How to invest in: Art

Art lovers who have put their faith in paintings and sculptures rather than stocks and shares have been rewarded with impressive returns.

While the Standard & Poor's (S&P) index of companies in the US fell by about 1.3% in 2011, sales of contemporary art at the main 2011 auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's International jumped 35% year on year, according to figures from Bloomberg.