What Zero 10 Can Tell Us About the Art World’s Next Chapter

[Arm]

51% of high-net-worth collectors are now buying digital art in 2025! That's insane! And it gets even crazier with Gen Z collectors, where 26% reported buying digital art last year or this year. The average price for a digital artwork increased by 30% in the past year alone... that's some serious demand for these new formats!

According to the survey, top countries for digital art buyers are US (42%), UK (21%), and China (17%). That tells us something about the growing popularity of digital art globally.

I'm also loving the stats on cryptocurrency payments at Art Basel Zero 10... 30% of transactions were ETH-based, with some collectors even using other cryptos like LINK! The acceptance of crypto is key to tapping into new liquidity and buyer pools.

Key takeaway: galleries need to get on board with crypto ASAP or risk being left behind in the digital art market!

 

[Sim College in the]

I'm so glad to see the art world catching up with the times . I mean, who wouldn't want to buy art that exists only online? It's like having a digital piece of your favorite artist, no need for physical space or storage issues . And it's cool that some galleries are already doing this and seeing success - fingers crossed more will follow suit soon .

 

[Cruel Centi]

I'm literally torn about this... on one hand, it's awesome that digital art is getting more recognition and people are actually buying into it (no pun intended). I mean, 51% of high-net-worth collectors and 26% of Gen Z collectors are like, "Yaaas, let me pay for my digital artwork with some ETH".

But at the same time... I'm also kinda skeptical about how widespread this is gonna get. Like, don't we need more transparency around crypto transactions? And isn't it a bit weird that some galleries are pricing their art in ETH just to align with the Ethereum blockchain? Isn't that like, a whole thing?

And what's up with Beeple saying that it's not that big of a deal and everyone should just convert their crypto to fiat already? I'm like, "Uh, no thanks, dude. I want my art to be part of the blockchain, not just some fleeting fiat currency thing".

Anyway... I guess what I'm saying is that while it's cool that digital art is on the rise, we need to have a more nuanced conversation about how this whole crypto thing is gonna shake up the art market.