Women and Young Collectors Are Reshaping the Art Market

Women and Young Collectors Are Reshaping the Art Market

A new Art Basel and UBS Survey of Global Collecting, released for 2025, sheds light on who is driving today’s art market—and how their tastes are evolving. The standout finding? Women are not only spending more on art, they’re also more willing than men to take risks on artists who are not yet well known.

The report surveyed 3,100 high-net-worth collectors across ten countries to understand what they’re buying, where they’re buying it, and how much they’re spending. While the market has long been influenced by older male collectors—particularly Boomers—the future looks different. With 74% of survey respondents coming from Millennial and Gen Z generations, this study offers a clear look at where collecting attitudes are headed next.

Women’s Wealth Is Rising—Fast

One of the biggest market shifts is the growing financial power of women. By the end of 2024, women controlled over a third of global wealth, and that share is rising sharply. UBS forecasts that within five years, women will control 75% of discretionary spending worldwide.

This rising influence is already changing purchasing behavior. The report shows that female collectors are spending significantly more than their male counterparts—especially younger women in China, Japan, and Brazil, where annual spending can reach into the millions.

Generations Collect Differently

Even in a period of economic uncertainty, collectors remain active. On average, they invested 20% of their wealth in art in 2025—up from 15% the previous year. Boomers still spend the most, but Gen Z is devoting a larger percentage of their wealth to collecting, and most say they plan to keep inherited art and eventually pass it on.

As for what they’re buying, the generational divide is clear:

Gen Z is also the most likely to collect digital art, with 26% planning purchases soon—even after the NFT cooldown.

Women Are More Willing to Take Risks

One of the most striking insights challenges the stereotype that women are more risk-averse when collecting. The survey found:

• 55% of women frequently buy works by emerging or unknown artists

• compared to 44% of men

Despite many collectors viewing such purchases as “high risk,” women seem more willing to champion new voices—especially women artists. On average, nearly half of the works owned by women collectors are by female artists, compared to 40% in men’s collections. In the U.S. and Japan, the figures climb above 50%.

What This Means for the Art Market

While no one is predicting a major boom, the report suggests the market is stabilizing with pockets of strong growth. The future of collecting appears:

• More female-led

• More globally distributed

• More open to new genres, formats, and artists

• Less dependent on galleries and auction houses

The next wave of power collectors is already here—and they’re changing the rules.