They treat art as a personal storytelling tool
For a generation raised in a world of visual communications and moving from the early Internet to technological control over almost every aspect of life, all the way to digital overload, art is an important source of meaning — a form of experiential and symbolic authenticity that seems unmanipulable, or at the very least, less palpable.
More than nine in 10 art collectors surveyed describe art as important to them as fashion, music or interior design for self-expression. Most people don’t treat art as an accessory, but as something deeply ingrained in their daily lives and the center of their personal brand. “I buy art because it builds a narrative about my surroundings and about me,” said an art collector from Poland. Among the highest earners in the avant-garde art collector community, nearly half reported spending as much on art as they would on a luxury car or watch. Most of them prioritize art over other luxury purchases at the same price. The rising cost of living may be affecting income, but this generation still treats art as a non-negotiable part of their identity.
Most importantly, they buy artworks from a personal, human perspective – a perspective that values relationships with creators and their visions over financial returns. More than seven in 10 respondents said they buy specifically to support artists, and the youngest group, ages 18 to 24, are 25 percent more likely to buy based on the story behind the work. This new generation places greater value on how a work of art can serve as a reference to a person’s life journey, tracking growth and development in taste over time. As one UK art collector aged between 25 and 34 said, “I buy art that symbolizes or brings to life ideas I’ve had in my mind. It’s a reminder.”
Common wisdom suggests that young collectors are victims of hype and trends, but the new generation seems more inclined to follow their own tastes, buying eagerly and fluidly across periods, styles and media. The breadth of interest is striking: a third of people under 45 express a strong interest in both ancient masters and works by contemporary artists (23 percent more than the older generation). They are a third more likely than their older counterparts to have a strong interest in works by older artists and 29 percent more likely to be drawn to works from artists’ estates.
They go in earlier and collect faster
According to Avant Arte, if given the right access point, next-generation collectors tend to enter the market earlier in their lives than their predecessors. A third of collectors surveyed in their late 20s and early 30s have been buying for five years or more. These buyers are also entering with serious ambition: 39 percent of those who started last year plan to increase their spending; The majority of survey respondents who buy editions priced above €5,000 are under 45 years old. More than a fifth devote at least 10 percent of their household income to art each year, rising to nearly half in the United States among those who spend more than $5,000.
Additionally, 40% of young art collectors are willing to spend more than a month’s salary on a single work of art, and young art collectors are 65% more likely than those over 45 to plan to increase art spending in the next year. Among Avant Arte’s art collector community, 68 percent spend more than $1,000 annually on art, a third spend more than $5,000, and one in seven spend more than $10,000.
They rely on digital-first discovery
Younger buyers have entered the market at a time when technology has made art much more widely available than in years past. Nearly two-thirds of next-gen art collectors use Instagram as their primary tool for discovering artists and galleries. 48% reported that digital content from museums motivated them to purchase products from those institutions. Seven out of 10 people use Instagram to decide which exhibitions to visit, with 68% saying they were directly motivated to visit a museum after seeing a post. Moving from Millennials to Gen Z, TikTok usage is rising sharply: The new generation is seven times more likely to use it for exploration, with the youngest collectors, aged 18-24, 16 times more likely to use it.
What the next generation regrets is that museums still don’t really understand how to engage people on social media. Nearly two-thirds of new generation collectors believe museums perform worse digitally than large consumer brands in fashion, media and entertainment. As attention spans shrink amid endless visual overstimulation, short video has proven to be far more successful than circular images with captions. “Our research has shown that you have to connect with young people via digital channels because that is how they learn about things,” confirms a spokesperson for the Design Museum in London, which launched its TikTok and Snapchat channels specifically to reach younger audiences.
They still crave personal engagement
Next-generation art collectors who experienced the world before the Internet and social media completely overtook everyday life are increasingly nostalgic for what came before, as the current revival of 1990s culture demonstrates. They also place increased value on personal and meaningful experiences and communication. As a National Museum spokesman said: “They want to experience real life because they spend their whole lives on screen, and they actually want to experience real things with real people.”
Younger audiences are very active museum visitors, with three-quarters visiting museums or galleries at least four times a year and 44 percent visiting monthly. They increasingly view museums as social spaces where they can meet friends and escape the isolation of a screen, and are looking for authentic experiences that resonate when they visit. More than two-thirds feel strongly that programs should reflect contemporary cultural, political and social themes, while a similar proportion say museums should better design their displays for younger audiences.
The broader consumer world has already seen the same drift: a 2025 GWI analysis of Gen Z spending habits argued that brands trying to reach this group should focus on immersive experiences, technology and authenticity. In the museum context, this means that digital visibility alone is not enough. An online encounter may get this audience in the door, but what they are looking for once they walk in is a credible embodied experience that feels socially and emotionally real and symbolically relevant. They want something more than just a passive visit. The strongest demand is for participatory social experiences, with seven in 10 survey respondents saying they would be likely to visit the area for an arts talk or tour.
They see access as less important than belonging
The traditional membership model is less effective at engaging younger audiences. According to the report, this new generation is 30% less likely to have an active museum membership than those over the age of 45. Only 16% currently do so, and barely a third of them have had active membership at all. Even more telling, half of the new generation participants who were members had canceled one in the past three years, and they were 40 percent more likely to do so than the older generation. But this is not because they do not want to support institutions. Younger collectors are still donating, with nearly two-thirds of survey respondents reporting that they have donated to museums within the past year (seven in 10 say they want to increase their financial support over the next 12 months).
The problem is likely that the traditional membership model feels outdated. It often lacks emotional or social value and fails to offer the sense of community participation and belonging that this generation increasingly seeks in an age of separation and alienation. Young recipients want their contribution to feel meaningful, part of their personal story telling and part of how they put themselves out there in the world. They are not looking for discounts or transaction benefits, or exclusively. Rather, they want to access the symbolic value represented by institutions and art. As an SFMOMA spokesperson said, “One thing people ask for from membership is a sense of belonging, a place where they can have mindful social experiences and be with others they can connect with.” Among survey respondents, 58 percent want behind-the-scenes tours, nearly half want a delayed opening and more than 40 percent want talks, parties and preview tours. Direct access to artists is also among the benefits they would like to see.
The key takeaway is that next generation collectors are looking for more direct and active involvement on multiple levels, as well as accountability and responsibility; They are less concerned with negative models of patronage. More than half of survey respondents said they would be more likely to donate if organizations clearly explained how the funds would be used. (The success of many targeted campaigns, especially those launched by artists during the Covid crisis, is one example of the way forward.) It is not surprising that prints and other artist-made items that relate to the Foundation’s program and mission have proven particularly successful in directing the next generation’s money toward art and museums. Younger audiences seem more motivated by social influence and community involvement than prestige, recognition or legacy. More than four in 10 survey respondents prioritize social impact and local community engagement when supporting organizations.
Ultimately, the next generation of art collectors is looking for the right access points and opportunities to contribute to the arts. From collection to sponsorship, what they are looking for are impactful engagement patterns and a sense of belonging. “What our survey insights show is that this generation’s relationship with art is built on connection and belonging, rather than investment or status,” Avant Arte co-founder Mazdak Sani told the Observer. He notes that more than seven in 10 buy specifically to support artists they love, and a similar percentage say they need to connect with the story behind the work before they buy it. The same logic extends to how they deal with institutions. “They want membership to feel more personal and impactful, turning it from a simple subscription into a form of cultural patronage,” said one collector. If the models that supported previous generations of art collectors and patrons were built on access and recognition, this generation is motivated by something different: shared values, transparency and a real sense of belonging to something meaningful. “The most important question is how best our cherished institutions can respond – and our survey seeks to help provide some answers.”
Thus the greatest change involved in this generational shift is the move from ownership and status consumption towards belonging, shared experience, identity, access and value-based participation. While these generations struggle with ongoing financial instability, younger audiences don’t just consume culture to own, display, or collect; They buy entry into a community, a set of values, and a sense of connection. like Deloitte Gen Z and Millennials Survey 2025 Within this, these generations seek a balance between “money, meaning, and luxury,” and consume culture to locate themselves within the communities, values, peer groups, and experiences that give them a sense of participation.