The total value of art and collectible holdings by ultra-high-net-worth individuals is projected to increase by 35% between 2024 and 2030, an international survey has found.
Estate planning and intergenerational wealth transfer are driving demand for art-related financial services at wealth management firms such as family offices, according to a biennial report published by the consultancy Deloitte and market research firm Arttactic.
Motivations for collecting art are shifting from investment toward lifestyle interests, as fewer collectors prioritise financial returns. On the other hand, Deloitte and Arttactic predicted the art-secured lending market would grow by more than 10% annually from 2025 to 2027.
Globally, the total amount of wealth allocated to art and collectables by ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), who have more than $30 million (€26 million) in investable assets, was estimated to be worth $2.6 trillion (€2.2 trillion) in 2024. The figure is expected to rise to $3.5 trillion in 2030.
The report stated: “Estate planning is by far the most prominent priority for family offices this year, with 67% naming it a top focus area (up from 41% in 2023). Already widely offered (by 87% of family offices with an art provision), this indicates that art is playing a larger role in intergenerational wealth transfer.”
Family offices, which provide financial and administrative support to wealthy families and individuals, continue to be drawn into providing art- and collectible-related services because of client needs.
Wealth managers typically offer more services to art collectors than appear on their clients’ wish lists, with the exception of art market research and information. For example, fewer than half of collectors want their wealth management advisors to provide legal, art-related philanthropy and art-secured lending services, while more than two-thirds do so.
According to the report: “Despite higher interest rates, we conservatively estimate that the total size of outstanding loans against art could reach between $33.9 billion and $40.0 billion in 2025, marking an 11.8% increase from 2024.”
The art-secured loan market was projected to grow by 11.3% in 2026 and 11.7% in 2027.
“While most collectors pursue art for both passion and investment, this group has shrunk from a 64% share in 2023 to 59% in 2025,” the report read.
“Art professionals reported a similar trend, with hybrid motivation falling from 81% in 2023 to 76% in 2025,” the report continued. “The data suggests that even collectors who once emphasized investment are now increasingly embracing art as a cultural or lifestyle pursuit, shifting away from purely financial justifications.
“Only a small minority of collectors buy art solely for investment: 3% in 2025, down from 5% in 2023. Art professionals reported a similar trend, with 4% citing this as their clients’ main motivation, consistent with 2023.”
Why art is an emotional investment unlike any other
To produce the paper, a total of 473 respondents were surveyed between February 2025 and May 2025, namely 65 private banks, 37 family offices, 119 art collectors, 231 art professionals (such as gallery and auction house managers, art lawyers and art insurers) and 21 art-secured lenders.
The 522-page “Art & Finance Report 2025” was published Tuesday.
