10 Fine Art Investment Artists to Buy in 2025: Future Art Market Superstars

Discover hidden gems of the art world with advice from Artelier's expert art advisors—from rising stars to mid-career artists across all fine art mediums

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Expert Art Advisor Tips

How to Discover Emerging Fine Artists

Ultimately, finding the right emerging artists to invest in for you depends on your individual taste, budget and investment goals. However, there are a plethora of avenues to find emerging artists suited to your taste.

1. Education: head to degree shows or look up recent graduates of prolific art schools to scout out promising talent. Alumni exhibitions often highlight rising art stars before they hit the broader art market. See below for some examples of renowned art schools.

   
   

   • UK: Central Saint Martins (CSM), Goldsmiths, Slade School and UAL

   • United States: Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)

   • France: École des Beaux-Arts schools

   • Germany: Städelschule

   • Japan: Tokyo University of the Arts

   • Brazil: São Paulo School of Fine Arts (Escola de Belas Artes de São Paulo)

     
     

2. Originality: take care to assess which artists have a sophisticated line of enquiry, or push their chosen medium to new heights, as this signals an artist with the potential for long-term impact.

3. Focus on a Region: prioritising art investments depending on region is a steadfast way to capitalise on local markets, cultural trends and artistic trajectories. In 2024 a high majority (78%) of HNWI (high-net worth individuals) focused their investment efforts on specific regions for this very reason. Regions such as the United States, China and the UK dominate globally, but emerging markets like Japan, Mexico, and Germany are increasingly attracting attention.

4. Awards & Accolades: seek out recipients of art prizes; our art advisors at Artelier always keep an eye out for those fine artists who have been hand-selected by top curators and judges—a good marker of possessing artistic excellence and a promising future career. Examples include the Turner Prize (UK), the Prix Marcel Duchamp Prize (France), and the Hugo Boss Prize (global).

   
   

5. Longevity & Evolution: following art industry trends can be tempting, but they are scarcely the best way to capitalise on your investment. Rather, a more important focus is a fine artist's ability to evolve and sustain their career over time. To stabilise a return on your fine art investment, look for thoes artists that show evidence of growth in their portfolios, the development of a signature style, and increasing recognition by galleries or institutions.

   
   

6. Get Out There & Visit Art Exhibitions: first and foremost, fine art investment is all about celebrating art that you love. Making an artwork yours is one of the most profound ways to nurture your individual passions and expand your mind. Every art investor we work with at Artelier Art Advisory has found success in their investing career due to their genuine interest in art; their investments become not only personally meaningful, but financially profitable too, in part, due to their personal desire to growing and support fine artists making art they love.

   
   

7. Hire an art advisor: An art investment advisor is a strategic partner for a secure and informed art investment journey. Working with an advisor allows collectors and investors to develop tailored strategies, gaining expert insights on the best timing for purchases, key industry contacts, ROI predictions, and more. Art investment advisors also provide guidance on safe installation, preservation, and managing insurance and tax implications.

Artelier Art Advisory

Artelier's art advisors offers an exclusive "art concierge" service: we cherish the opportunity to work as an expert liaison for art lovers with a vision—those looking to create impactful collections or commission works for significant spaces. We make simple the financial, logistical and technical complexities of fine art investment, ensuring every detail reflects excellence.

From exhibitions to yachts, corporate collections to public art, our expertise spans diverse projects and scales. With decades of experience and a global network of logistics specialists, handlers, and academics, we deliver bespoke solutions to cater to your individual needs.

1. Gabriele Zago

   Italian

"After a long three-day trip on a small and unstable wooden canoe, I finally stepped on a muddy embankment of the Shiripuno River in the Amazonian rainforest...."

I met Gabriele Zago and gallery owner Gabriella Pirra at Galleria Pirra in Turin; both were alive with conviction about the pressing, electric beauty of Zago’s YANA series. Here at Artelier, we couldn't agree more.

Shot on a Nikon D700 digital camera, YANA immerses us in the Amazon—a space of fertile, shadowed grandeur disrupted by sharp, chrome pipelines that scar the composition with brutal clarity. “Suddenly the image is invaded and ruined,” Zago explains, “as if to hide its beauty.” These metallic veins are Zago’s visual metaphor—“a hostile condition that spills over to those who live in the forest". This tension pulsates across his fine art photographs: nature's verdant, organic chaos collides with the cold geometric scarring of industrial exploitation.

Zago’s vision is rooted in the Quechua understanding of Yana, where blackness represents protection, abundance, and fertility—now poisoned into inescapable darkness by oil. Yet the figures in Zago’s work—the Amazon’s indigenous people who welcomed the fine art photographer in to their commuity—exude a profound stillness and true dignity. They stand as guardians of the splintered balance between humanity and nature, one now perilously close to collapse.

Zago’s photographs demand we bear witness. Art has long been a vehicle for preservation and resistance, and here, it is both a cry and a chronicle—urgent, unrelenting, and unflinching. For collectors seeking fine art to invest in, Zago’s work offers not only extraordinary beauty, but the pressing message he propogates: a visual, visceral call to protect community, to protect life. This is what art is really all about.

2. Dominic Chambers

   American

   
   

Few contemporary artists capture the quiet power of rest quite like Dominic Chambers. Known for his inky interplay of abstraction and luminous color, Chambers redefines representation through serenity, elevating Black figures in spaces of quiet self-reflection, positioning leisure as a necessary, even radical, act. His canvases are both tranquil and urgent: basketball courts thrums with joy in golden hues, museum lawns are alive with energetic colour palletes, yet in other contrasting instances, an empty classroom is tendered in a dark monochrome reflects an existential stillness.

Chambers fuses gestural abstraction with coluor field theory, layering his subjects in fields of light and atmosphere. His fine art paintings vibrate with a stillness only astute artists can capture simultaneously, we—the viewer—are invited to reconsider the narratives we inherit.

For fine art investors, Chambers is a standout. His evocative works resonate across generations, balancing conceptual rigour with visual accessibility. With an ever-expanding presence in contemporary art, Chambers’ Chambers makes the overlooked lyrical, his fine art investmentent worthy paintings celebrating life’s necessary pauses.

3. Emilia Momen

   English

Like Alice slipping into wonderland, fashion-student turned fine art painter Emilia Momen fell into the art world guided solely by her curiosity and wonder for painting. Beginning in 2021 with an impromptu show at the highly-anticipated Royal Academy Summer Fair, Momen soon caught the attention of renowned gallery and talent-scout Ronchini Gallery culminating in her solo show in Mayfair, London.

Momen's fine art paintings feel both refined in technical skill and otherwordly. Her paintings combine architectural precision with a sophisticated painterly lyricism that calls to mind Magritte’s metaphyscal quietness and the ghostly forms of Degas’ Dancers. Figures emerge as though conjured from dreamscapes: bathers recline atop mossy cliffs, dancers float upwards from shadowed floors. Space itself becomes unmoored—swimmers dive into endless blue, bodies float in gauzy white that neither begins nor ends. In her latest fine art series, Momen embraces a contemporary edge, shifting focus to glamorous yet enigmatic subjects: lovers, strangers, friends caught in ambiguous light, their glossy shadows anchoring them to vast, unmarked voids. There’s an exquisite tension—her figures appear poised, relaxed, yet somehow suspended on the fine line between ease and nothingness. Are they sunbathing on earth, or perched at the edge of an abyss?

For those looking to invest in fine art, Momen offers an exciting proposition: an artist whose sparkling vision lingers long after the gaze shifts, with an evolving talent destined to leave its mark on the future of contemporary painting.

4. Peter Uka

   Nigerian-German

Perhaps the most established artist on this list, and for good reason, Peter Uka has hustled his way to success. With a fine art painting career that began aged 15, when the young painter moved from his parents' home in Benue State to school in Lagos, Nigeria. By 2008 Uka had moved to Germany, having won a prize set forth by the Goethe Institute. Since then, the fine art painter has lived in Germany, perennially crafting fantastically stylised artworks of distant friends and family from Nigeria in dreamy 70's scenes: "of what life looked, or could have looked, back in the day".

Most recently, Uka has been honoured by blue-chip fine artist Hurvin Anderson for Frieze London's Artist-to-Artist 2024, who commended his powerful storytelling and "forthright confidence in centring the Black figure while the figures themselves are self-possessed, have swagger, even".

5. Tinitian Lou

   Canadian

   
   

The effervescent yet pragmatic fine artwork of Tinitian Lou is capturing the growing interest of fine art investors worldwide. In December 2024, Lou unveiled her playful sculptures at Untitled Art Fair, Miami Beach, represented by Latitude Gallery NY.

Lou’s creations defy easy categorisation, bridging the borders of multiple disciplines and positioning her as a cutting-edge force in the contemporary art scene. Classical architectural forms juxtapose postmodern shapes, while deckled edges and pattern borders hint at folk art or perhaps even Madhubani paintings from India. Her works— most recently paper contorted into origami-like designs resembling miniature 1980s obelisks—are rich in references, mysteries, and possibilities.

With all its myriad references, could be's and wonders, ultimately, Lou's fine art sculptures are playful and daring, sophisticated, intellectually constructed, with a refined process, technique and line of enquiry. For those seeking art to buy or a compelling fine art investment, Lou’s oeuvre is an exceptional choice.

6. Adam Shiu-Yang Shaw

   German

   
   

Adam Shiu-Yang Shaw’s evocative practice blends sculpture, design, and architecture in exquisitely structured sculpture-collages, merging psychoanalytic inquiry with domestic and industrial aesthetics. Based in Berlin, Shaw’s fine art explores the overlooked ephemera of daily life—both private and public—reimagined and magnified, physically and conceptually, into meticulous constellations. His works feature soft textiles folded within rigid frames, muted door numbers breaching the borders, and precise yet abstracted arrangements of found materials—perennially unfolding in layered and unpredictable narratives.

Shaw’s practice is marked by intellectual depth and a conceptual rigor that positions him as both a fine artist and a scholar of his craft. With recent solo exhibitions garnering international attention, his work is resonating with collectors and curators eager to explore its confounding, poetic subtleties. All in all, Shaw’s ability to merge utilitarian forms with striking conceptual sophistication solidifies his place as an investment-worthy figure in contemporary fine art sculpture.

7. Thomas Allen

   British

   
   

8. Olgac Bozalp

   Turkish

Olgaç Bozalp’s fine art photography is a masterful cross-cultural commentary, recontextualising tradition and modernity in refreshing ways. His cinematic images explore themes of identity, community, and globalisation, blending familiar symbols—garments, masks, and rural settings—with surreal undertones. Bozalp’s subjects inhabit spaces that feel both intimate and otherworldly, where individuality intersects with collective identity. His photographs navigate the poignant tension between urban individualism and rural communal bonds, as he observes, “In cities, people can be more individualist, whereas in remote locations, scarcity brings a bigger sense of community”.

Recognised in British Journal of Photography’s Ones to Watch (2019) and Aperture’s Element of Style issue, Bozalp’s images balance visual storytelling, fashion and cultural symbolism. Whether depicting spectral figures cloaked in black, groups of women standing timelessly against vast landscapes, or interiors curated with artifacts, Bozalps fine art photography evokes curiosity and emotional depth.

As the art world increasingly celebrates post-colonial narratives, Bozalp’s photographic gaze honours and safeguards cultural heritage with a crisp, contemporary style—propelling him to success. Art buyers seeking fine art that feels both timeless and yet intriguing are sure to love his works.

9. Shu Okamoto

   Japanese

   
   

Shu Okamoto's playful, deeply informed fine art sculptures are a compelling art investment choice. A Kyot-based fine artist, Okamoto bridges Nihonga—traditional Japanese painting—with modern sensibilities. Spectral visions of pop culture figures—ghosts, jiangshi, and zombies—puncture byōbu (folding screens) and hide behind byōbu (folding screens), infusing each diaphanous setting with profound narrative weight.

Holding a master’s degree from Kyoto City University of the Arts, Okamoto combines a modular, weighty aesthetic with an exceptionally delicate touch, captivating art collectors and investors alike. His award-winning portfolio includes acclaimed exhibitions such as Dead Body in Position and Ghost Preparation (2019) and Dimensional Picnic (2019). Prestigious accolades, including the Vortic Art Prize (2024), further solidify his status as a rising star prime for promising fine art investment.

For those seeking fine art with significant investment potential, Okamoto’s work represents a rare blend of cultural heritage and modern innovation. His reimagining of tradition positions him as a defining figure in the future of fine art, crafting pieces that transcend space, time and identity.

10. Wolfram Ullrich

    German

    
    

The jagged, optical reliefs of Wolfram Ullrich have captured global attention, balancing geometric precision with a playful manipulation of perception. First catching our curators' eye with their retro-futuristic allure at events like Artissima Art Fair (Turin, Italy) and The Armory Show (New York) in 2024, Ullrich's fine art sculptures seem to fissure between the fine-tuned, rigorous ideology of the Minimalists and the teasing, playful aesthetic of the Op artists. Works by fine artists like Ullrich, whose creations are conceptually layered yet visually accessible to both art academicians and everyday passersby—including young children—offer a uniquely enchanting investment factor.

Represented globally by galleries including Galeria Raquel Arnaud and Galerie Lange + Pult, Ullrich has achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success. For art investors, Ullrich's work presents intellectual and financial rewards. His sculptures possess a unique visual language with timeless appeal—equally at home in museums, private collections, or as symbols of cultural fine art investment.

Looking for Art Investment Advice?

Artelier is your partner in navigating the world of fine art investment.

Our Art Concierge service, led by our team of seasoned fine art advisors, specialises in uncovering emerging talent and curating collections that align with your goals. From in-depth research to framing and installation, we offer a truly turn-key service.

We take pride in celebrating local talent, particularly artists who preserve ancient practices and traditions. Their work brings authenticity and sustainability to every collection we curate. Discover more about Art & Sustainability here, or explore our ethos to see what drives us.

Ready to deepen your understanding? Download our free, comprehensive guide to art investment. We look forward to helping nurture your passion for art.

Calypso Lyhne-Gold

Curator, Art Research & Editorial

Calypso, a First-Class Honours graduate in History of Art from the University of Bristol, is a published academic with a passion for supporting emerging contemporary artists. She has written extensively for Artelier and leading galleries, combining research with a keen understanding of global artistic trends and art market analysis.