Global art sales rose 4 percent in 2025 to an estimated $59.6 billion, returning the market to growth after two consecutive years of decline. The figure comes from the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report 2026, authored by Clare McAndrew of Arts Economics and published in March.

The United States remained the world’s largest art market, with sales reaching $26 billion, up 5 percent year on year. The United Kingdom recorded $10.5 billion in sales, while worldwide dealer sales rose 2 percent to $34.8 billion. Public auction sales also recovered, increasing 9 percent in value.

The improvement was welcome, but it was not a universal rebound. The report described a market shaped by renewed confidence among high-end buyers, stronger public auction activity, and uneven performance across regions and categories. Rising operating costs and geopolitical uncertainty continued to weigh on businesses across the art trade.

For emerging artists and independent galleries, a growing market does not automatically translate into more collectors, better sales, or greater recognition. Buyers have an enormous range of work to consider, and many begin researching artists and galleries online before attending an exhibition, visiting a fair, or arranging a studio appointment.

That creates a challenge beyond producing compelling work. Artists and galleries must also make their work discoverable and give prospective collectors useful information with which to evaluate it.

Baden Bower, a public relations agency led by CEO AJ Ignacio, is pursuing that challenge through media placements. Its arts and entertainment PR services focus on helping artists, performers, and other creative businesses build public visibility through articles in named publications.

The company reports more than 25,000 news features for 3,548 clients across 37 countries. Its proposition is that a published feature can provide a public reference beyond an artist’s own website, exhibition materials, or social media accounts.

That may be useful, but the distinction matters: coverage can introduce an artist to new audiences, while the work itself, the gallery’s reputation, and the collector’s interests ultimately determine whether that attention develops into a relationship.

Collectors research before they commit

Art purchases often involve more than an immediate reaction to a work. Depending on the price and context, collectors may consider an artist’s exhibition history, gallery representation, previous sales, critical reception, and broader development. Galleries also need to establish their own credibility with buyers who may not have visited their spaces before.

A published article can contribute to that public record. It may explain an artist’s approach, discuss the ideas behind a body of work, or place a gallery’s program within a wider cultural conversation. Unlike a gallery’s own promotional copy, an article can offer a different format for presenting the work to people who have not encountered it before.

The value depends on the substance of the feature. A useful profile gives readers a reason to understand the artist’s work, rather than simply listing achievements or repeating sales language. It should also be relevant to the publication’s audience.

Baden Bower describes a process in which a client supplies information, the agency prepares a draft, and the client reviews it before submission to the agreed outlet. The company says placements typically go live within seven to 14 days after draft approval. That timetable may help galleries coordinate coverage with an exhibition opening, an art fair, or another important announcement, although the exact arrangement should be confirmed in the agreement.

Ignacio has described the appeal of a defined placement in plain terms. "They want to know what they’re getting, in which publication, and by what date."

For smaller galleries without dedicated communications staff, a defined process can reduce the time spent researching outlets and managing outreach. It does not remove the need to identify a compelling story or provide accurate information about the artist and their work.

Digital discovery still leads back to the physical experience

The art market’s online channel has changed as buying behavior has shifted. The Art Basel and UBS report put online art sales at $9.2 billion in 2025, their lowest level since 2019. Online-only sales accounted for 15 percent of the market, down from the pandemic-era peak of 25 percent in 2020.

That decline does not mean digital discovery has become irrelevant. The report notes that online channels remain important for reaching new buyers and facilitating transactions, particularly at lower price levels. Meanwhile, higher-value purchases often involve in-person viewing and relationships with galleries, dealers, or auction houses.

For artists, that makes the relationship between online information and physical encounters especially important. A collector might first discover a name through an article or a social post, then explore the artist’s portfolio, visit an exhibition, or ask a gallery for more information. Coverage can form one part of that journey without determining its outcome.

After publication, Baden Bower says clients receive a live article link that they can reference in their own materials, subject to the applicable terms. Galleries may find that useful when communicating with prospective collectors, curators, or collaborators. But a link is most valuable when the article offers information that the recipient actually wants to read.

Visibility has to be earned in the work

There are legitimate questions about the role of paid placement in the art world. An article arranged through a PR agency is not necessarily equivalent to a critic independently choosing to review an exhibition or investigate an artist. Curators and collectors may distinguish between the two, particularly when they know how the coverage was secured.

Baden Bower’s website describes editorial placements alongside other formats, including sponsored content and press releases. Artists and galleries should confirm the precise publication, edition, format, disclosure requirements, and editorial process before paying for a placement. A guarantee that an agreed article will run is not a guarantee of a favorable review, collector interest, sales, or museum acquisition.

The publication itself matters, too. A regional or international edition of a well-known title is not automatically the same as its flagship edition. Buyers should know exactly where the article will appear and whether that outlet reaches the audience they hope to engage.

There is also a limit to what publicity can accomplish. An article cannot make an unconvincing exhibition compelling, replace a gallery’s relationships with collectors, or establish an artist’s long-term importance. Those things develop through the work, sustained practice, professional relationships, and the responses of people who encounter it.

For an emerging artist with a strong body of work but little public presence, a relevant feature may offer a useful introduction. For an established gallery, targeted coverage may help communicate a new program or reach collectors beyond its existing network. In either case, the investment should follow a clear objective rather than a general desire for more exposure.

The art market’s return to growth creates opportunities, but those opportunities will not be distributed evenly. Media coverage can help artists and galleries become easier to discover, but the lasting measure is what happens after discovery: whether a reader seeks out the work, whether a collector returns to the gallery, and whether the attention develops into a meaningful connection with the art itself.