The short answer

JLIT's art service helps collectors and investors in Thailand buy and own art as part of their wealth. Lawrence Young, who has lived in Thailand for many years and has more than 30 years in international finance, talks you through how the art market works, where to buy, how to check provenance, authenticity and condition, the full costs including buyer's premiums, how to insure and care for works in Thailand's climate, and how art fits alongside structured notes, private equity and the rest of your portfolio. We also introduce you to specialists who insure art, and hold art evenings and investment events around the world. The first conversation is free.

What the service is

The art world can seem exclusive, with its own language and customs — hammer prices, buyer's premiums, provenance, catalogues raisonnés. Our service opens it up. Lawrence acts as your guide, helping you understand how it works and make decisions you're confident in.

Art as part of your wealth

Lawrence helps you decide how much of your wealth to put into art, how a collection sits alongside your other investments, and how to protect it and pass it on.

Buying with confidence

He talks you through where to buy — galleries, fairs, auctions and private sales — the checks to make on any work, and the full costs, so there are no surprises.

Looking after your collection

From insurance and storage to valuations and records, Lawrence helps you look after your collection properly — and we can introduce you to specialists who insure art.

A community of collectors

Through our art evenings and investment events around the world, you can see fine work, hear from specialists and meet other collectors.

Why collectors invest in art

Daily enjoyment

Art is the only investment you can hang on your wall. The pleasure of living with a work you love is part of the return.

A unique, real asset

Every original work is one of a kind — a tangible asset with its own history and story.

Long-term value

Great works by established artists have long held and grown their value. Knight Frank's Luxury Investment Index, which includes art, rose 38.6% over ten years.

A global market

Art is bought and sold around the world — the US alone accounted for US$26 billion of sales in 2025, China US$8.5 billion and France US$4.5 billion — giving collectors a wide choice of places to buy and sell.

Something different

Art follows its own market, adding variety to a portfolio built mainly on financial assets.

A family legacy

Art is often a family's most personal asset, passed down and treasured across generations.

The art market today

The Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report 2026 shows a market back on a growth path after two years of contraction. Sales reached US$59.6 billion in 2025, up 4%, across around 41.5 million transactions. Galleries and dealers sold US$34.8 billion, with art fairs accounting for 35% of their sales, and public auctions grew 9% to US$20.7 billion. The US led at US$26 billion — 44% of the market — with China at US$8.5 billion and France growing 9% to US$4.5 billion.

Knight Frank's Wealth Report 2026 adds that Impressionist art rose 13.6% over the year — the best of any collectible — while modern art also gained. Looking ahead, more than US$83 trillion is expected to pass between generations, bringing more women and younger collectors into the market.

How the service works, step by step

1. A free first conversation — by email, WhatsApp, LINE, phone or in person. Lawrence asks what kind of art you love, what you already own, how much you'd like to invest and how a collection would fit your plans.
2. Understanding the market — how prices are set, where to buy and which segments are moving.
3. Setting a budget and focus — including the costs of buying and owning.
4. Checking a work — provenance, authenticity, condition and how the price compares with recent sales.
5. Buying — through a gallery, fair, auction or private sale, with the full costs understood.
6. Protecting it — insurance on an agreed value basis, the right conditions at home or in storage, and a full record.
7. Through the years — revaluing every three to five years, reviewing your insurance and refining the collection.
8. Selling or passing on — when the time comes, choosing the right route or planning for your family.

Where to buy art

The main routes, side by side.

A general guide. Market data from the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report 2026.

Where to start

Guidance on art as part of your wealth, introductions to specialist insurers, and better rates when you pay in other currencies, and a hard-currency account to pay from.

Art evenings and investment events

The best way to understand art is to see it and talk about it. We hold art evenings and investment events for clients and guests in cities around the world — relaxed occasions to see fine work, hear from specialists and meet other collectors.

At a typical evening you'll see fine work and hear the stories behind it, with talks from specialists on what makes a work valuable and how the market is moving. There's practical advice on buying well — through galleries, fairs and auctions, and the checks to make — the chance to meet other collectors and share experiences, and time with Lawrence to talk about how art fits your wider plans.

Our evenings are open to clients and their guests, and to anyone curious about art as an investment — you don't need to own a collection to come along. Join our mailing list and we'll tell you where we'll be next, and about new art investment opportunities as they become available.

The checks we talk through with you

Provenance

The history of who has owned a work, ideally unbroken from the artist to today. Good provenance supports authenticity, confirms the work can be sold freely and adds to its appeal.

Authenticity

Confirmation that the work is by the artist it's attributed to — through the artist's catalogue raisonné, a certificate from a recognised authority or expert opinion.

Condition

A condition report describing the state of the work and any restoration. Condition has a big effect on value.

Price

How the price compares with recent sales of similar works at auction and through galleries.

Full cost

Including any buyer's premium, taxes, shipping, framing and insurance.

What makes a work valuable

Two works by the same artist can sell for very different sums, and Lawrence will talk you through the factors specialists look at first. The artist's standing comes first — exhibitions, collections, critical writing and a record of sales — followed by period and quality, since the strongest examples from an artist's most celebrated years command the most. Medium and size matter, with oil on canvas usually above works on paper and ambitious works above small studies, and so does subject: themes most closely associated with the artist are sought after.

Rarity counts too, because works not seen on the market for many years attract interest, as does a recognised place in the artist's story through exhibition and publication history. Underneath everything sit provenance and condition, the foundations of value.

Understanding these helps you compare works with confidence — and choose pieces that hold their appeal for future buyers as well as for you.

What art costs to buy and own

Buying at auction

Auction houses add a buyer's premium to the hammer price. At Sotheby's it's 28% on the first US$2 million, 22% up to US$8 million and 15% above; at Christie's, 27% up to US$1.5 million, 22% to US$8 million and 15% above. A work hammered at US$100,000 at Sotheby's would cost around US$128,000 before any taxes.

Buying from galleries

Gallery prices are usually agreed directly, with no separate premium — and galleries offer expert guidance and help with provenance and paperwork.

Owning art

Owning art has running costs. Specialist fine art insurance commonly costs about 0.1% to 2% of value a year. Works need the right conditions at home or in fine art storage, framing and conservation to protect them over time, and specialist shippers when they move. Valuations every three to five years keep insurance and planning up to date.

Owning art in Thailand

Thailand is a wonderful place to live with art, with a little care for the climate. The guidelines used by leading museums recommend 40–60% humidity and 16–25°C for paintings, so keep the air steady with air-conditioning or dehumidifiers in the rooms where art hangs, and use an inexpensive hygrometer to see the real conditions. Keep works out of direct sun and use UV-filtering glass, and check for mould and insects, especially after trips and in the rainy season. Insure properly — at home, in transit and on loan — and take time to explore the vibrant art scenes of Thailand and Southeast Asia.

Our guide to storage, insurance and valuation of collectibles covers looking after a collection in detail.

Building a collection over time

The most rewarding collections grow over years, and Lawrence helps clients build theirs with a little structure. Start by looking — at galleries, museums, fairs and our art evenings — and set a yearly budget that includes the costs of owning. Choose a focus, whether a movement, region, medium or group of artists, and build relationships with one or two galleries and auction specialists. Keep records from day one: invoices, certificates, condition reports, photographs and valuations. Then review regularly — revalue, update the insurance and refine the collection.

Our guide to art as an alternative investment explains what makes a work valuable and how the market works.

Art funds and fractional ownership

For investors who want exposure to blue-chip art without buying a whole work, art funds and fractional platforms offer another way in. Funds pool investors' money to buy a portfolio of works, managed by specialists; fractional platforms let you buy shares in a single artwork, which the platform stores, insures and eventually sells. Both offer smaller minimums and professional management. Lawrence can talk you through how they work and what to check — who legally owns the art, where it's stored and insured, how it's valued, the fees and how you can sell. Many collectors combine the two: a few works they love at home, and a smaller allocation through a fund for broader exposure.

Paying for art from Thailand

Most art you buy abroad will be priced in US dollars, euros or another major currency, and a little planning on payment saves money and gives peace of mind.

Paying for art across borders deserves the same care as choosing it. For larger purchases, a specialist FX provider can usually beat a bank's rate by a meaningful margin, and if you're bidding at auction or paying in instalments, a forward contract can lock in today's rate. For private purchases, escrow means your money is released only when the work arrives safely and matches its description. Always pay the business rather than a person, into an account in the same name as the gallery, dealer or auction house. Budget for the extras — buyer's premium, taxes, shipping, framing and insurance — and keep every invoice and confirmation, because they become part of the work's provenance.

Vita Capital, our FX and escrow partner, can handle the currency exchange and hold funds in escrow, with a dedicated specialist to guide you.

Selling and passing on

Selling

The main routes are auction, private sale through an auction house or dealer, back to a gallery, or online for more affordable works. Ask two or three specialists for estimates and terms, and time a consignment to the right sale. If proceeds are coming to Thailand, plan the currency conversion in advance.

Passing on

Keep a record of each work, its provenance, valuation and location; make sure your wills cover your collection in every country where it's kept; and talk to your family about which works matter most. Our guide to beneficiaries and cross-border policies explains how to keep assets in different countries passing smoothly to your family.

How art fits your portfolio

Art is a passion asset — a rewarding part of a well-built portfolio, enjoyed as well as owned. It sits well alongside structured notes for defined returns and income, today paying up to 13.56% a year on US dollar autocalls and 9.72–9.85% a year on Phoenix notes, private equity for long-term growth, whisky casks and other collectibles, and a cash reserve for everyday needs.

Our structured notes, private equity and whisky profiles cover the other building blocks.

Who the service suits

The service suits art lovers who'd enjoy living with the works they own, first-time buyers who want guidance on buying well, and established collectors looking after and growing a collection. It also suits long-term investors happy to hold for many years, families planning to pass a collection on, and expats owning art across countries and climates.

Questions to ask before you buy

Before buying any work, ask what its provenance is and whether it's documented, how authenticity is confirmed, and what condition it's in, including any restoration. Compare the price with recent sales, work out what it will cost in total, and decide how you'll insure and store it. Think about how you could sell it in future. And ask yourself the simplest question of all: do you love it?

Our guide to avoiding misleading alternative investment claims explains how to recognise genuine opportunities.

Three real-world examples

These are illustrations, not real clients.

Charlotte, 56 — a first serious purchase

Charlotte met a gallerist at one of our art evenings and later bought a work by an established artist, with full provenance and a condition report. Lawrence helped her arrange specialist insurance on an agreed value basis and a dehumidifier for her Bangkok living room.

Robert, 61 — buying at auction

Robert bid on a modern print at a major auction house, setting his maximum bid to leave room for the 28% buyer's premium, shipping and insurance. He paid through Vita Capital to get a good rate on the dollars.

Paul and Sue — a family collection

Paul and Sue's collection of Thai and Southeast Asian art sits alongside their structured notes and a whisky cask. They revalue every few years, and their wills in both countries cover the collection.

Planning for children's futures too? Ask about school-fee planning, or compare schools in our international schools directory.

Your art checklist

• Budget set, including the costs of owning.
• Provenance, authenticity and condition checked.
• Price compared with recent sales.
• Full cost known, including any buyer's premium.
• Specialist insurance on an agreed value basis.
• Steady conditions where the work is kept.
• Records kept, with a copy away from home.
• Wills cover the collection.

Getting in touch

The easiest way to start is the enquiry form on this page. Tell us a little about your interest in art and Lawrence will come back to you, usually within one working day. You can also reach the team by email at enquiries@ExpatFAA.com, on WhatsApp at +66 95636 1829 or on LINE at LAW007LU. To hear about our next art evening, join our mailing list.

How we researched this guide

This profile draws on the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report 2026 (as reported by Finestre sull'Arte); Grossman LLP's review of 2026 buyer's premiums; Knight Frank's Wealth Report 2026; Masterworks Research on insuring fine art (June 2026); and the IIC/ICOM-CC 2014 Declaration on Environmental Guidelines. Checked 14 October 2026. Art is a long-term holding; prices can rise and fall and selling can take time. This guide is general information, not personal financial advice.