Tatler+
Influential members of Hong Kong’s art scene gathered at the UBS Lounge to discuss how a sophisticated art collection needs to be built from genuine personal interest, rather than for investment or decorative reasons
Celebrating the return of Art Basel Hong Kong, Tatler and UBS hosted an exclusive brunch and panel discussion, The Long View of Art: Patronage and Cultural Sustainability. The event took place at the UBS Lounge, which featured a collection of works by upcoming and established local artists such as Leelee Chan, Mak2 (Mak Ying Tung 2) and Stephen Wong.
The panel was moderated by Tatler’s art and culture editor, Aaina Bhargava, who hosted a discussion between Jane DeBevoise, patron and chair emeritus of Asia Art Archive, and Doryun Chong, deputy director and chief curator of M+ Hong Kong. The trio tackled the cultural ecosystem, explaining how collecting art and patronage affect artists’ careers, develop their markets and contribute to building cultural institutions, specifically in a local Asian context.
Both DeBevoise and Chong agreed that M+ has been a game changer for the region, and talked about the importance of partnerships between institutions and patrons in establishing a thriving art ecosystem. “It’s about convergence and partnership between patrons who are deeply passionate collectors and those who are museum professionals, charged with creating and running institutions,” Chong said. “Those two things have to come together.”
He cited prominent patron Uli Sigg, a founding donor and patron to M+, who waited for the museum and its infrastructure to be developed before donating his important collection of Chinese modern and contemporary art.
DeBevoise, who has had a long history of working in Hong Kong and China, commented on the growth of patronage throughout they city’s history. “Despite its perception, Hong Kong was never a cultural desert; there have been many artists here for a long time. The problem was there were no institutions to train them and bring them to the public until more recently in the mid 1990s, when the Arts Development Council was set up and then the art fairs started here and brought art to wider audiences,” she said. “But M+ has completely changed everything.”
Both speakers also offered advice to budding and established collectors. They emphasised that a sophisticated art collection and cultural ecosystem need to be built from genuine personal interest, rather than purely for investment or decorative purposes—resonant words of wisdom in the context of Art Basel.
Learn more at UBS.