Gen Z Art Collectors Are the Biggest Spenders

A new generation of wealth, the rise AI in collecting tools, and other findings from the Art Basel and UBS Survey of Global Collecting 2026.

Summary

Art Basel and UBS have released the fifth edition of Survey of Global Collecting for 2026

Major findings include lofty spending habits for Gen Z collectors, whose average expenditure is twice that of millennials and boomers

The study also shows the uptick in social media, apps, and AI tools when it comes to discovery and research, with a "broadly positive" attitude towards the development of new technologies in the collecting space

Gen Z collectors are outspending their parents and grandparents nearly twofold, studies by Arts Economics show. Art Basel and UBS have released the 2026 Survey of Global Collecting, and the latest report arrives with some major findings on the “who” and “how” abuzz in the art market.

The young “omnivore collectors,” as Art Basel described Gen Z collectors last year, have prevailed, outspending their generational peers in “virtually every segment,” with the group’s average expenditure in the first half of 2026 alone surpassing the full-year 2025 figure.

Among the only 1% of collectors who bought an over-$1 million USD work in 2025, almost half of them were Gen Z, with promising stats pointing to a similar amount in 2026. Lower-priced works, across ages, attracted the most noise, with 77% of high net-worth individuals (HNWI) with an overall sub-$50,000 spending on fine art and 84% under $100,000 in 2026 so far.

As seen in recent years, younger collectors, alongside women of all age groups, were more open to discovery — 56% of Gen Z purchased work by an unfamiliar artist versus 36% of boomers, and 49% of women versus 43% of men.

The youngest collectors, perhaps surprisingly, were also some of the most private. This year’s survey debuted a new study on how collectors opted to share their pieces. 39% of Gen Z kept their collection to in-person viewings with close family, friends, and households, nearly twice that of any other generation. They’re also keeping their online collections locked down, with Gen Z leading the pack when it comes to limiting who can see their art-related content.

So how are collectors actually finding what to buy? Traditional players still have plenty of influence, with auction house specialists (31%), art advisors (30%), artists (29%) and dealers (27%) reigning as some of the biggest sources for outside advice. But even when it comes to collecting, digital tools and AI are changing the game. 32% of collectors cited social media sites, like Instagram or X/Twitter, as sources of advice, with higher use among Gen Z and women.

Those using apps or AI tools have also jumped fivefold since 2024, going from 4% to 22% in 2026. A majority of collectors are bullish on what AI can bring to the table: with over 60% expecting a “positive impact” on discoverability, personalized advice, provenance, authenticity verification, and valuation analysis.

While price transparency and data security were considered leading concerns, the collector outlook, as the report shows, is on the up: 57% of respondents expect the fine art market to grow through the rest of 2026, rising to 60% over a 10-year horizon, with Gen Z, “across every horizon,” the most optimistic.

Read the full report here.