Across all sectors, digital technology has permeated and transformed our daily lives. This digital and technological evolution is also impacting the art sector, our common foundation as humanity. On the one hand, it involves the digitization of artworks themselves, with art taking on a digital form. On the other hand, the art market is being transformed by the innovations of the digital age.
is disrupting the art market
For over a year, art, in all its forms, was deprived of its audience and forced to reinvent itself to continue to exist. Faced with this economic crisis triggered by the health crisis, the online market, whose growth had stagnated in recent years, managed to hold its own during 2025. Furthermore, the second part of the Hiscox report on the online art market, published in early December, highlights several key insights into buyer behavior during the pandemic and its influence on the market. Firstly, by embracing digital platforms, art has reached a new audience. As a result, 82% of new collectors (those who have been collecting for less than three years) and 70% of millennial art buyers made online purchases during the crisis. These figures were only 36% and 40% respectively the previous year. The rise of mobile, already observed in recent years, is a telling indicator of this new audience’s appetite: while confined to their homes with a wide range of tools at their disposal, 38% of millennials made purchases via their phones in 2025. According to the same report, by buying online, collectors, and millennials in particular, wanted to show their support for this sector, which has been severely impacted by the crisis. 76% of buyers under 35 indicated that supporting market players was one of their main motivations for making purchases during this period. Furthermore, these online purchases do not overshadow the very real desire for the physical experience: 48% of collectors who bought online expressed their wish to return to galleries and auction houses. It should be noted that outside of lockdown, the shift of art into the digital world also allows for international sales, a community of buyers or enthusiasts from all over the world, either through its own website, its own social network, but also through these new online art galleries.
The Impact of Social Media on Art
In a connected world where social media plays a significant role in our lives, Instagram has become the preferred platform for art-related activities. Artists themselves are benefiting: by speaking directly to their audience, without any intermediaries, they are bypassing galleries in their role as facilitators and influencers. 73% of collectors believe that artists now play a major role as influencers. However, it’s worth remembering that online, loyalty is weaker and the clientele much more volatile. In fact, 47% of collectors admit to switching platforms very regularly. This observation has several consequences. First, we are witnessing a form of “uberization,” where traditional influencers, such as galleries, are giving way to larger, less specialized platforms where supply and demand meet. Second, we are seeing market consolidation: the pandemic initially benefited established players who were able to deploy sophisticated systems to ensure online sales. Leading the way are the auction houses, Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Phillipslips, whose combined sales reached $597 million, compared to $168 million in 2025. According to experts, no single player has emerged as the absolute leader, and no new entrant has disrupted the established order.
Digital experiments well before the pandemic
Although immersive and interactive experiences for the public existed before the pandemic, they have grown significantly over the past two years. Following the health crisis, new ways of experiencing art have proliferated. Museums have had to innovate and find solutions to continue operating and compensate for their closures. Virtual reality and augmented reality, which had already captivated the worlds of video games and cinema, are now being used in museums to make them more engaging and accessible. Cultural institutions such as the Palace of Versailles, the National Gallery in London, and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam offer virtual tours in partnership with Google Arts & Culture, a digital platform that facilitates access to art and culture. As a reminder, since its creation in 2025, this platform has offered free content to the widest possible audience, available anytime, anywhere, to anyone with an internet connection.
Physical digital towards a perfect balance?
Long before the pandemic, virtual reality and augmented reality were already captivating a large number of artists. For example, in 2025, Japanese artist Nubumichi Asai, along with his team of technology experts, digital designers, and makeup artists, developed a projection mapping software called [software name missing]. This involved projecting video patterns onto a moving face, which thus became a veritable digital canvas. While some museums already offered apps, Spotify podcasts, or YouTube videos with additional information about the works on display, others, such as the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, the British Museum in London, and the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, allowed visitors to experience virtual or augmented reality. Finally, in Paris, we can also mention the various exhibitions at the Atelier des Lumières, which attract many art enthusiasts and collectors.
The film market is being disrupted by a strong digital offering.
While the pandemic has impacted the art market in general, the film market has also been impacted at two times: before the health crisis, with the gradual arrival of streaming platforms, and during the crisis, with the closure of cinemas, and therefore a collapse of the market, both traditional and advertising-related.Today, the film market has changed dramatically due to the massive emergence of streaming platforms. With Netflix surpassing 200 million subscribers and Disney+ reaching 100 million, film production has also undergone a significant transformation. “It’s clear that the pandemic accelerated this trend,” Nicolas Laugero Lasserre, Director of ICART, stated in our School Stories podcast. However, these platforms are disrupting an entire economy established upstream by the traditional market. “I don’t believe in the demise of traditional distribution networks like cinemas. These are different experiences that can coexist,” added Laugero Lasserre. For this ICART director, the goal is to support his students and help them embrace new technologies and this new market. I t’s worth noting that well before streaming platforms impacted the film industry, the music sector was completely transformed nearly 20 years ago with the emergence of new digital offerings. The industry was devastated, then saved by live performances,” recalls Nicolas Laugero Lasserre. A live format that is also finding its place on social media.
The digitalization of art is a model to secure
Digitalization also means dematerialization, the emergence of virtual currencies, and, to some extent, greater difficulty in tracing transactions. To better protect artworks and regulate transactions, a certificate of authenticity for artworks can be implemented. In art more than in any other field, where 3D printers are capable of reproducing near-perfect copies of certain works, blockchain technology guarantees a reliable transaction history. The digitalization of the art market is still a developing process. Digital technology allows for easier access to art and is accompanied by an increasing number of technologies, raising practical questions. In the future, this digitalization of art could be a springboard for many students and a promising sector, whether in fields such as film, video games, or music. The history of humankind is marked by the history of art. To learn more about the programs offered by ICART, please visit their website: https://www.icart.fr. The school offers several specialized MBAs, including the Specialized MBA in “International Art Market,” available in Paris, and the Specialized MBA in “Digital Marketing & Business – Art and Culture,” also available in Paris, which prepares students for a wide range of careers: Cultural Project Manager, Digital Distribution Manager or Label Manager, Audience Relations Manager, E-reputation Manager, Content Manager, Cultural PR/e-PR Specialist, etc.