Art Beijing opened

Born a contemporary art fair a decade ago, Art Beijing has become a mixed platform for not only contemporary art but also “classic art” for which the organizers present antiques, traditional arts, jewelries and handicraft works at a special venue, for the second year.[Photo/Cri online]

Nearly 150 galleries and art institutions are offering the best they have to cater to the mainland’s growing powers in consuming art at the National Agriculture Exhibition Center where this year’s Art Beijing runs from May 1-3.

Born a contemporary art fair a decade ago, Art Beijing has become a mixed platform for not only contemporary art but also “classic art” for which the organizers present antiques, traditional arts, jewelries and handicraft works at a special venue, for the second year.

Also, auction houses like Poly and Council own their own booths to hold previews and lectures as warm-up of upcoming auctions, which is quite a rarity for art fairs abroad. Still, the fair is considered a barometer and important pillar for the primary art market (where the art first comes to the market via art institutions and exhibitions), as the capital’s galleries are facing critical competitions from Shanghai.

The commercial hub of the Yangtze River Delta has witnessed a booming art market over the recent years, as private museums and galleries rise up along the Huangpu River. “The primary art market is the real market, the base upon which the pyramid of art market is built,” says Dong Mengyang, Art Beijing’s executive director.

“In the past we worried a lot about whether buyers would come and which one of them would come. It turned out that whoever comes here, they have a much stronger desire than we expected to purchase art. Now we focus on offering really quality works in this market. The sale really matters,” he says.