The report Art Basel & UBS outlines an art market undergoing significant transformation, where power shifts towards new generations, greater diversity, and new forms of collecting.
How the resilience of the art market changes in 2025
Despite the uncertain economic and geopolitical context, the sector shows a resilience beyond expectations. In 2024, overall art sales decreased by only 12%, still reaching 57.5 billion dollars. In the first half of 2025, auction sales recorded a more contained decline of -7%.
Volumes are decreasing, but collector engagement remains high. Moreover, compared to other investment segments, the art market shows a surprising ability to absorb turbulence and reorient purchasing preferences.
Why is the share of wealth allocated to art growing?
According to the Collector Survey 2025, high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) now allocate on average 20% of their wealth to art, compared to 15% in 2024. Among ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), this share rises to 28%.
Art is not only perceived as a collectible but as a structural asset in portfolios. However, this centrality is not solely driven by speculative logic: cultural, identity, and long-term motivations increasingly come into play.
Which generations are leading the new center of gravity in collecting?
The report indicates a clear shift towards younger and more diverse collecting. Today, 74% of collectors belong to the Millennial and Gen Z generations, with an average age of 38 years. Additionally, 51% are women.
These generations are more digitally connected, more culturally engaged, and more demanding in terms of transparency. That said, they maintain a sophisticated approach: combining interest in artists’ reputations with attention to social and environmental dynamics.
What is the impact of women’s economic growth in the market?
The survey highlights a shift in female purchasing power. Female collectors spend on average 46% more than men. Furthermore, they allocate 47% of their budget to female artists, compared to 41% by male collectors.
This is a concrete rebalancing in artistic representation, directly impacting the demand for works by contemporary female artists. Overall, this capital shift contributes to reshaping the system’s hierarchies and expanding the collecting canon.
How are collections structured today between living works and inherited heritage?
The typical collection consists of 47 works, of which 74% are created by living artists. This data confirms the pronounced interest in current production, with a direct impact on the contemporary scene and the work of active artists.
At the same time, inheritance plays a growing role. 84% of collectors have inherited works, which represent almost 30% of collections. Additionally, 80% declare planning for generational transfer within the family.
In this context, hereditary transmission becomes a structuring factor of the market. However, it also raises questions about governance, taxation, and long-term management of artistic heritage.
How are art sales channels changing today?
The research indicates a clear shift in purchasing methods. 83% of collectors buy in galleries, confirming the central role of art galleries in primary intermediation. In contrast, only 49% buy at auction, with a marked decline compared to previous years.
A particularly significant data point concerns direct purchases: 63% buy directly from artists, and these purchases now represent 20% of total spending. Additionally, the digital component is growing, although not dominant. This dynamic signals a progressive democratization and a slow disintermediation of the traditional system.
How does the concentration of global wealth reshape collecting?
The macro-financial context is dominated by a strong concentration of wealth. Billionaires hold 42% of global wealth, and in the next 20-30 years, a transfer of about 7.1 trillion dollars between generations is expected.
Women already control more than a third of the world’s wealth, and this share is set to grow. This “Great Wealth Transfer” will have profound effects on collectible art, strengthening the role of new players and redefining the criteria of cultural and symbolic value.
What are the motivations and expectations of collectors today?
Despite global uncertainties, optimism remains high: 84% of collectors express confidence for the next six months. However, the reasons behind purchases are changing.
Purely speculative motivations drop to 24%. Additionally, the cultural significance of works, philanthropic commitment, and the desire to support artists and institutions are growing. Compared to a past more oriented towards trading, a more relational and value-driven approach to collecting is emerging.
What does the Collector Survey 2025 tell us about the future of the market?
Overall, the 2025 art market no longer follows past patterns. Power is no longer primarily determined by age or traditional status, but by the ability to innovate culturally and forge direct relationships with artists.
Furthermore, the weight of inheritance progressively prevails over pure speculation, while gender and generational diversity become a central axis of the system. Women, new generations, and direct access channels are profoundly redefining the power dynamics of the contemporary art market.
As expert in digital marketing, Amelia began working in the fintech sector in 2014 after writing her thesis on Bitcoin technology. Previously author for several international crypto-related magazines and CMO at Eidoo. She is now the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Cryptonomist and Econique.
She is also a marketing teacher at Digital Coach in Milan and she published a book about NFTs for the Italian publishing house Mondadori, while she is also helping artists and company to entering in the sector. As advisor, Amelia is also involved in metaverse-related project such as The Nemesis and OVER.
