Whether you’re marking a personal milestone or choosing a meaningful gift, art is a worthy investment. Here, gallerist Elle Föenander shares her advice on artists that resonate through different life stages.

Föenander Galleries is a contemporary art space in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, dedicated to showcasing thoughtful, concept-driven work from both emerging and established artists across Aotearoa and beyond. Since founding the gallery seven years ago, Elle Föenander has been the driving force behind its curatorial vision and artist relationships, and has built a trusted reputation among collectors.

With a deep understanding of both artists and collectors, Elle is perfectly primed to guide those looking to collect — or gift — art at key milestones in life: the 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond. Drawing on the gallery’s evolving collector base and her own experience, here, she shares insights into how to mark these moments with works that resonate across a lifetime.

Collecting in Your 30s

“Your 30s can be a time of self-definition: professionally, personally, and aesthetically. Collecting or gifting art at this stage reflects curiosity, emerging taste, and an appetite for discovery. Many collectors in this decade are drawn to bold works that offer immediate visual impact or speak to themes of identity, transformation, and belonging. There’s often a sense of alignment with artists of a similar generation, a shared energy, ambition, and cultural lens. Emerging talent is often accessibly priced, and collecting can become a journey taken in tandem with the artist’s career.”

Jess Sweny

Swney’s abstract textiles are nuanced, domestic-scaled works that balance soft power with conceptual depth.

Nick Herd

Densley textured surfaces which celebrate the materiality of paint, these considered works offer recognisable subject, but playful approach the finite and transient beauty of life.

Andrea Bolima

Dreamy, immersive painting that captures emotion in movement and texture.

Collecting in Your 40s

“Sensibilities can broaden by your 40s. What once felt unfamiliar may resonate. There can be a deeper sense of commitment to home, to values, to story. Art collecting in this decade often becomes more contemplative. Works that unfold over time, reward repeated engagement, and hold personal or philosophical weight tend to appeal. Material sophistication and conceptual depth come into focus. Collectors may feel more confident in taking risks, embracing large-scale painting, sculpture, or mixed media — while refining their own visual language.”

Monique Lacey

Rigorous, elegant works that fuse form, rhythm, and surface.

Lottie Consalvo

Expansive paintings and installations that explore memory, longing, and metaphysical space.

Collecting in Your 50s

“In your 50s, collecting can become deeply personal. Choices are shaped by lived experience, and often by the desire to live surrounded by what resonates most. Art at this stage can become part of your legacy, something to reflect with, to live alongside, and perhaps to pass on. Works are often chosen for their endurance, emotional richness, or spiritual weight.”

Israel Birch

Luminous, contemplative works rooted in te ao Māori cosmology and material finesse.

Roger Mortimer

Highly personalised mythology, which documents the local coastline while employing imagery that finds its roots in European literature.