LONDON, UK.- An innovative new pension trust exclusively for artists - the Artist Pension Trust - has today announced the launch of their first European organisation APT:London. Reaching out over Europe with a hub in London, the APT:London will offer a great opportunity to visual artists to plan for a more secure financial future.

The trust will consist of 250 artists, selected at the rate of about 50 per year over 5 years. APT: London operates on a unique barter-based system, with artists saving works rather than money - a first for any investment initiative. Each artist will invest 20 works over a 20-year period, with net profits from the sale of works in the future, directed straight back to the artists in the trust.

While any artist may apply to APT: London, invitation to participate in the Trust follows a rigorous curatorial selection process. The curatorial selection panel comprises world-class gallery and museum curators and writers based in the UK and throughout Europe who nominate and select the artists invited to participate.

The irregular nature of the art business has traditionally made it difficult for artists to pay into a traditional pension fund, or save for the future, as their income is often erratic and channelled back into further production of art works. The APT had developed a plan that will offer artists a way to save their most valuable assets for their own future financial stability.

Long Term Financial Security for Emerging Artists

“The contemporary art world is a fast-paced field, exhibitions last a few weeks and the turn-over of art works continues to accelerate, making it very difficult for artists to hold on to even one or two works per year,” comments Kay Pallister, Director of APT:London. “I know many artists who have sold every artwork, early on in their careers, for prices in the region of £1,000 to £5,000 and now within say seven to maybe ten years, their profile has grown and those formative works are re-sold for fifty times that amount - without the artist seeing a penny of that appreciation.” “The APT seems like a long overdue idea,” continues Pallister. “In the short term, emerging artists can benefit from being part of a strong collection, that will build over time to be of true significance in its own right, but more importantly they can take some control over their work and make its market value appreciation benefit them, not just the canny speculative collectors.”

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