Blue-chip and post-war contemporary works. Authentication required at appraisal. Up to 50% LTV — the most conservative category in our book, for good reason.
Art is the slowest and most conservative category we lend against, and that's a function of the market, not caution for its own sake — auction comps for a specific artist and period can be thin, provenance gaps are common, and authentication takes real expertise we bring in on a case-by-case basis rather than handling in-house. A work with a clean chain of ownership, a catalogue raisonné listing, or a recent auction result for a comparable piece moves through appraisal faster and prices closer to the top of the 50% ceiling; anything murkier gets a longer look before we'll quote.
We see the most volume in post-war and contemporary blue-chip names — the segment with the deepest, most liquid secondary market and the most reliable comps. Emerging or regional artists are harder for us to underwrite confidently, not because the work isn't valuable, but because there's less trading history to price against. Bring documentation (bill of sale, gallery invoice, prior appraisal, exhibition history) — it does more for an art loan than for almost any other asset class we take.
Email [email protected] with photos and reference details, or run the LAL estimator first for a wholesale-FMV baseline before you commit to an appointment.
Two-hour reply during business hours with a preliminary range. In-person appraisal sets the final number.
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