If you appreciate art, investing in it can be a fun and profitable way to learn more about the subject and make some money as well. This is the kind of field where you really have to enjoy it to be any good at it. This is true of most things, but you can, for example, make money at trading items like pork bellies in the futures market without knowing or caring about the product at all. In the long run, you are always better off doing business in areas that interest you, but with art it’s especially crucial. When you browse auction listings online, go to a live auction, or perhaps rummage through someone’s basement during a house sale, you simpy must have the “art bug” to maintain interest and gain any expertise.
There are, of course, many categories to choose from in art. There are many periods, locations, styles and media and you may have a very specific area of focus or take a more general approach. It is usually good to specialize at least to some degree or you will be overwhelmed by the myriad of objects to choose from. Personally, I have a liking for antique paintings, which is itself a very wide field. Antique can mean just about anything...