How she was drawn to investing in art

Retiree Phyllis Tan was initiated to the world of investing in art when she received a call from her broker, who introduced her to Art Futures Group.

Madam Tan, who is in her late 50s, shared this information with a friend, who then visited the firm's head office and storage facility while on a business trip.

She said: "This gave me the confidence to make the first step, and both of us started the investment together."

She now owns a few works by Chinese artists, including Yin Jun's Crying Baby and Liu Fei's Women & Guns.

They have cost her about $200,000.

Her favourite is Liu Liguo's Cranes & Skyscrapers.

Madam Tan's art forays are mainly for investment, but she added that if she really likes the art, she will hold on to the works for longer.

Since August, when she first started her investments, Madam Tan has made about $2,800 in the past three months, by renting her artworks out.

She said: "As an alternative investment, this is straight forward and gives rental, which is similar to dividends.

"The current market is so uncertain so this is a reasonably low-risk investment for me to park my money. I own the artworks so my capital is reasonably safe."