# Masterworks

> Masterworks is a New York fintech that lets everyday investors buy fractional shares in multimillion-dollar blue-chip paintings by artists such as Basquiat, Picasso, Warhol and Banksy. Founded in 2017 by serial entrepreneur Scott Lynn, the company buys individual artworks, registers each as a public offering with the SEC, and sells shares for as little as $20, then holds the work for several years before selling it and distributing proceeds. It reached unicorn status in 2021 after a $110M Series A and has grown to more than one million members.

- **Founded:** 2017
- **Headquarters:** New York, New York, United States
- **Founders:** Scott Lynn (Founder & CEO)
- **Team size:** Around 220 employees
- **Products:** Fractional art shares, Secondary market, Art research & data (Masterworks.io / Insights), Masterworks mobile app
- **Notable:** First and largest platform to securitize and sell fractional shares of blue-chip paintings, Reached $1B+ valuation and unicorn status with a $110M Series A in 2021, Grew to more than 1,000,000 members

## Products & services

- **Fractional art shares** — Investors buy SEC-registered shares in individual blue-chip paintings for as little as $20, becoming fractional owners of works by artists such as Basquiat, Picasso, Warhol, Banksy and Yayoi Kusama.
- **Secondary market** — A trading platform where members can buy and sell their shares in artworks to other Masterworks investors before the underlying painting is sold.
- **Art research & data (Masterworks.io / Insights)** — Proprietary art-market data, price databases and research used to source works and educate investors on art as an asset class.
- **Masterworks mobile app** — iOS/Android app for browsing offerings, buying shares and tracking a diversified art portfolio.

## Achievements

- First and largest platform to securitize and sell fractional shares of blue-chip paintings
- Reached $1B+ valuation and unicorn status with a $110M Series A in 2021
- Grew to more than 1,000,000 members
- Completed 27 art sales since inception, reported as all profitable
- Distributed $60M+ back to investors from completed exits
- Built one of the largest proprietary art-market databases used to price acquisitions

## Latest updates

- **2025-11** — Reported 27 completed art sales since inception, all at a profit, with more than $60M distributed to investors and over $1.2B in assets held in art and collectibles.
- **2024-01** — CEO Scott Lynn detailed the company's pivot from ad tech and e-commerce finance to art investing in press interviews.
- **2021-10** — Closed a $110M Series A led by Left Lane Capital at a valuation north of $1B, becoming an art-investing unicorn.

## Links

- Website: https://masterworks.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/masterworks
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/masterworks
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Masterworks
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/masterworks/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/masterworks/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@masterworks

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/masterworks
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-19