There are some signs that art is currently a better investment than stocks and bonds. “Since London shares were last at present levels, seven years ago, the painting segment of the art market, as measured by Artprice.com, has provided an annual return of 6.8 per cent. A painting pays no dividend, is expensive to insure, and will cost you fat commissions to buy and sell. But if you put your 1996 nest-egg into a well-chosen work of art, rather than a selection of FTSE 100 blue-chips, you could afford to be pretty smug.”