Page History

Erica Gilbert-Levin  

Management: Moondance, Inc. Los Angeles, California

Name of Fund: StART

Investment Details: Target: USD 10m; Minimum: 5m; Term: 5 years

Fund Overview: Launched January 2009. Late 20^th-century/early 21^st-century street art

Fund Description, Fees: Most investments between USD 10,000-80,000. Active management. 2% annual performance fee; no management fee.

Website: www.startart.com

Status: Valued at USD 5m in August 2010. Approximately 100 investor entities.

A small but rapidly-growing and up-and-coming fund, StART features four collections of bold, in-your-face, unique works from both established and emerging street artists around the world. StART was founded in early 2009 by a collaboration of anonymous art entrepreneurs and seeks to bring the most exciting new development in the art world into the market.

The collections:

"Brave New World." Consists of nearly 1,000 paintings and collages by young artists whose works had gone virtually unrecognized in the art world until recently. In the past year, the valuation of the works in this collection has seen exuberant growth, tripling from USD 5,000 to 15,000 in the last market year. Artists include Retna, Stickman, Elbowtoe, and War Boutique, an urban artist who has worked with the likes of Banksy.

"Under the Bridge." Consists of a mind-blowing 20,000 pieces, including rare sketches by Jean-Michel Basquiat and replicas of Keith Haring's famous subway drawings. Other street artists include Judith Supine, and Swoon. The oft-controversial, edge-pushing works straight from the street have charged the market in the last year, accumulating an estimated valuation of USD 5m. Numerous symposia, interviews, and even museum exhibitions have enhanced the profile of street art, resulting in rapid growth for StART.

Works in these collections include:

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By Haring

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By Basquiat

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By Judith Supine

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By Swoon

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By Retna

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By Stickman