The prosperity of the economy will increase the value of art works, and the times of economic difficulties will reduce its value. The value of art investment will be high and low from time to time, just like the prices of commodities, stocks and funds. But in the long run, art is a good investment.

人气和潮流在一幅画的评估中有重要影响。潮流会改变，而当收藏家们在搜寻某一种特殊的艺术作品类型或某个特定的艺术家，那么其价值就会上升，就如同另外一个艺术家或另外一种艺术作品类型的价值会随着人气的下跌而下降。

Popularity and trends have an important impact on the evaluation of a painting. Trends will change, and when collectors search for a particular type of art or a particular artist, its value will rise, just as the value of another artist or another type of work of art will decline with the fall of popularity.

艺术家的名望和作品的质量是关重要的。大师的作品会在一个很高的水平上估价，而那些不那么出名的艺术家的作品的估价会相对比较低，或者说比较适度。而当代艺术家的作品很难确定其价值，其估价通常比其零售更低，因为他们基本上没有拍卖纪录。

The reputation of an artist and the quality of his work are crucial. The works of masters are valued at a high level, while those of less famous artists are relatively low or moderate. It is difficult to determine the value of contemporary artists' works, which are usually lower than their retail prices because they have basically no auction record.