The Art Basel & UBS Survey of Global Collecting 2025, authored by Clare McAndrew, surveyed 3,100 high-net-worth collectors across ten markets. It reveals that nearly three-quarters of respondents are Gen Z or Millennials, with Gen Z collectors allocating an average of 26% of their wealth to art—the highest of any age group. Female collectors outspent men by 46% in 2024 and the first half of 2025, and 51% of collectors purchased digital artworks. Direct purchases from artists surged to 63%, up from 27% two years earlier, with 35% buying via Instagram links.
The report signals a fundamental shift in the art market: the dominance of older, male collectors is giving way to a younger, more diverse, and digitally native cohort. Women are driving gender parity in collections through market forces rather than philanthropy, while digital art has moved beyond the crypto bubble to become a mainstream medium. The rise of direct artist-to-collector sales challenges traditional gallery hierarchies, reshaping how value and taste are negotiated in the contemporary art world.