Investing in art appears to be a hobby for the rich, but not always. Recently, an investor's dream came true when a picture believed to have been painted by Leonardo da Vinci sold for £341m. He had bought it about 60 years ago in an auction for just £45 thinking it was only painted by a follower of da Vinci.

Of course this is a rare story and investing in artwork is not a guarantee to make you a millionaire. Patrick Connolly, a financial adviser at Chase de Vere, told BBC News that to invest in art as a true investment, "you need a starting fund of at least £5,000, and possibly up to £500,000, which can be used to buy individual works of art or invested in an art fund." He feels investing in art is too risky and recommends their clients not to invest in it because the downsides outweigh the upsides.

But if you're still keen, there are art fairs, such as The Affordable Art Fair, and websites aimed at buyers with a modest budget. Patrick Connolly says the best approach here is to buy something you like and can afford and "if it goes up in value, that should be just an added bonus." If this has spoilt your plans for your investment portfolio, maybe there's more chance of winning big money by buying a lottery ticket!

词汇表 splash the cash 花大笔的钱，挥霍

savvy 懂行的

invest 投资

a tidy profit 一笔可观的利润

risk 风险

fortune 财富，一大笔钱

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