Why another international art behemoth chooses to land in 798

New York made a big splash into the 798 Art District's pool of galleries when powerhouse PaceWildenstein opened its Beijing branch on August 1. This addition to the Beijing scene could be a significant icebreaker for other large American galleries to follow suit.

“It’s not that we expect to sell a lot of Western art in Mainland China initially,” says Peter Boris, PaceWildenstein's long time Asian business expert. “We want to present it and develop the market.”

Pace's inaugural show "Encounters" includes paintings by Western heavyweights like Chuck Close, Alex Katz and Jeff Koons. All are at the top of the throne in any serious international collection, but many are new names to Chinese collectors, who are notoriously China-centric. The arrival of such a well respected gallery from the West into the gates of 798 means that these leading artists, as well as emerging artists from the West, could soon be in the same private Asian collections as Zhang Huan and Zhang Xiaogang, both whom are represented in the US by PaceWildenstein.

The process won't be made any easier by the heavy 34 percent tax placed on imported works for mainland buyers. But as the Chinese art world’s critics, curators and collectors become more aware of the Western artists and movements that have impacted contemporary Chinese artists, we can expect a stronger international presence in Beijing’s art scene.

Once recognized as "the most influential person in Chinese contemporary art", renowned art critic and curator Leng Lin has been named President of Pace Beijing. In 2004 he founded Beijing Commune, an alternative center showing emerging and established Chinese artists such as Zhang Xiaogang. His knowledge and respect from mainland artists may give Pace Beijing a leading role among the foreign galleries in China.

PaceWildenstein’s massive space is an impressive site in itself. The old munition factory dating from the early 1960s was renovated by New York architect Richard Gluckman. Pace Beijing has raised the bar for quality in the capital's art scene and set a milestone for the future to come.

Ronnie Lee

DETAILS:

Encounters
When: Through October 31
Where: PaceWildenstein Beijing