r/Masterworks

r/Masterworks,

Starting at 2pm ET on Thursday, 7 May, Scott and the Masterworks team will be here to answer your questions regarding the investment platform and the company/strategy as a whole. Feel free to post your questions here ahead of time and we will keep them busy for their time with us.

Scott is kicking us off with the message below. Please be respectful and if you have any specific account questions, contact help@masterworks.com. The Masterworks team will be unable to address support-related issues via Reddit.

>I'm Scott Lynn, founder and CEO of Masterworks. As we approach New York’s spring auctions, AMA about what we’re seeing in the art market and on the platform this year.

>I started Masterworks in 2017 to make art investable. Now, over 70,000 investors have deployed nearly $1.3 billion across over 500 works on the platform.

>In our most recent investor letter, you'll find that 1Q26 was the strongest quarter for our Postwar and Contemporary Art Index since the market peaked in 2021. 

>You’ll also notice we’ve been making updates to the platform, hosting in-person events for investors, lending art to institutions around the world, and posting new exits.

>So, I’m here to answer all your questions about Masterworks, the art market, and art’s positioning as an asset class.

>I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

As a reminder, or in case you haven't seen it yet, the Q1 2026 letter to investors has been published to speak to market conditions and Masterworks strategy:

https://mw-art.co/1Q26_InvestorLetter

in april 2022, i put $1000 into a basquiat & $1000 into a bridget riley. they went up a little for about a year in 2023-24 but have steadily gone down since then. i'm getting worried they won't rebound.

i invest in the stock market and am used to those ups and downs, but for this purchase i just listened to the suggestion of the masterworks advisor i spoke to....am i just panicking too early?? (hopefully)

i should also note that i keep getting exit emails from masterworks about other paintings that have been held for only 2-3 years. that's what got me worried about mine.

TIA for any insight!

https://preview.redd.it/4i6l75n4wkyg1.png?width=715&format=png&auto=webp&s=3c0ea9bc6d769411ac114f309cca96769cd13554

Another e-mail about a sale - definitely confirmation that the art market is coming back to life.

https://preview.redd.it/bbxzyh1q5kyg1.png?width=1392&format=png&auto=webp&s=410ad451862089d27af0a7db079d883bf266cbfb

https://preview.redd.it/pdwr92fr5kyg1.png?width=1392&format=png&auto=webp&s=9f06c61933eea19ad15b965a3c2cd176150ceaed

This is one of the biggest weeks in the art market. Each fall and spring, the major auction houses host their most significant public sales of the year in New York City. Through May 21st, there will be several sales live streamed to the public. We hope you can join us in watching and enjoying the excitement.

Tonight, we will watch Robert Mnuchin: Collector at Heart Evening Auction live from Sotheby's starting at 6pm ET. Look out for the large red work by Rothko, estimated to sell for between $70mm to $100mm, among many other remarkable objects.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2026/robert-mnuchin-collector-at-heart-evening-auction

Also tonight, The Now & Contemporary Evening Auction at Sotheby's in New York starts at 7pm ET. Masterworks investors will recognize the names Helen Frankenthaler, Alma Thomas, Agnes Martin, Ed Ruscha, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and others, including a large scale Basquiat work. On Friday, we were very fortunate to tour the Sotheby's previews with a handful of members and see the works up close. We're looking forward to seeing them behind the podium tonight!
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2026/the-now-contemporary-evening-auction

Feel free to leave any questions in this thread, and we'll keep up to date as we watch!