Masterworks buys and stores paintings by well-known contemporary artists (Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Yayoi Kusama) and offers SEC-registered qualified public offerings that sell fractional shares to investors. Shareholders can trade shares on Masterworks' secondary market once an offering closes and are paid out when Masterworks sells a painting. The company earns revenue via a 1.5% per year management fee on each piece and a 20% cut of the profit when a painting is sold. Masterworks targets pieces worth roughly $1 million or more, focusing on artists with an established market to produce more predictable returns. The startup positions itself as bringing fine-art exposure into individual portfolios rather than dealing in NFTs or speculative collectibles. Average investors contribute more than $5,000 per painting and about $30,000 over their lifetime on the platform. The company has reached a valuation north of $1 billion as it scales its alternative-asset offering.

Total raised

$110M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Oct 2021