Why Women Are Powering the Future of Art Investing

Why women now dominate global collecting, and what that means for long-term value and cultural influence.

Around the world, women are no longer just influencing culture, they are shaping the global art market. The latest findings from the Art Basel & UBS Survey of Global Collecting 2025 reveal a major shift: women collectors are now among the most powerful actors in art investment.

Compared to their male peers, female high-net-worth collectors outspent men by 46% in 2024.

Nearly half of the works in women’s collections were by female artists, and 55% of women collectors reported being open to purchasing works by newly discovered artists — a clear signal that women are not only buying art, but intentionally using their capital to elevate emerging and underrepresented voices.

At the same time, overall allocations to art are increasing globally. According to the survey, high-net-worth individuals are dedicating an average of 20% of their wealth to art (up from 15% the previous year), reflecting growing confidence in art as a meaningful asset class.

Taken together, these trends point to a powerful transformation: art collecting is becoming not only a form of cultural expression, but a strategic investment – and women are leading that transition.

‍Why Art Investing Is a Future-Forward Strategy

Art as a growing share of wealth portfolios. With HNWI allocations to art rising significantly, art is consolidating its role as a key long-term asset class.
Women driving demand and defining taste. Female collectors are spending more, embracing risk, and supporting fresh, often under-recognized talent – including a growing number of female artists.
The market is diversifying. Younger generations, many of them female, are shifting consumption beyond traditional blue-chip pieces, embracing digital works, prints, design, and other more accessible formats.
Art as legacy and influence. For many women leaders, collecting is not just about aesthetics or short-term investment. It’s about shaping culture, making space for new voices, and building a legacy that blends beauty, values, and long-term impact.

A Forward-Looking Lens on Art Investing

For accomplished women leaders and changemakers, art investing now represents a refined expression of long-term planning: a way to combine financial acumen with cultural influence. As we argued previously in our guide on what to know when investing in art, thoughtful collecting is strategic, rooted in market understanding, and tuned to both value and meaning.

Now, the numbers confirm that approach. As women collectively outspend men and steer collections toward emerging and female voices, they are rewriting the rules of the art market and charting a course for a more inclusive, diversified, and future-focused cultural economy.