The team went all in on Kate Moss.
One evening last month at Citigroup Inc. in downtown Manhattan, a group of 20-somethings spent $95,000 in a bidding war for a black-and white photo tapestry of the fashion model’s face. They were confident that the work by the prominent New York artist Chuck Close was worth the price.
That’s why there was a collective gasp when Tash Perrin, a senior vice president at Christie’s, revealed that the work didn’t sell when it was last auctioned in 2013.
The sale and money that the 40 participants used to bid with was fake, but the lesson on valuing and buying art was real. The attendees, from wealthy families in 18 countries, are poised to inherit enough money in coming years to purchase some of the items they were shown at the event -- from Cartier earrings worn by Elizabeth Taylor to a Bjork album cover photograph. For firms like Citi Private Bank, teaching them how to invest in art is one tool to help retain the heirs when the family wealth is passed on to them.
“You don’t have the birthright to the next generation’s wealth,” said Money Kanagasabapathy at Citi Private Bank, who directs such events for clients’ children. “We want to continue to have the relationship with the family.”
Next Generation
In the past, wealth managers haven’t been so successful at keeping younger clients. On average, firms have seen almost half of the assets leave when a family’s wealth is being handed to the next generation, according to the latest figures from a report on global private banking by consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Banks are trying to reverse that trend because an estimated $36 trillion is expected to transfer to heirs in U.S. households alone from 2007 to 2061, according to a 2014 study by the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College. The figure swells when including billionaires worldwide, a majority of whom are over age 60 and have more than one child.
The U.S. economic recovery also has accelerated parents’ desire to prime children for what’s coming, said Arne Boudewyn, a managing director in Wells Fargo & Co.’s Abbot Downing unit.
“Company valuations are higher than in past years, including family-owned and controlled companies,” said Boudewyn, whose clients generally have at least $50 million. “Many families who never seriously contemplated selling are now fielding offers they can’t refuse.”