The Art Bystander Intelligence Forecast 2025–2028: Where Global Art Power Is Moving Next

What Trends Shapes the Future of the Art World - By Roland-Philippe Kretzschmar, Founder & Editor-in-chief The Art Bystander

Disclaimer: This forecast synthesizes cutting-edge data, strategic industry signals, and speculative intelligence to map plausible trajectories for the global art world. While rooted in extensive research and deep field insight, these projections should be read as foresight, not prophecy.

This report is part of The Art Bystander’s Global Art Power Forecast 2025–2028, a comprehensive analysis mapping the seismic forces transforming the art world across capital, institutions, influence, meaning, and narrative.

📖 Read the list of the top most powerful players in the art world here.

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I. Market Power — The New Financial Architecture

The next three to four years are witnessing the most aggressive market consolidation since the rise of the mega-gallery. With risk aversion already escalating and volatility in emerging artist sales, major galleries are doubling down on vertical integration and strategic acquisition. Even now, in mid-2025, second-tier galleries are facing a stark choice: merge, specialize, or vanish. We anticipate the first public listing (IPO) of a mega-gallery by 2027, fundamentally reconfiguring how galleries are capitalized and governed. And by 2028, the lines between auction houses, galleries, and fintech platforms will blur entirely as hybrid models dominate, leaving the traditional middle market hollowed out and drastically transforming artist representation.

Meanwhile, the private museum is rapidly eclipsing public institutions in terms of power and influence. We expect a landmark museum launch in the Gulf later this year or in early 2026 that will set new global benchmarks for architecture, collection, and digital integration. Within just a few years, private museums will be acquiring struggling public collections, forming independent lending networks, and even offering accredited degree programs. These collectors-turned-institutional-actors are directly shaping art history—unfiltered by public mandate, political scrutiny, or curatorial consensus.

Simultaneously, alternative financial ecosystems are already upending how art is bought and sold. By 2026, blockchain provenance will become industry standard for high-value works, and AI-driven art investment platforms are actively reshaping High-Net-Worth Individual (HNWI) behavior. As we approach 2028, fractionalized art ownership, tokenized value, and derivatives trading will become standard offerings. These mechanisms will empower new buyers but marginalize legacy gatekeepers, cementing a landscape where speed, transparency, and direct access matter more than tradition or pedigree. Alongside this market financialization, the art world is increasingly grappling with geopolitical fragmentation. Global instabilities, trade disputes, and economic uncertainties are already influencing collector behavior, potentially redirecting investment flows and shaping the geographic focus of major art events.

Hauser & Wirth Menorca with ‘Maman’ by Louise Bourgeois in the background.