Art Basel/UBS Survey: Gen Z Collectors Outspend All Other Generations on Art
The 2026 Art Basel and UBS Survey of Global Collecting, conducted by Clare McAndrew, reveals that Gen Z high-net-worth collectors, aged 20 to 29, are the leading spenders in the art market, challenging the notion of their disengagement. The survey sampled 3,100 individuals with a minimum wealth of $1 million. In 2025, Gen Z averaged $347,460 in fine art purchases, marking a 19% increase from 2024, with even higher spending in the first half of 2026. Almost half of those acquiring art priced over $1 million were from this generation, with 13% investing over $1 million in H1 2026. Family wealth impacts 37% of these collectors, and UBS projects that over $83 trillion will be inherited by younger generations in 20 to 25 years. Additionally, Gen Z participates in nearly one art event weekly and exhibits a strong willingness to invest in emerging artists.
Key facts
- Gen Z collectors spent an average of $347,460 on art in 2025, up 19% from the previous year.
- Overall average fine-art spending was $124,265 in 2025, up 13% from 2024.
- Gen Z made up nearly half of buyers who purchased works above $1m in 2025–H1 2026.
- 37% of Gen Z collectors said their wealth came primarily from family sources, compared to 15% overall.
- Over $83 trillion is expected to transfer globally in the next 20–25 years, with almost 90% going to younger generations.
- Millionaires control 48% of global wealth in 2025, up from 44% in 2019 and under 40% in 2010.
- 69% of collectors bought directly from artists, up 6% from the previous survey and more than double 2024 levels.
- 56% of Gen Z collectors bought an unfamiliar artist's work, compared to 36% of Boomers.
Entities
Artists
- Clare McAndrew
- Aida Valdez
- Noah Horowitz
- Cristina Masturzo
- Julio Le Parc
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Christian Thorsberg
- Tim Schneider
- Georgina Adam
- Niru Ratnam
- Denzil Forrester
- Paul Donovan
- Zaha Hadid
- Salvador Dalí
- Jean Cocteau
- Leonor Fini
- Georges Mathieu
- Bernard Buffet
- Hiroshi Sugimoto
- Lee Krasner
- Gordon Parks
- Peter Zumthor
- Roy Lichtenstein
- Nigo
- Kozo
- Elizaveta Porodina
- Ilaiyaraaja
- Jannis Kounellis
- Michelangelo Pistoletto
- Carsten Höller
- Giancarlo Olgiati
- Danna Olgiati
Institutions
- Art Basel
- UBS
- Arts Economics
- Mad54
- The Art Newspaper
- Ocula
- Artribune
- Zero 10
- Art Basel Shop
- Art Basel Awards
- Tate Modern
- Christie's
- Avant Arte
- Art Newspaper
- Financial Times
- CNBC
- Smithsonian Magazine
- Frieze London
- Monopol
- Monopol International
- Niru Ratnam
- Thaddaeus Ropac
- Sotheby's
- Art Basel Paris
- UBS Global Wealth Management
- Artlyst
- Zaha Hadid Foundation
- Studio KA
- C. Karoutzos Contemporary Art Centre
- Louvre Abu Dhabi
- Louvre
- Kiran Nadar Museum of Art
- Affordable Art Fair
- SoWa Power Station
- Phoenix Art Museum
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
- The Peninsula London
- Art Basel Miami Beach
- The Design Museum
- Gordon Parks Foundation
- Fondation Beyeler
- Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
- The Whitney Museum
- Gap
- Snøhetta
- Maestro Ilaiyaraaja Centre for Music Learning and Research
- BPER
- Collezione Giancarlo e Danna Olgiati
- X
Locations
- Stati Uniti
- Regno Unito
- Cina continentale
- Hong Kong
- Francia
- Australia
- Germania
- Giappone
- Brasile
- Singapore
- Brazil
- China
- France
- Germany
- Japan
- Italy
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Taiwan
- Indonesia
- Mexico
- Switzerland
- London
- New York
- Argentina
- Chicago
- South America
- Africa
- Fitzrovia
- Paris
- Asia
- Europe
- Middle East
- North America
- Asia Pacific
- Clerkenwell
- Issoire
- Auvergne
- Abu Dhabi
- United Arab Emirates
- New Delhi
- India
- Boston
- South End
- Los Angeles
- Sydney
- Mainland China
- Austria
- Fire Island
- Phoenix
- Chelsea
- Ferrara
- Lugano
- Matera
- Beijing