Art buyers seek safer canvases

Younger collectors in their 20s and 30s are entering the market.

Singapore’s art collectors are becoming more selective in their purchases as softer spending and global uncertainty push buyers toward established artists and lower-risk works, gallery operators said.

Motti Abramovitz, CEO at Bruno Art Group, said instability has made buyers more deliberate whilst strengthening interest in art as a long-term store of value.

“We've seen clients who may have previously hesitated now actively seeking works by established masters like Salvador Dalí, Marc Chagall, and Yaacov Agam as a way to diversify beyond traditional financial instruments,” he told Singapore Business Review in an emailed reply to questions.

The shift aligns with a broader global recovery in the art market. Total sales rose 4% to $76.6b (US$59.6b) in 2025, driven by stronger demand in the second half and resilience at the top end, according to the Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report 2026.

Locally, gallery operators said buyers are also becoming more cautious as art is increasingly treated as a discretionary purchase.

Low Sok Leng, founder of ARTualize, said demand remains strong for pioneer artists even as economic sentiment weakens.

Singapore retail sales rose 5.4% year-on-year in April, but RHB Bank said momentum might slow in 2026 due to higher energy costs and softer labour demand.

Low said leading Singapore artists such as Liu Kang and Cheong Soo Pieng continue to attract strong interest, alongside second-generation artists including Low Hai Hong, Ang Ah Tee, Koeh Sia Yong, and Lim Tze Peng.

“Our second-generation artists continue to be popular, and if [buyers] are collecting works of this type—mainly they are collecting works with the Singapore River or Chinatown, very traditional pieces,” she said via Zoom.

Younger collectors are also entering the market, particularly buyers in their 20s and 30s who are purchasing either contemporary works or Nanyang-style art.

The Art Basel and UBS report also found rising participation from younger buyers, with China Guardian Auctions Co. Ltd. reporting that collectors under 40 accounted for 36% of its $755m (US$587m) 2025 sales.

Abramovitz said galleries are seeing “a younger, more design-conscious generation entering the world of art,” with many first-time buyers purchasing works to display in homes rather than purely for investment.

He added that exhibitions featuring Salvador Dalí and David Gerstein attracted first-time buyers from across the region, alongside steady demand for artists such as Arnaud Nazare-Aga and Charles Fazzino.

Low said economic uncertainty would likely continue to influence buying behaviour in the months ahead, but demand for established artists is expected to remain resilient.

“The show continues,” she said. “We will still continue to plan and find works that will attract buyers.”