Art advisor to Citi’s wealthy clients reveals 3 artists to watch

If you’re looking for art advice, consider asking your bank.

Rebekah Bowling, an art advisor at Citi, helps Citi Wealth’s ultra-high net worth clients manage and build their art collections and knows how difficult it can be to make sense of the market. Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and UBS are among other banks offering art advice to their wealthy clients.

Bowling spent a decade at global auction house Phillips, where she led mid-season and day sales, before moving to Los Angeles and focusing in part on client development. She joined Citi in July.

Her day-to-day might involve keeping clients up to date on auctions, suggesting artists who might fit well in their home or collection, or planning events.

In his mind, it’s not wise for anyone to buy art they don’t actually appreciate. — “you will only be disappointed,” but she knows many care about finding artists who represent good value.

Start with emerging artists

For anyone new to collecting, Bowling said focusing on galleries that represent emerging artists is a good place to start. These days, Bowling said, historically underrepresented or overlooked artists are getting attention.

High-net-worth individuals are increasingly willing to buy art from artists they weren’t previously familiar with, according to Art Basel and UBS’s 2025 edition. Global Collection Survey. Sixty-six percent purchased works from artists they discovered in 2024 or 2025, an increase of 8% from the previous year. Although the art market is experiencing a slowdown, the value of global sales declined by 12% year-over-year, according to Art Basel and the UBS 2025 Global Art Market. report — some galleries are going against the trend. Smaller dealerships saw a 17% increase in annual sales, according to the report.

Textile trends

Bowling told Business Insider that institutional support for artists who fall on the line between fine art and craft is “very strong, which has led to a spike in the prices of these artists at auction.” Sculptor Ruth Asawa and textile artist Olga de Amaral are among those gaining ground, she said. In September, one of de Amaral’s pieces sold at auction for approximately $1.14 million, nearly three times the low estimate according to Christie’s.

Asawa is not underground — her retrospective recently opened at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan — but Bowling said Kay Sekimachi is an artist who fits into the same market trend and remains somewhat under the radar. She is a textile artist who was friends with Asawa and her work is currently on display at a gallery in Manhattan. Prices are not listed on the gallery’s website, but a group of three woven bowls recently sold for $3,800 at a California auction, surpassing the high-end estimate, per InvaluableA fine arts market.

Regardless of the potential monetary gains, Bowling says it’s crucial to let taste be your guide.

“From an investment standpoint, you really shouldn’t buy something you don’t like,” she said.