Female Artists and Collectors Redefine the Art Market

Frida Kahlo’s El sueño (La cama) made history in 2025, selling for $54.7 million and setting a new all-time auction record for a female artist. That result sat within a market that was already changing shape, as collectors increasingly moved toward female artists, contemporary voices, and a broader, higher-volume trade.

The shift is tied to a major transfer of wealth and a younger collector base. Nearly three-quarters of active high net worth collectors now belong to the Millennial and Gen Z generations, and 98 per cent of younger collectors surveyed view their collections as a strategic part of wealth management. These buyers are drawn to Surrealists, women artists, and Contemporary figures such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, KAWS, and Banksy.

Female buyers are also making their presence felt. In 2024, female collectors spent 46 per cent more on average than male collectors, reaching an average expenditure of $519,960. Their collections are also more heavily weighted toward women artists, with 49 per cent of female collectors’ collections made up of works by female artists, compared with 40 per cent in men’s collections.

That demand is already translating into records. Marlene Dumas set an auction record for a living female painter at $13.6 million for Miss January, while Lisa Brice reached $6.9 million for After Embah. Together, those results show how women artists are being priced not as exceptions, but as central players in the market.

The broader auction landscape also points to a more accessible market, with works under $5,000 accounting for 85 per cent of all contemporary auction results, and online-only sales adding momentum. At the same time, the mid-market is emerging as a stabilising force, giving collectors more entry points while keeping demand active across price bands.

Read the full story in the premiere issue of LuxeTrope, on stands now.