Editor’s Note: This story was originally featured in On Balance, the ARTnews newsletter covering the art market and more. Subscribe here to receive it every Wednesday.
After the tumultuous events of 2024, it’s time to look ahead to the new year. Despite the absence of major events like the Whitney Biennial or Venice Biennale, 2025 is shaping up to be just as eventful. Senior Editor Alex Greenberger highlighted new biennials across various continents and significant museum openings in his preview of the year. The incoming Trump administration’s policies may impact the already fragile economy and art market further. If the challenges of 2024 persist, 2025 could see a reduction in art fairs, auction houses, and galleries. This year will be crucial in determining the sustainability of the expanded art world infrastructure from the past decade.
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We’ve asked a group of art world insiders to share their insights on what to expect in 2025, both in the US and abroad.
Alex Glauber, art adviser and president of the Association of Professional Art Advisors: The outlook for 2025 is mostly positive, but uncertainty looms. Republican administrations have historically had mixed effects on the art world, with policies often favoring wealthy individuals who drive the market. With a clearer market landscape at the end of 2024, increased demand from collectors is expected in 2025. However, policy variables like interest rates and tariffs, coupled with the unpredictability of the new president, create ambivalence.
Gabriela Palmieri, founder of Palmieri Fine Art and former Sotheby’s chairman of Contemporary art, Americas: The art market in 2025 may revisit certain segments following the diverse offerings of 2024 auctions. There could be a renewed interest in artists like Donald Judd and Dan Flavin, as well as a shift towards a deeper focus on individual collectors‘ interests and the art itself.
Phillip Hoffman, CEO and founder of the Fine Art Group: Private transactions are expected to dominate the art market in 2025, offering discretion and access to exclusive opportunities. Private sales will continue to thrive as auctions recover, particularly appealing to new market entrants and institutions seeking flexibility in transactions.
There is optimism for the global art market in 2025, with the Middle East showing increased engagement through investments, new museums, and collector participation in the blue-chip art market.
David Shapiro, New York-based art appraiser and advisor: Four trends from 2024 could shape 2025 significantly, including the impact of a strong equities market on art collecting and the continuation of the expansive high-end market seen in the latter half of 2024.
Christie’s recent sale of René Magritte’s L’empire des lumières (1954) for $121.6 million, exceeding the estimate by $25 million, indicates a trend towards increased competition and strong prices for significant works in 2025.
In 2024, record-breaking prices were achieved for non-art objects like fossils, movie memorabilia, and sports memorabilia, suggesting a continued cross-sector approach to collecting at the highest levels in 2025.
Sotheby’s decision to reverse their fee structure in February 2025 is expected to make the house more competitive for day sale consignments, leading to healthy competition among major auction houses for consignments.
Art adviser Arushi Kapoor predicts an upward trend in the art market in 2025, driven by new collectors from the technology and finance sectors. She anticipates a focus on curated collections featuring blue-chip artists and accessible entry points for acquiring prominent names.
The prints market is expected to return to pre-2019 levels, without significant price surges, and emerging artists‘ markets are not likely to experience dramatic increases in prices.
The South Asian economy, particularly in India, is expected to drive demand for works by masters in the South Asian diaspora, attracting new collectors interested in building international art collections.
Laura Lester, an art adviser based in Chicago, believes that 2025 will be a healthy year for the art market, with a focus on stable markets and established artists. Collectors are expected to be more thoughtful and selective in their purchases.
Daphne King-Yao, director of Hong Kong’s Alisan Fine Arts, is optimistic about the art market in Asia, where auction houses are expanding and collectors are still active, albeit more cautious.
Liza Essers, owner of South Africa’s Goodman Gallery, predicts an exciting year for 20th century and contemporary African artists, with international recognition of their contributions. Early works by artists like William Kentridge and Gerard Sekoto are selling well at auction.
In 2025, the art world will see a focus on African 20th century masters in prestigious exhibitions worldwide, highlighting their significant contributions to global modernism(s) and the evolving discourse around art history.
Arianne Piper, a London-based art adviser and dealer, expects the art market in 2025 to embrace a broader range of voices, with a continued focus on women and artists from diverse cultural backgrounds. Major exhibitions will spotlight women artists previously overlooked in the Western art historical canon. Highlights umfassen die größte jemals in Europa gezeigte Ausstellung von Werken von Emily Kam Kngwarray [Anmatyerr, Australien] im Tate Modern und die bedeutende Anerkennung für Sara Flores [Shipibo-Conibo, Peru], die kürzlich White Cube beigetreten ist … Darüber hinaus bleibt eine Retrospektive für die Ivatan und philippinisch-amerikanische Künstlerin Pacita Abad im Art Gallery of Ontario bis 2025 zu sehen.
Dieses Wiederaufleben fällt mit einer signifikanten Transformation auf dem Editionsmarkt zusammen, der auf allen Ebenen an Fahrt gewinnt und im kommenden Jahr weiter blühen wird. High-End-Werke wie Hockneys iPads ziehen beträchtliche Aufmerksamkeit auf sich, während zugänglichere Editionen den Kunstbesitz für ein breiteres Publikum realisieren. Dieser wachsende Markt wird zu einem immer beliebteren Einstiegspunkt für neue Sammler.
Schließlich, nachdem fast ein Jahrzehnt lang die Figuration die Kunstszene dominiert hat, rückt die Abstraktion wieder in den Mittelpunkt. Dieser Trend gewinnt bereits an Fahrt und wird voraussichtlich 2025 weiter beschleunigen, wodurch die Landschaft der zeitgenössischen Kunst neu definiert wird.