Introduction
The Global Art Collecting Survey 2025, conducted by Art Basel and UBS along with Arts Economics, reveals a transformative shift in the art market. This survey, now in its 12th iteration, examines the preferences of 3,100 high-net-worth collectors across various regions between 2024 and 2025.
Key Findings
- Women Collectors Dominate: Women collectors are increasingly shaping the art market, driving demand for more female artists than ever before.
- Digital Art Surges: Digital art has seen the most significant increase in acquisitions, securing third place with 13% of total art purchases, just behind paintings (23%) and sculptures (15%).
- Changing Collector Profile: Art collecting has evolved from a complementary asset to a substantial portion of high-net-worth individuals’ wealth, with 20% of their net worth invested in art. Ultra-high-net-worth collectors invest nearly one-third of their wealth in art.
- Generational Preferences: Baby boomers favored paintings, millennials leaned towards graphic art, photography, and paper-based works, while Gen Z preferred digital art, cinema, and video.
Women’s Influence on Art Purchases
The survey highlights the growing influence of women collectors, who are purchasing less traditional paintings and more digital and photographic art. High-value women collectors are 7% more likely to buy works from emerging artists, compared to men (63% vs. 55%).
Over the past seven years, there has been an exponential global increase in acquiring works by women artists. Between 2024 and 2025, male collectors reported that 44% of their collections consisted of works by female artists, up from 33% in 2018. Women collectors have nearly reached gender parity, with an average of 49% female artists in their collections.
Evolving Collector Profile
Art collecting has transitioned from a supplementary asset to a significant portion of high-net-worth individuals’ wealth. In 2025, these collectors allocated approximately 20% of their net worth to art purchases, a notable increase from the average 15% in 2024.
Ultra-high-net-worth collectors, those with over $50 million in assets, invested an average of 28% of their wealth in art—almost one-third of their total assets.
Key Questions and Answers
- What changes are occurring in the art market? The art market is experiencing a generational and gender shift, with women collectors driving demand for more female artists and digital art. Traditional paintings are losing popularity, while digital art is gaining traction.
- How have collector preferences evolved? Baby boomers favored paintings, millennials leaned towards graphic art and photography, and Gen Z preferred digital art. The proportion of net worth invested in art has increased significantly for high-net-worth collectors.
- What is the impact of women collectors? Women collectors are purchasing less traditional paintings and more digital and photographic art. They are also more likely to buy works from emerging artists, contributing to the growing demand for female artists in the art market.
