The rise and rise of Asia Art Archive

Jane DeBevoise, former deputy director of Guggenheim Museum, had literally just landed in Hong Kong in 2002 when she was asked to become a director of a fledgling non-profit organisation called the Asia Art Archive.

At the time, she had just stepped down after seven years as head of operations and exhibitions at the Guggenheim, an art world superpower with its network of museums around the world. DeBevoise was also a rare expert on Chinese contemporary art who had known some of the country's top living artists since the 1980s, when she was an exchange student in Beijing.

So it was rather a big ask by gallery owner and archive co-founder Johnson Chang Tsong-zung for the American to endorse the tiny, rather esoteric organisation run by a 26-year-old Claire Hsu, even if she was Ronald Arculli's stepdaughter.

"It was 15 minutes after I stepped off the plane as I was moving back to Hong Kong and I received the call from Johnson. The idea and vision were undeniably vital and critical. It was doing all the things that I thought were important and needed at the time. How could I say no?" DeBevoise recalls.

The small set-up, which documents, researches and educates about the region's contemporary art development, is still a diminutive presence in the physical sense - there are only about 35 people working in its head office - but its influence has grown considerably as it celebrates its 15th anniversary this month.

DeBevoise, who has been chair of the board for 10 years, says her former employer and other major museums now come to the archive for help on their contemporary Asian art programmes. She and Hsu, archive co-founder and executive director, have been advisers to the West Kowloon Cultural District. Hsu, ranked one of the 100 most powerful people in the art world by London-based ArtReview, still sits on the WKCD museum committee and has a say in the acquisition strategy of M+.