For centuries art was collected for its cultural, emotional, intellectual, political and economic value. 
 
Nowadays, collectors and investors turn to art for the benefits it offers such as asset protection, wealth preservation, portfolio diversification, low correlation with financial markets, profitability and other hedging possibilities in addition to its emotional and aesthetic qualities.

According to the Wealth Report 2023 of Knight Frank, the asset category art increased by 29% in 2022 and 91% over the last 10 years.

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Key factors for art as an investment:

Market Size 
The total market value of sales was estimated around $65 billion in 2021.&nbsp;

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Market Growth 
The $2.1 trillion global marketplace for art and collectibles will reach a forecasted $2,9 trillion by 2026.

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Trends 
Many auction houses and galleries shifted online. This has brought younger buyers to the market. Investors in general have increased their interest in art. As a result, the contemporary art market is setting a new trend for the future of art as an investment.

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Publication year

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Splint Invest Platform Fee 
Compensation for the tokenization of the assets, the maintenance as well as the further development of the application and the costs related to the research and maintenance of the expert network. 
 
External maintenance costs 
We are committed to providing the highest standards of storage, maintenance and insurance of your equipment on your behalf. The associated costs will be shared between the splint holders and included as an ongoing cost in relation to each asset. So if you own 1% of a bottle of an art piece, your splint account will be charged 1% of the associated costs. Further details and breakdowns are listed in the factsheet for each investment. 
 
Exit fee 
When you sell an investment, you will be charged a flat fee of 2% of the transaction volume. This includes our expenses for sales on the secondary market, our costs for maintaining this market and our organisation of an asset sale at the end of the contract.

"Saito's market is growing rapidly, exclusively represented by James Fuentes Gallery in New York and Los Angeles. Plans are underway to expand to major galleries in Europe, with dealer prices closely aligned with Estate-set gallery prices, often fetching higher sums. Domestic-sized paintings typically range from $100,000 to $175,000, marking a significant increase of over 100% in the last three years. Recent auctions have shown a steady price progression, with a remarkable 296% increase over the past five years. The entry of major players like Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips promises increased auction liquidity and continued price growth." - Asher Edelman, Expert at M&amp;A Arts 
 
Why invest in Kikuo Saito? 
 
Introduction to the artist 
Kikuo Saito (1939-2016) was a color field painter, set designer and theater director, born in Tokyo in 1939. In 1966, at the age of 27, Saito relocated to New York, a move that would mark the beginning of his transformative artistic journey. 
 
A Painter's Journey 
Kikuo Saito, the painter, was lauded as a well-rounded artist. Much has been said about his theater work with Robert Wilson, Peter Brook, Ellen Stuart, Jerome Robbins, and others, but Saito was, in fact, the eternal painter. We reference his work as an assistant to Helen Frankenthaler, Kenneth Noland, and Larry Poons, his teaching world, and the strength of his commitment, but Kikuo Saito was a painter, always a painter. 
The renowned critic and curator of Color Field painting, Karen Wilkin, wrote: “Even before he completely abandoned theater projects, he increasingly concentrated on painting, developing a personal version of Color Field abstraction. Saito’s mature work is characterized by inventive, often surprising color, which ranges from frankly gorgeous, richly varied intensities to subdued near monochromes, as well as by eloquent drawing…” 
 
Evolution of Color Field 
Saito the Color Field painter, who, in the beginning, resonated in the footsteps of Frankenthaler, quickly climbed the ladder to painting of his own, in fact, beyond Frankenthaler’s flows of paint. Like Basquiat, who moved abstract expressionist painting forward to include figurative and conceptual content, Saito moved Color Field to a new level structured with content and moods, peppered with objects, clouds, and Roman letters. 
 
Recognition and Acclaim 
“Memories or echoes of movement become autonomous sweeps across the canvas, fraying into scribbles and tatters…sensuous tangles and swipes all-but divorced from reference”, writes Wilkin. In the past few years, Saito’s original take on Color Field and the beauty of the works have been increasingly acknowledged by collectors, critics, dealers and institutions. 
 
Saito’s work can be found in the collections of major museums and has been the subject of multiple solo exhibitions. 
 
Limited Supply and Growing Interest 
Following Saito's passing in 2016, there has been no new output of art, resulting in a finite supply of his works. Despite this limitation, interest in Saito's art continues to grow, particularly with the recent entrance of major auction houses such as Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips into the market. This influx of interest promises to enhance auction liquidity and drive further appreciation in Saito's prices. 
 
Museum Collections 
The Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York Whitney Museum of Art, New York, New York 
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, Connecticut Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 
Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, Florida Queens University, Ontario, Canada 
Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida 
Peter Stuyvesant Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands Ulster Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland 
 
Solo Exhibitions 
2024 James Fuentes Gallery, New York, NY: Kikuo Saito: Color Codes,(Ongoing) 
2024 KinoSaito, Verplanck, NY: Kikuo Saito: Unraveling, (Ongoing) 
2023 KinoSaito, Verplanck, NY: Kikuo Saito: Pictorial Clay 
2022 KinoSaito, Verplanck, NY: Kikuo Saito: Hatching Color 
2022 Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich: Kikuo Saito 
2022 KinoSaito, Verplanck, NY: Kikuo Saito: The Alphabet Paintings 
2022 Altman Siegel Gallery, San Francisco, CA: Ouray 
2021 Art Dealers Association of America, James Fuentes Gallery, New York, NY: Kikuo Saito 
2021 KinoSaito, Verplanck, NY: Painting as Performance / Performance as Painting 
2021 KinoSaito, Verplanck, NY: Kikuo Saito: Cloud Paintings 
2021 James Fuentes Gallery, New York, NY: Kikuo Saito 
2019 Loretta Howard, New York, NY: Kikuo Saito: To Paint with Drawing 
2019 Lori Bookstein Projects, New York, NY: Lyrical Abstraction: Small Scale 
2018 Lori Bookstein Projects, New York, NY: Saito: Works on Paper 
2018 Loretta Howard, New York, NY: Kikuo Saito: Resonant Tension 
2018 Octavia Art Gallery, Houston, TX: 40 Years 
2018 Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA: Never Before Seen Paintings from the Estate 
 
 
Sell your Splints? We now provide you with the option to repurchase your splints at market value anytime. Please note that an additional processing fee will apply. The processing fee varies based on the volume, investment, and your holding duration. Use the contact form to initiate the process.

The price of 99,500€ includes the Splint Invest platform fee and external maintenance costs of 6,750 €. 92,750 € can be allocated to the asset. 
Platform Fee Splint Invest: Compensation for the tokenization of the assets, the maintenance as well as the further development of the application and the costs related to the research and maintenance of the expert network. 
External maintenance costs: Shipping, handling, 4 years storage, and insurance.

Variable Costs

SEV Société des Entrepôts Vevey S.A., Port Franc, Av. Reller 1, 1800 Vevey, Switzerland

40721_Kikuo Saito

According to the "2021 Global Art Market &amp; COVID-19 Report" by Citi Private Bank, contemporary art generated a profit of 6.7%, surpassing the returns of other art sectors at 5.5%. 
 
The prices of Saito's works have increased by 26% annually over the last 3 years. And these works come directly from the artist's gallery.

Return

In terms of investment potential, art has consistently outperformed other types of assets such as the S&amp;P 500 and the FTSE 100 over the past two decades. 
 
The relative illiquidity of art works particularly in its favor, especially for assets that retain a stable value and exhibit minimal correlation with the stock market.

Stability

Saito’s primary market is dynamic and expanding. The Saito Estate is represented exclusively by James Fuentes Gallery, New York and Los Angeles. However, with substantial interest building in Europe, plans for adding major galleries and dealers outside of the US are in place.

Kikuo Saito, Sleep's Comb, 1987

The deceased artist is gaining worldwide relevance. In recent years, the number of dealers selling his works has grown from a few to over 25. Initially known in the USA, expansion into Europe is now underway, and soon Asia will follow.

Track Record

M&amp;A Arts represents the leading edge in art and finance, spearheaded by Asher Edelman, the renowned investor and art collector. With an unparalleled experience and extensive relationships in the art world, M&amp;A Arts offers deep knowledge and expertise in the financial aspects of the art market.

M&amp;A Arts is a Swiss company at the forefront of the art and finance sectors. It was founded in 2023 by Asher Edelman, the renowned financier and art collector, and his wife, Michelle Edelman, who has dedicated her career to managing, promoting, and placing international artists, connecting global opportunities with galleries, museums, art fairs, and private sales. 
Together, Asher and Michelle bring decades of experience and expertise and a unique vision to drive success in the dynamic realm of art and finance. Alongside a diverse team of experts in the fields of art, finance, and business, they have cultivated an unparalleled understanding of the intricacies of the art world. 
 
M&amp;A Arts is positioned to become a leader in art-related businesses, facilitating the creation of new investment opportunities by identifying and sourcing works by artists with the highest investment potential.

M&A Arts Sàrl

Asher Edelman is an internationally recognized financier, art collector, and innovator in art finance. Asher began collecting art in the early 1960s, earning recognition for his early identification of artists such as Jasper Johns, Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschenberg, Brice Marden, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. His passion for art led him to create the FAE Musée d'Art Contemporain in Pully, near Lausanne, which launched the first European retrospective exhibitions of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Roy Lichtenstein. He has also run various companies in the art sector, including activities related to lending, leasing, advisory services, and artist management. 
 
Michelle Edelman brings over 30 years of experience in branding, marketing, and Contemporary Art. She founded Traffic Creative Management and TRAFFICARTS, a leading creative agency and artist incubator in New York City, specializing in brand design and advertising, as well as the management, promotion, and placement of international artists with galleries, museums, art fairs, and private sales. 
 
Cedric Autet is a seasoned executive with wide expertise in financial operations and art finance. He has a proven track record of delivering value through strategic planning and execution of various art-related transactions, including lending, leasing and fractionalization.

This is an investment opportunity where we have recalculated the expected performance given by the external expert (M&amp;A Arts) and have thus verified that a positive return can be expected after deduction of all costs for storage and insurance.

Furthermore, we have verified the existence, the professional storage and the insurance of the artwork.

Kikuo Saito, Sleep's Comb, 1987

Asset's Life Cycle Details

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Aurelio

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