Young art lovers get help building collections at exclusive Hong Kong club
A younger generation of wealthy art lovers are building their own portfolios, and an invitation-only collectors club may offer guidance
Yuppies are so passé. These days, you want to be a yappie. A young art patron who is wealthy and wild about culture is a highly sought-after individual.
Even the stuffiest art institutions are eager to nurture young supporters, as they're a generation that may step into the shoes of older benefactors one day. What's more, they are a lot more active in shaping cultural likes and dislikes than their parents: think Twitter and Tumblr.
M+, headed by Lars Nittve, the Tate Modern's founding director, may introduce similar programmes in the future. But it is mainly the private sector that is keen to unearth the new cognoscenti.
"Young people see the world with different eyes," says Alberto Annesi, a not-so-old Italian art broker.
"I'm 46," says Annesi, now managing director of Parkview Art Hong Kong, a gallery he set up with local developer George Wong Kin-wah.
"As a market operator I must understand what they think because they are the ones shaping the future."