Matis Brings Regulated Art Co-Investments to Italy

Matis, a company offering co-investments in art through club deals in Europe, is making its debut on the Italian market.

The activity is supervised by the French Financial Markets Authority (AMF), the equivalent of Consob (the Italian Securities and Exchange Commission), which has issued a license valid throughout the European Union.

The genesis of a new asset class dedicated to art

Following its operations in France and Switzerland, Matis is expanding its presence in Italy with the intention of engaging private investors, family offices, wealth management firms, and private banks in the diversification option of co-investing in works of art.

To develop in the Italian market, the founders Arnaud Dubois and François Carbone, with experience in the art and financial investment sectors respectively, involved Alberto Bassi.

Bassi, an entrepreneur, manager and venture capitalist, was co-founder of BacktoWork, an Italian equity crowdfunding platform, which he left in 2024, and of the private equity firm Eighteen Capital.

An already consolidated track record

Founded in 2023, the company has already selected and financed 65 works and carried out 16 resales , including that of a work by Lucio Fontana. Over 14 million euros have been returned to investors, with an average net return of 17.7%.

The annualized internal rate of return net of expenses (not guaranteed) is 33.3% (data as of 2 September 2025).

Matis raised €5 million in its first year and over €30 million in 2024, with a target of €60 million by 2025 .

How Matis works

The art sector is generally considered a safe haven, historically accessible primarily to collectors and institutional investors.

Matis aims to broaden access to this type of investment through club deals dedicated to recognized 20th-century artists – including Andy Warhol, Lucio Fontana, Pierre Soulages, Alighiero Boetti, François-Xavier Lalanne – defined as blue chips, with works valued between 500 thousand and 5 million euros .

In the art world, blue-chip works are considered high-value, have an impact on art history, and are recognized by institutions, galleries, and collectors, characterized by stability, value growth, and liquidity.

Matis employs a team specialized in evaluating and selecting works and has a network of dealers and galleries for resale operations.

The proposed club deals have a maximum investment duration of five years and an estimated (not guaranteed) average holding period of two years. The minimum investment threshold is set at €20,000.

Comments from the protagonists

“Buying contemporary art directly requires skills, capital and a network of experts that is often difficult to build,” explained Matis co-founder Arnaud Dubois.

“Matis simplifies this process thanks to its expertise in art and finance. This way, we are opening up the opportunity for private investors to invest in a safe haven like art, previously reserved for a select few collectors or institutional investors. All through a transparent and regulated investment process,” added Dubois.

“Milan is Italy’s leading financial hub and a hub of European culture, with a long artistic tradition and a strong presence of HNWIs looking to diversify their investments, including in private markets. After France and Switzerland, we have identified a space in Italy to institutionalize art investing as a new, transparently accessible asset class,” continued François Carbone , co-founder of Matis.

Alberto Bassi, Head of Italy at Matis, concluded: “Italy represents a strategic step in Matis’s European expansion. Protecting and growing one’s assets remains a top priority for private investors, who operate in a volatile and uncertain environment. At the same time, wealth managers, private bankers, and family offices are constantly working to identify new diversification solutions and instruments uncorrelated with traditional financial markets.”

__

(Featured image by Zalfa Imani via Unsplash)

DISCLAIMER: This article was written by a third party contributor and does not reflect the opinion of Born2Invest, its management, staff or its associates. Please review our disclaimer for more information.

This article may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “estimate,” “become,” “plan,” “will,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks as well as uncertainties, including those discussed in the following cautionary statements and elsewhere in this article and on this site. Although the Company may believe that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, the actual results that the Company may achieve may differ materially from any forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the management of the Company only as of the date hereof. Additionally, please make sure to read these important disclosures.

First published in Crowdfunding buzz. A third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

Although we made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translations, some parts may be incorrect. Born2Invest assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions or ambiguities in the translations provided on this website. Any person or entity relying on translated content does so at their own risk. Born2Invest is not responsible for losses caused by such reliance on the accuracy or reliability of translated information. If you wish to report an error or inaccuracy in the translation, we encourage you to contact us.