with videography. Her paintings resemble memories blurred by a hangover that were jammed into a broken VCR. Bitran’s shows—such as ‘I Am Your Britney’ solo exhibition in Chile in 2022—incorporate both paintings and videos that explore themes like femininity, addiction, and mental health.
Bitran is a lesser-known artist whose use of oil, watercolor, and acrylic captures photorealism in the most literal sense while remaining uninhibited by the disquieting or grotesque. Currently for sale are her paintings of pop artist Britney Spears as well as a collection of painted scenes of intoxication called ‘Be Drunk.’ Bitran is still early in her career and her work is yet to hit public auction houses, but a multi-skilled artist with such a distinct style has high potential.
Hunt Slonem
If you’re looking to invest in the work of a more established artist, then Hunt Slonem may be of interest. Slonem rose to prominence in the 1990’s New York art scene after a New York Times profile described him as “a mystic who mediates for hours, and a razor-sharp businessman” after visiting his infamous loft and studio in the heart of lower Manhattan. Slonem’s work is vivid and expressive as he’s known for fantastical paintings of flora as well as fauna such as rabbits, butterflies, and exotic birds.
Slonem has built a strong reputation as a leading neo-expressionist whose work is informed by his upbringing as a U.S. military brat, moving from Maine to Hawaii to Louisiana. While most of his work currently on sale are nature-inspired paintings, his other pieces—like an upcoming exhibition featuring a detailed portrait of Abraham Lincoln—show that Slonem can’t be pigeonholed. His work is regularly auctioned at 12% above the estimated price, so investors looking to acquire newer or more sought-after Slonems will probably have better luck in the private market.
Stik
Let’s take a step away from contemporary art for a moment and go back to the basics: stick figures. Seriously, London-based street artist named Stik is giving Banksy a run for his money with his white figures donning lanky arms and long legs. Before Stik became known for his featureless yet expressive characters, he was a homeless man living on the streets of Hackney, England. Stik’s work manages to be both simplistic and emotionally complex by exploring themes like loneliness and vulnerability.