Grammy award-winning violinist Joshua Bell discusses what it feels like to play a Guarneri del Gesù violin once owned by composer Henri Vieuxtemps Link to this videoIn the rarified world of old violins, the Stradivarius is commonly thought of as the very best. But for many connoisseurs and concert performers, the pinnacle is the work of a craftsman from Cremona in Italy known as Guarneri del Gesù.
The market for unusual assets has grown in recent years. Here is a column that reviews the evidence on the market for violins, showing that they have provided a relatively stable return, with low, and in some cases negative, correlation to other assets.
IF SUPERWEALTHY INDIVIDUALS can invest in fine art, why not fine violins? And while they’re at it, why not get those instruments into the hands of deserving, ambitious violinists?
So goes the pitch by Florian Leonhard. In the latest twist in so-called passion investments, the London-based restorer and dealer is establishing the Fine Violins Fund, which plans to buy fine violins and loan them out free. Having already secured $20 million from a handful of individuals in Europe, Leonhard says the fund is well on its way toward a goal of raising a total of $50 million from more investors by year’s-end.