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  • Advisory

    From first acquisitions to building collections, we provide expertise through our network of international specialists, dealers, artists and curators to guide our clients through every step of the acquisition process. 

    Whether buying for investment, passion, or both, we offer bespoke services for families or individuals to realise their goals and aspirations.

    A client was looking for a unique iconic work by one of the UK’s top contemporary street artist. Director Ning Chong sourced the work, carried out due diligence in terms of authentication, condition check and negotiated on the client’s behalf. FOFA also assisted to arrange artwork insurance, logistics and shipment from London to Singapore. FOFA continues to work for this client to source for top quality blue chip art works.

     

    ADVISORY — EDUCATION

    Most people are unfamiliar and inexperienced navigating the opacities of the art market, therefore we are dedicated to providing information and educating our clients so that they can make an informed decision. Besides providing market research, we can give clients unique access to artist studios, art fairs, thought leadership events, scholars and researchers.

    If you are running a single or multi-family office, or working in the private wealth management industry, we can offer short courses or introductory lectures on the art market, to help you gain an insight and understanding about the art ecosystem.

    More recently the emergence of NFTs has shaken the art world, we see tremendous interest and curiosity on how to collect NFTs, what are the first steps, what accords value to an NFT and what can one do with an NFT collection. We have taken a keen interest in NFTs, and in collaboration with our network of NFT collectors, producers, writers and artists, we can present NFT talks to interested parties.

    Occasionally, we will organise panel discussions and artist talks to foster greater understanding and appreciation of artists and their practice.

    In the past we have hosted a range of guest speakers such as preeminent art collector Pak Zain (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Magnus Renfrew (Founder of ARTHQ Group) and Christoph Noe (co-founder of Larry’s List) and Bianca Chu (previously Deputy Director at Sotheby’s S2 Gallery London).

    We also developed a series of Art Introductory 101 lectures to introduce and explain the opacities of the art ecosystem, how to navigate the art market, and how one can start collecting art, and treating fine art collectibles as a form of alternative investment.

    One of our past events was with AXA Insurance, who came to us to co-organise a private event for their agents and clients. We presented a lecture about collecting art as an alternative investment class, describing the art ecosystem and drawing on our own experiences as art collectors.


    Art Financing

    The growth in choices for collectors to better manage their collections has opened doors to those who wish to finance their collections discreetly and FOFA can assist to meet the complex needs of a sophisticated and global clientele. Some collectors may wish to borrow against their artwork to acquire more art, while others may want to take advantage of other investment opportunities. FOFA will work with reputable lending institutions to arrange collateral lending for art assets being stored at Le Freeport Singapore and other approved locations, and assist art owners in creating liquidity from art assets.


    Valuation & Appraisals

    For rare and expensive works of art or entire collections, a detailed written appraisal is an important investment. FOFA works with leading international art experts and curators to provide quality provenance research. As an independent art agent, FOFA will guide clients on how best to navigate the art market. We will represent the client’s interest when it comes to dealing with art brokers, auction houses on buying and selling works of art. We can assist clients to structure how they acquire or de-accession their art holdings, either privately or at auctions to optimise value for the client from an estate planning perspective.

    Increasingly, estate planning has become important in many family situations where alternative investment assets such as fine art, pass through the generations and more often than not, the children are not interested in a collection formed by their parents or grandparents. FOFA can assist the family in such situations to make value-based decisions, where we advise on how to assess the collection, and establish ownership structures to optimise the collection.


    Legacy-Building

    Great art should be shared and be seen by as many people as possible. Many good collections today are in storage, often forgotten by the collector. FOFA can assist to revitalise such collections with its collection management expertise which can take many forms, such as the following:

    • Publish a book about the Collection
    • Curate and organise a physical and/or digital showcase
    • Assist loan to international museums and public institutions
    • Profile the Collection / Collector at high-profile art events

    We believe in enhancing the value of our client’s collection and making it a valuable asset in their portfolio. A good example of what could be achieved with an art collection is the founders’ own art initiative, The Culture Story.

    Website: www.theculturestory.co
    Instagram: @the.culture.story

    In June 2017, to mark the official opening of The Culture Story private gallery, we exhibited thirteen contemporary artworks curated from our family art collection. The exhibition was a success and we received coverage from all the major newspapers such as Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao and Business Times.

    In January 2021, we organised another exhibition from the family collection centred on the theme of “nude and nudity”, curating thirty-eight works by twenty-two artists from Singapore, the region and internationally. These works were acquired over the last thirty years, highlighting the principal’s colourful journey as an art collector. The passionate collector was keen to offer personal tours to media and journalists, and as a result, the exhibition enjoyed a feature in all the major local titles both online and in print.


    Philanthropy

    As in many other great causes, Art and Culture is worthy of philanthropy. FOFA will assist family offices to identify and navigate the opportunities for meaningful contributions to the art scene in Singapore and the region. These efforts could include donations to museums, sponsorships of art events or initiatives such as art competitions, in-kind assistance to art residencies, loan of works for public exhibitions, establishing scholarships for art research etc.


    Art Collection Management Services

    We offer a range of services to help clients with logistics, storage, transport, insurance and installation in client’s home or corporate offices. If a piece requires re-framing, conservation or restoration, we can recommend an expert for the job.

    For an existing collection, we can help manage the collection, create a database of artworks and keep track of its value over time. In some cases, we can also help to promote the collection by managing loans, donations etc.

    • Inventory management and record-keeping
    • Logistics, Insurance and Art Storage
    • Conservation and restoration

    A couple was interested to document and record their 50-piece art collection in the family home and in their offices. Our work included visiting the home and offices to take pictures of the works, gather invoices and receipts for filing and contacting artists and galleries for missing information. We prepared a physical file containing the hardcopy invoices, Certificates of Authenticity, photographs (any hand-written letters or notes etc) and a USB thumb-drive that holds all the hi-res images of artworks, scanned invoices (and any other relevant documentation such as essays, digital pictures etc).

    Closer to home, Director Ning Chong inventorised her father’s 300+ collection of fine art and collectibles over a period of 6 months. The same approach was applied to archive and document images of artworks, identifying documents, and update the location of artwork as they were spread out between the family home, offices and art storage facilities. We also took this opportunity to check the condition of artworks, especially for works on paper and works surrounded by old frames. To date, the collection is fully updated, and we apply best practices whenever we make new acquisitions or de-accessions.


    Advisory

    From first acquisitions to building collections, we provide expertise through our network of international specialists, dealers, artists and curators to guide our clients through every step of the acquisition process. 

    Whether buying for investment, passion, or both, we offer bespoke services for families or individuals to realise their goals and aspirations.

    A client was looking for a unique iconic work by one of the UK’s top contemporary street artist. Director Ning Chong sourced the work, carried out due diligence in terms of authentication, condition check and negotiated on the client’s behalf. FOFA also assisted to arrange artwork insurance, logistics and shipment from London to Singapore. FOFA continues to work for this client to source for top quality blue chip art works.

     

    ADVISORY — EDUCATION

    Most people are unfamiliar and inexperienced navigating the opacities of the art market, therefore we are dedicated to providing information and educating our clients so that they can make an informed decision. Besides providing market research, we can give clients unique access to artist studios, art fairs, thought leadership events, scholars and researchers.

    If you are running a single or multi-family office, or working in the private wealth management industry, we can offer short courses or introductory lectures on the art market, to help you gain an insight and understanding about the art ecosystem.

    More recently the emergence of NFTs has shaken the art world, we see tremendous interest and curiosity on how to collect NFTs, what are the first steps, what accords value to an NFT and what can one do with an NFT collection. We have taken a keen interest in NFTs, and in collaboration with our network of NFT collectors, producers, writers and artists, we can present NFT talks to interested parties.

    Occasionally, we will organise panel discussions and artist talks to foster greater understanding and appreciation of artists and their practice.

    In the past we have hosted a range of guest speakers such as preeminent art collector Pak Zain (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Magnus Renfrew (Founder of ARTHQ Group) and Christoph Noe (co-founder of Larry’s List) and Bianca Chu (previously Deputy Director at Sotheby’s S2 Gallery London).

    We also developed a series of Art Introductory 101 lectures to introduce and explain the opacities of the art ecosystem, how to navigate the art market, and how one can start collecting art, and treating fine art collectibles as a form of alternative investment.

    One of our past events was with AXA Insurance, who came to us to co-organise a private event for their agents and clients. We presented a lecture about collecting art as an alternative investment class, describing the art ecosystem and drawing on our own experiences as art collectors.


    Art Financing

    The growth in choices for collectors to better manage their collections has opened doors to those who wish to finance their collections discreetly and FOFA can assist to meet the complex needs of a sophisticated and global clientele. Some collectors may wish to borrow against their artwork to acquire more art, while others may want to take advantage of other investment opportunities. FOFA will work with reputable lending institutions to arrange collateral lending for art assets being stored at Le Freeport Singapore and other approved locations, and assist art owners in creating liquidity from art assets.


    Valuation & Appraisals

    For rare and expensive works of art or entire collections, a detailed written appraisal is an important investment. FOFA works with leading international art experts and curators to provide quality provenance research. As an independent art agent, FOFA will guide clients on how best to navigate the art market. We will represent the client’s interest when it comes to dealing with art brokers, auction houses on buying and selling works of art. We can assist clients to structure how they acquire or de-accession their art holdings, either privately or at auctions to optimise value for the client from an estate planning perspective.

    Increasingly, estate planning has become important in many family situations where alternative investment assets such as fine art, pass through the generations and more often than not, the children are not interested in a collection formed by their parents or grandparents. FOFA can assist the family in such situations to make value-based decisions, where we advise on how to assess the collection, and establish ownership structures to optimise the collection.


    Legacy-Building

    Great art should be shared and be seen by as many people as possible. Many good collections today are in storage, often forgotten by the collector. FOFA can assist to revitalise such collections with its collection management expertise which can take many forms, such as the following:

    • Publish a book about the Collection
    • Curate and organise a physical and/or digital showcase
    • Assist loan to international museums and public institutions
    • Profile the Collection / Collector at high-profile art events

    We believe in enhancing the value of our client’s collection and making it a valuable asset in their portfolio. A good example of what could be achieved with an art collection is the founders’ own art initiative, The Culture Story.

    Website: www.theculturestory.co
    Instagram: @the.culture.story

    In June 2017, to mark the official opening of The Culture Story private gallery, we exhibited thirteen contemporary artworks curated from our family art collection. The exhibition was a success and we received coverage from all the major newspapers such as Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao and Business Times.

    In January 2021, we organised another exhibition from the family collection centred on the theme of “nude and nudity”, curating thirty-eight works by twenty-two artists from Singapore, the region and internationally. These works were acquired over the last thirty years, highlighting the principal’s colourful journey as an art collector. The passionate collector was keen to offer personal tours to media and journalists, and as a result, the exhibition enjoyed a feature in all the major local titles both online and in print.


    Philanthropy

    As in many other great causes, Art and Culture is worthy of philanthropy. FOFA will assist family offices to identify and navigate the opportunities for meaningful contributions to the art scene in Singapore and the region. These efforts could include donations to museums, sponsorships of art events or initiatives such as art competitions, in-kind assistance to art residencies, loan of works for public exhibitions, establishing scholarships for art research etc.


    Art Collection Management Services

    We offer a range of services to help clients with logistics, storage, transport, insurance and installation in client’s home or corporate offices. If a piece requires re-framing, conservation or restoration, we can recommend an expert for the job.

    For an existing collection, we can help manage the collection, create a database of artworks and keep track of its value over time. In some cases, we can also help to promote the collection by managing loans, donations etc.

    • Inventory management and record-keeping
    • Logistics, Insurance and Art Storage
    • Conservation and restoration

    A couple was interested to document and record their 50-piece art collection in the family home and in their offices. Our work included visiting the home and offices to take pictures of the works, gather invoices and receipts for filing and contacting artists and galleries for missing information. We prepared a physical file containing the hardcopy invoices, Certificates of Authenticity, photographs (any hand-written letters or notes etc) and a USB thumb-drive that holds all the hi-res images of artworks, scanned invoices (and any other relevant documentation such as essays, digital pictures etc).

    Closer to home, Director Ning Chong inventorised her father’s 300+ collection of fine art and collectibles over a period of 6 months. The same approach was applied to archive and document images of artworks, identifying documents, and update the location of artwork as they were spread out between the family home, offices and art storage facilities. We also took this opportunity to check the condition of artworks, especially for works on paper and works surrounded by old frames. To date, the collection is fully updated, and we apply best practices whenever we make new acquisitions or de-accessions.


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