Art and finance coalesce in the elite world of fine art collecting and investing. Investors and collectors can't protect and profit from their collections without grappling with a range of complex issues like risk, insurance, restoration, and conservation. They require intimate knowledge not only of art but also of finance.

Clare McAndrew and a highly qualified team of contributors explain the most difficult financial matters facing art investors. Key topics include:

• Appraisal and valuation
• Art as loan collateral
• Securitization and taxation
• Investing in art funds
• Insurance
• The black-market art trade

Clare McAndrew has a PhD in economics and is the author of The Art Economy. She is considered a leading expert on the economics of art ownership.