You may have seen horrible headlines about the decline in the art market. include CNN,,,,, Bloomberg and New York Timesall cite the same grim statistics: Global art sales fell 12% in 2024. Everyone dutifully checked out “geopolitical tensions, economic volatility and trade fragmentation” because it was the driver of the free fall. But you don't have to read the second bullet from Art Basel, UBS Report 2025 View different pictures: The art market actually Expand volume 3%,Depend on New buyers entering the market For works that cost less than $50,000. The share of transactions in this segment increased from 73% in 2022 to 85% in 2024.
Transformation to the intermediate market
The surge in sales below $50,000 is not limited to small galleries. Of those with annual sales below $1 million, 95% of transactions fall within this range. Medium-sized galleries sell for between $1 million and $10 million, with a report performance of 74%. Even in galleries with sales of more than $10 million, more than one-third (34%) of transactions are below the $50,000 threshold. In March, the embrace of this horizontal market was exhibited at the IFPDA (International Association of Fine Printers) Printing Fair, with major performances such as Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner and Pace Prints here debuted by artists such as Rashid Johnson and Amy Sherald.
The medium itself is constantly changing. Painting is the main medium, that is, the market share fell by 5% in 2024. Meanwhile, spending on prints and multiples, most of which are priced below $50,000, increased by 3%, to a 7% market share. Not all work on paper is doing well, though, as photography sales remained flat with a total market share of just 3%.
This is not just a silver lining, not only because of the growth of the printing and version market, but also because it signals a signal about the healthy market structure. To be sure, some actions are taking place at the top of the market among established collectors. Prints and multiples now account for 24% of high-value collectors, according to reports from Art Basel and UBSan increase of 16% over the previous year. These works are now the second largest category of their spending, accounting for 18% of their total art expenditure. But real growth is one of the new collectors entering the market.
A new generation enters the market
Among the dealers surveyed by Art Basel and UBS, 44% of all buyers in 2024 are newbies to the market. This trend is particularly evident at the IFPDA Printing Fair, where open night lines wrap around the blocks with attendance rates of over 21,000. More than half (52%) of attendees identified themselves as “newbies at the fair”. Among exhibitors, 96% said the number of new customers exceeded their expectations, up from 81% in the previous year, while 82% reported that their sales at the fair met or exceeded their expectations.
Who are these new buyers? Much of the excitement stems from a long-standing “A huge transfer of wealth.” The expo crowd is younger than ever before, and digital platforms have proven to be effective in marketing prints and versions. Generation Z – Digital natives are raised on NFT, sneaker drops and limited release cultures – more comfortable with the version of the language and the language spent on it than any other age group.
Generation Z is forging its own path. Bypassing traditional auction houses to buy art in a more direct and transparent way, including getting prints directly from fine art print publishers who work with artists. Studios such as Durham Press, Jungle Press, Lower East Side Printing Store, Ulae, Tandem Press, Two Palms, Burnet Editions, Borch Editions, Borch Editions, Crown Point Press and Pace Prints offer a generation that appeals to traditional gallery systems. This also means that the art collectors of Generation Z are Art Sales Index Just like Sotheby's Mei Moses index, it only tracks auction prices. My Art Brokers' Research Discovery 78% of Gen Z buyers Prints will never be purchased at auction.
Why printing and versions are wise to buy
As new buyers pour in, now is a good time to collect prints and versions. Prints and versions tend to cost less than other segments of the art market. The pricing of the edition is often consistent, while the soft track track is managed by gallery and fine art print publishers to build long-term, sustainable careers for its artists. Additionally, this could be a way to get original works that were not available to artists, such as James Turrell, Frank Stella, Jeff Koons and Rembrandt.
If you want to dip your toes into the market, here are some pointers.
- All art prints are original works of art. Many are unique, such as monotypes, where the artist draws or draws the image directly onto a printed surface (called a matrix) and then transfers it to paper or canvas, resulting in a singular, non-reproducible print.
- You don't need to be an expert. Purchasing from members of professional review groups such as IFPDA ensures quality. Members strictly review and comply with IFPDA ethics.
- Version size is important. The concept of the limited edition originated in the early 20th century. Prior to this, the number of prints produced depends on how many impressions are taken from the matrix (usually copper plates or wood blocks) before they break. Therefore, we usually refer to pre-modern works as prints and modern works as versions, whose version sizes (usually 1 to 50) are often associated with higher prices.
- The reputation of an artist is key. The reputation of an artist is one of the most important factors that lead to value. Strong and recognizable works by blue-chip artists such as Picasso, Warhol, Goya, Dulle, Rembrandt, Hockney tend to be more resilient in the downward market. For contemporary artists, future value is well predicted by the established or “Mega-Gallery” representation. Besides artists, quality of old master prints, impressions, conditions and sources is crucial.
Speaking of the Old Masters, Art Basel and UBS reported that recent trends have reversed, with sales in some areas of modern and old master’s work performing better, higher prices and higher prices than contemporary. At the IFPDA Printing Fair, dealers reported strong sales of prints sold by modern and 20th-century artists such as Picasso, Dubart, Miro and Chagall to Gen X and Millennial buyers, suggesting that historical works also benefit from this generational pass.
So, is the art market signed? not much. The stratosphere may lack those former bubble oligopoly prices, but new buyers with digital fluency, market savvy access to the market. Hang out at the next IFPDA Print Fair and you will see them in action.
