Wasano, Yuki, and Hiroshi Onishi. 2024. “Categorization of Contemporary Art Collectors in Japan: Clustering by Art Purchase Motivations and Psychographic Characteristics.” Cogent Social Sciences 10 (1). doi:10.1080/23311886.2024.2382284.

Wasano and Onishi’s study represents the first large-scale empirical attempt to classify contemporary art collectors in Japan according to their motivations and psychographic traits. Using a mixed-methods approach, Wasano and Onishi build on an existing Western model of art purchase motivations that they adapt to the Japanese art market. Their analysis of 386 collectors identifies four key collector types that reveal how social values and information habits shape Japan’s contemporary art consumption.

1. Balanced/Harmonious type: Conservative, tradition-oriented buyers who rely on department store salespeople for information.
2. Intelligent: Highly educated, socially engaged, and innovation-oriented collectors. They frequently buy art of diverse genres.
3. Geek: Creative professionals who collect based on aesthetic pleasure and intrinsic taste rather than social validation or investment.
4. Immature: Younger buyers with limited art knowledge who rely on external recommendations and are seen as potential future “intelligent” collectors.

According to the authors, Japan’s art market underperformance is not the result of a limited economy or artistic production, but rather has to do with the attitudes and knowledge of its collectors. Indeed, the “intelligent” group (the curious, informed, and socially engaged collector) drives most contemporary art purchases. Wasano and Onishi suggest that better access to information, more opportunities to meet artists, and professional guidance from art consultants could help this group grow, while also encouraging younger or less experienced buyers to become more confident collectors.