Art Basel and UBS Release the Survey of Global Collecting 2026, and Other News.

Art Basel and UBS release the Survey of Global Collecting 2026.

Gen Z has emerged as the biggest-spending generation of wealthy art collectors, according to the Art Basel Survey of Global Collecting, released today and based on 3,100 high-net-worth collectors across the U.S., U.K., Mainland China, Hong Kong, France, Australia, Germany, Japan, Brazil, and Singapore. Average fine-art expenditure across respondents reached $124,265 in 2025, up 13 percent year over year, while Gen Z collectors averaged $347,460, a 19 percent increase and more than twice the spending of any older generation surveyed, a lead they maintained through the first half of 2026. Collectors are also becoming more self-directed: 72 percent reported conducting moderate or significant independent research before purchasing art, up 10 percentage points since 2025, while 58 percent used digital resources for advice, including online publications and press (27 percent) and apps or AI tools (22 percent, versus just 4 percent in 2024); 32 percent cited Instagram or X/Twitter.

Digital discovery appears to translate offline, with collectors who first entered the market through online channels or social media attending an average of 52 art events, compared with 42 among those introduced through family and 40 through cultural exposure. Yet visibility is not necessarily the goal: 64 percent preferred to keep their collections private or known only within a closed circle, and among museum lenders, 30 percent sought complete anonymity and 47 percent discreet acknowledgment. Philanthropy remains significant, with 23 percent planning to donate works to museums or charities within the next year, 28 percent pursuing initiatives such as artist prizes, mentorships, or residencies, and 26 percent planning to establish a foundation or private museum, rising to 29 percent among Gen Z. Despite broader art-market uncertainty, respondents remained broadly optimistic: 57 percent expected the fine-art market to grow through the remainder of 2026, 58 percent over the next 12 months, and 60 percent over the coming decade.

Zaha Hadid’s Clerkenwell studio reopens as a cultural space.

The Zaha Hadid Foundation will open the late architect’s former London headquarters to the public on October 29 as a new cultural space, marking the 10th anniversary of her death. The building, an 1870s Victorian schoolhouse in Clerkenwell, will host exhibitions, lectures, workshops, education programs, and residencies. London-based Studio KA led the redesign, restoring original features and adding details that nod to Hadid’s work, including Z-shaped door pulls and shard-like floor insets. Hadid established the foundation in 2013 to preserve her archive and support the education of young architects. It now manages around 15,000 works across a range of media, along with an archive and research library. Hadid died on March 31, 2016. The opening exhibition, “Zaha Hadid: Architecture of Performance,” curated by Catherine Howe and Libby Sellers, will showcase her stage and set designs for contemporary dance, opera and pop music.

Dalí’s jeweled “Apocalypse” book cover taken in an overnight museum break-in.

A bronze book cover designed by Salvador Dalí has been stolen from the C. Karoutzos Contemporary Art Centre in Issoire, in France’s Auvergne region. Thieves forced open one of the building’s large gates overnight on October 4, and owner Christian Karoutzos discovered the theft the next morning. The 150-kilogram cover, decorated with gold, precious stones, pearls, and seashells, was made by Dalí between 1958 and 1961 for the “Livre de l’Apocalypse,” a monumental edition of the Book of Revelation commissioned by publisher Joseph Forêt. The volume also features illustrations by Jean Cocteau, Leonor Fini, Georges Mathieu, and Bernard Buffet. It was valued at two million French francs when it was created, and Karoutzos acquired it in 2003.

Louvre’s Islamic art head Souraya Noujaim to lead Louvre Abu Dhabi.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi has named Souraya Noujaim as its new director, bringing back a key figure from its early years. She succeeds Manuel Rabaté, who left in February after a decade to lead the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi. An expert in Islamic art history and archaeology, Noujaim most recently led the department of Islamic art and heritage at the Louvre in Paris, overseeing 18,000 works. From 2018 to 2023, she served as the Abu Dhabi museum’s first scientific, curatorial and collections director, helping shape its vision and expand its holdings.

Affordable Art Fair Boston spotlights more than 400 artists from 45 countries for its second edition.

Affordable Art Fair Boston returns to the South End’s SoWa Power Station October 22–25 for its second edition, with original contemporary work priced from $100 to $12,000. The fair will feature 58 galleries and artist collectives presenting more than 400 living artists from 45 countries. 16 exhibitors come from New England, reflecting what fair director Erin Schuppert described as Boston’s rising profile within a thriving regional arts community. The Affordable Art Fair launched in London in 1999 and now operates in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and Sydney. Programming includes a First Look opening on Thursday evening, an Art After Dark social on Friday, and family activities on Sunday with early trick-or-treating around the fair floor.

Attractive Distractions:

Snøhetta helps an Austrian ski resort extend its season with a rooftop mirror.

Fashion photographer Elizaveta Porodina finds beauty in the dark with “Found Dreams.”

The Maestro Ilaiyaraaja Centre for Music Learning and Research makes the case for bamboo as a serious building material.

Fire Island’s singular Pyramid House returns to the market for $3.3 million