Belgian baron and one of the most famous Europeans - collectors of contemporary Chinese art Guy Ullens (Guy Ullens) has decided to sell 106 items from its collection in early April at Sotheby's in Hong Kong. The lots total estimated 12,7-16,7 million dollars.

Guy and Myriam Ullens Source: ucca.org.cn

The news has stirred up the art market of China. On the one hand, Asian collectors a unique opportunity to acquire important works of Chinese avant-garde early 1980's - early 1990's brush Syaogana Zhang (Zhang Xiaogang), Syuyhueya Mao (Mao Xuhui), Paley Zhang (Zhang Peili) and others. On the other hand, this auction - eloquent proof that the Baron decided to go with the Chinese art scene.

Guy Ullens - a personality in China, famous, and in 2007 he and his wife Miriam, opened in Beijing grand Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (Ullens Center for Contemporary Art - UCCA). Collector's dream was to acquaint residents with the Celestial its extensive collection of Chinese contemporary art, to promote new artists, to establish a dialogue between China and the rest of the world. UCCA was conceived as a nonprofit museum and funded entirely couple Ullens.

now a collector looking for a "long-term partners" who are ready to take the lead and all the costs of the UCCA. In an interview The Art Newspaper Guy Ullens explained the reasons for this decision.

Problems in the center to start from scratch. During the first six months of its existence, four of the five managers of the museum resigned or were dismissed. The Centre has been criticized for too many Europeans, including management - to them and now runs a French curator Jerome Sans (Jerome Sans). Guy Ullens believes that the Chinese are partially right in their rejection of the Europeans, headed is so important for China's Center for the Arts. "The Chinese have always been kind to us, we had a great relationship, we are not subjected to censorship. The problem is that China has a huge number of different structures, and to them to navigate and interact with them, you can not do without Chinese partners. " Last year, the UCCA succeeded in establishing partnerships with the Art Museum Minshen (organized by the eponymous bank), but now they came to naught.

In addition, Guy Ullens, who is now 76, considers himself already "too old" for regular trips to Beijing. Transfer center of his children he did not intend: "He has already done its utmost, and departs from the cases." Collector hopes that the new owners of the UCCA will be individuals and managed by Center for Contemporary Art will be corporate. "In the infancy of the museum - when it was necessary to make quick decisions and adapt under the circumstances - me and Miriam was enough for control. But a very different system of leadership needed for long-term project ».

Belgian baron, as he put it," do not care "whether to keep the center of his name. But Guy Ullens hopes that their programs UCCA will remain the same ambitious, as was with him. For four years the museum has organized many activities, including traveling retrospective of Huang Yongping (Huang Yongping) in 2008, solo exhibitions Chen Wenbo (Chen Wenbo), Huang Zhang (Zhang Huan) and other contemporary Chinese writers. However, the first large-scale retrospective of Aya Weiwei (Ai Weiwei) in China, which was scheduled to Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in March of this year, has been canceled. , Told reporters the artist himself.

What will happen to the famous collection of Chinese Guy Ullensa? The April auction at Sotheby's in Hong Kong - is only the beginning: the Baron intends to pieces to be auctioned off his entire collection of contemporary Chinese art. Unfortunately, finding a single buyer of the whole collection in China failed - pieces too much.

ZHANG Xiaogang Eternal Love Source: artinfo.com

Trades "Ullens Collection - birth Chinese Avant-Garde "will take place on April 3. They will be offered to buyers of the 1980's - early 1990's, after the appearance of which about Chinese contemporary art began to talk in the West. Prices for works of this period in the global art market have risen significantly - largely due to the arrival on the international art scene collectors from mainland China.

Among the top lots triptych Zhang Syaogana Eternal love "with the estimate 3,2-3,8 million. In this surrealistic work has traced the features characteristic of more recent and recognizable style of the artist. Last loud Syaogana sale at public auction was in October 2010 when at Sotheby's in Hong Kong for his work in 1992 "The head of the new Century - Birth of the People's Republic II »a collector posted 6.7 million dollars . Let's see what will be the result of the April.

When asked whether Guy Ullens on collecting contemporary Chinese art collector, said no. Now he's more interested in Indian art: the baron had already purchased his first work of contemporary Indian sculptor Bharti Kher (Bharti Kher), whose name appears in the top 10 contemporary artists at auction turnover of money .

material was prepared by Maria Onuchina, AI

Source: artinfo.com , theartnewspaper.com , ucca.org.cn , artinvestment.ru