Art dealer examining painting in art gallery

A passion for art

Guiding inspired and sophisticated collections

Collecting art has been a passion among individuals and families across the globe for centuries. Yet the path to building a timeless collection is seldom clear. Great collections stand out because so few successfully navigate the challenges that can arise.

UBS Art Advisory guides you in the principles and best practices of building, managing and planning for a collection of lasting value.

Who we work with

Couple wearing black while looking at photographs in modern art gallery

New, developing collectors

  • Assistance in identifying areas of collecting interest
  • Education and guidance on entering the art market
  • Art portfolio review and alignment with collecting goals
Couple looking at paintings and talking about business

Established top collectors

  • Sophisticated, informed support in understanding art world complexities
  • Insights from other top collectors and art world participants
  • Advanced, holistic legacy planning for collections
Smiling grandparents seated together at dining room table during dinner

Multigenerational collectors

  • Best practices and resources for optimal collection management
  • Guidance in establishing collection priorities and vision among family members
  • Strategic assessment of inherited or existing collections
Business people having conversation while looking at artwork

Business owner collections

  • Alignment of personal collecting vision and corporate collection goals
  • Frameworks and resources to manage a corporate collection

Advisory services

  • Advice on establishing a vision, strategy and budget
  • Bespoke guidance when buying and selling significant artworks
  • Education on due diligence to make informed decisions during art market transactions
  • Insight into market dynamics and internal workings of art market participants to help expose pitfalls and minimize risks
  • Connection to opportunities aligned with each collector's goals
An artist at work
  • Advice and best practices for the safekeeping and long-term care of a collection
  • Guidance and connectivity to industry-leading third-party providers necessary to manage a collection, including:
    • ­Appraisal and valuation services
    • ­Fine art and collectible insurance specialists
    • ­Shipping, storage and logistics services
    • ­Collection management systems
    • Art law and structuring professionals
Group of people discussing artwork
  • Strategic ideas to create the most impact
  • Guidance on structuring philanthropic gifts
  • Advice on appropriate sales channels
  • Collection distribution advice in the context of family interests and estate planning
  • Guidance on defining multigenerational collecting objectives
  • Advice on establishing a vision, strategy and budget
  • Bespoke guidance when buying and selling significant artworks
  • Education on due diligence to make informed decisions during art market transactions
  • Insight into market dynamics and internal workings of art market participants to help expose pitfalls and minimize risks
  • Connection to opportunities aligned with each collector's goals
An artist at work
  • Advice and best practices for the safekeeping and long-term care of a collection
  • Guidance and connectivity to industry-leading third-party providers necessary to manage a collection, including:
    • ­Appraisal and valuation services
    • ­Fine art and collectible insurance specialists
    • ­Shipping, storage and logistics services
    • ­Collection management systems
    • Art law and structuring professionals
Group of people discussing artwork
  • Strategic ideas to create the most impact
  • Guidance on structuring philanthropic gifts
  • Advice on appropriate sales channels
  • Collection distribution advice in the context of family interests and estate planning
  • Guidance on defining multigenerational collecting objectives
  • Advice on establishing a vision, strategy and budget
  • Bespoke guidance when buying and selling significant artworks
  • Education on due diligence to make informed decisions during art market transactions
  • Insight into market dynamics and internal workings of art market participants to help expose pitfalls and minimize risks
  • Connection to opportunities aligned with each collector's goals
An artist at work
  • Advice and best practices for the safekeeping and long-term care of a collection
  • Guidance and connectivity to industry-leading third-party providers necessary to manage a collection, including:
    • ­Appraisal and valuation services
    • ­Fine art and collectible insurance specialists
    • ­Shipping, storage and logistics services
    • ­Collection management systems
    • Art law and structuring professionals
Group of people discussing artwork
  • Strategic ideas to create the most impact
  • Guidance on structuring philanthropic gifts
  • Advice on appropriate sales channels
  • Collection distribution advice in the context of family interests and estate planning
  • Guidance on defining multigenerational collecting objectives
  • Advice on establishing a vision, strategy and budget
  • Bespoke guidance when buying and selling significant artworks
  • Education on due diligence to make informed decisions during art market transactions
  • Insight into market dynamics and internal workings of art market participants to help expose pitfalls and minimize risks
  • Connection to opportunities aligned with each collector's goals
An artist at work
  • Advice and best practices for the safekeeping and long-term care of a collection
  • Guidance and connectivity to industry-leading third-party providers necessary to manage a collection, including:
    • ­Appraisal and valuation services
    • ­Fine art and collectible insurance specialists
    • ­Shipping, storage and logistics services
    • ­Collection management systems
    • Art law and structuring professionals
Group of people discussing artwork
  • Strategic ideas to create the most impact
  • Guidance on structuring philanthropic gifts
  • Advice on appropriate sales channels
  • Collection distribution advice in the context of family interests and estate planning
  • Guidance on defining multigenerational collecting objectives
  • Advice on establishing a vision, strategy and budget
  • Bespoke guidance when buying and selling significant artworks
  • Education on due diligence to make informed decisions during art market transactions
  • Insight into market dynamics and internal workings of art market participants to help expose pitfalls and minimize risks
  • Connection to opportunities aligned with each collector's goals
An artist at work
  • Advice and best practices for the safekeeping and long-term care of a collection
  • Guidance and connectivity to industry-leading third-party providers necessary to manage a collection, including:
    • ­Appraisal and valuation services
    • ­Fine art and collectible insurance specialists
    • ­Shipping, storage and logistics services
    • ­Collection management systems
    • Art law and structuring professionals
Group of people discussing artwork
  • Strategic ideas to create the most impact
  • Guidance on structuring philanthropic gifts
  • Advice on appropriate sales channels
  • Collection distribution advice in the context of family interests and estate planning
  • Guidance on defining multigenerational collecting objectives

Client stories

  • Young family having fun

    A young family starts out in the art world

    Profile

    The owners of a chain of retail stores engaged UBS to manage the proceeds from the sale of their business.

    Through our discussions, the couple shared their desire to use some of the liquidity to purchase art but did not know where to begin.

    Solution

    We connected the couple with UBS Art Advisory, who helped them develop a strategic plan to enter the art market that included:

    • Conducting discovery consultations to identify and establish their collecting vision and areas of interest.
    • Educating the couple on due diligence practices so they could make informed decisions, including:
          - Guidance on an artwork’s provenance
          - Analysis of its condition
          - Negotiating the purchase price and other practical details around the transaction
    • Creating a long-term term collecting plan to accommodate the couple’s developing interests.

    As their collection continues to grow, UBS Art Advisory is providing ongoing independent guidance while connecting the family with helpful art world participants and other collectors.

  • Female executive looking at artwork

    A family office organizes and strengthens a collection

    Profile

    The executive of a large family office was asked by its principals to evaluate, track and develop a plan for a sprawling and unorganized art collection held across multiple properties and storage facilities.

    Solution

    Lacking experience with collectibles, the executive connected with UBS Art Advisory for guidance. The Art Advisory assisted the executive by:

    • Evaluating the scope and prioritizing tasks, including helping the executive understand the basic process and information needed to properly document and track the collection.
    • Making introductions to relevant service providers, including registrars, collection management systems, appraisers and fine art insurance specialists.
    • Consulting with the executive on which tasks to outsource and when it would be appropriate to hire dedicated staff to manage the collection.

    Through this process, the Family Office executive acquired an important knowledge base that is helping to facilitate meaningful conversations with family collectors.

    Art Advisory continues to guide the family on future acquisitions and ideas for possible philanthropic activations of the collection.

  • Young adults having a conversation about artwork

    Established collectors pivot for the next generation

    Profile

    A family with a robust collection of modern American masterpieces whose value had plateaued wanted to take the collection in a new direction toward less established artists with greater growth potential.

    They saw this as an opportunity to involve their adult children in making acquisition decisions and shaping the collection’s public-facing legacy.

    Solution

    The family was introduced to UBS Art Advisory, who supported them by:

    • Identifying which of their artworks may be appropriate to sell in the current market as part of the family’s overall wealth planning.
    • Reviewing available sales channels and providing guidance on which may best align with their sales strategy timing and relationships within the art world.
    • Facilitating conversations to identify the next generation’s collecting interests and artists whose work complements the existing collection.

    With growing collaboration across the two generations, the family is now considering a foundation to execute philanthropic activities related to the collection and identifying a public exhibition space for a portion of the collection.

Insights

Building a timeless art collection involves considerations across several overlapping aspects of wealth management. Gain guidance to navigate the pitfalls that can arise and build a meaningful art collection optimally structured for future value.

Art and collecting on coffee table

Gain a comprehensive macro-economic analysis of the state of the global art market with The Art Market 2024, co-published by Art Basel and UBS. Authored by renowned cultural economist Dr. Clare McAndrew of Arts Economics, the report sheds light on complex global developments that affect the art market.

The Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report 2024

Conversations about art

UBS Art Advisory

Podcasts

Matthew Newton

UBS Art Advisory podcasts

LIVE Discussion at the Hammer Museum - Emerging art communities

34:09

During Frieze Los Angeles week 2024, Matthew Newton, UBS Art Advisory Specialist, is joined in conversation by three phenomenal leaders in the art world: Erin Christovale, Curator at the Hammer Museum, Bridget Finn, Director, Art Basel Miami Beach and Mary Rozell, Global Head of the UBS Art Collection at the Hammer Museum. The group discusses emerging art communities using Los Angeles as a lens.

Art Basel Miami Beach - Jeffrey Gibson

39:16

On site at Art Basel Miami Beach 2023, Matthew Newton, UBS Art Advisory Specialist, is joined in conversation by artist Jeffrey Gibson, curator Kathleen Ash-Milby and collector Becky Gochman. Centered on Gibson’s multidisciplinary practice, the group offers perspectives on how the curatorial and collecting roles contribute to the overall preservation and enrichment of indigenous culture. Gibson, a member of the Choctaw and Cherokee Nations, will represent the United States at the Venice Biennale in 2024 and his work was featured this year in the UBS Art Collection presentation in the UBS Lounge. Kathleen Ash-Milby is Curator of Native American Art, Portland Art Museum and co-commissioner of the US Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale. Becky Gochman is a prominent private collector of contemporary indigenous art.

Art Basel Miami Beach - Gabriel de la Mora

36:27

On site at Art Basel Miami Beach 2023, Matthew Newton, UBS Art Advisory Specialist, is joined in conversation by Mexico City-based artist Gabriel de la Mora, who is best known for constructing technically complex artworks from found, discarded and obsolete objects. Alongside de la Mora, Matthew is joined by author and private collector, Dani Levinas, as well as Magali Arriola, Director of Museo Tamayo in Mexico City and Curator of the Meridians section at Art Basel Miami Beach. Through the lens of Gabriel’s work, the group explores the connectivity between artist, curator and collector.

Get in touch

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Private Wealth Management is a division within UBS Financial Services Inc.

Expiration: 5/31/2025 Review Code: IS2402842