The Collector | Why no Hong Kong museum for contemporary art?
Leading private gallerist Ben Brown says it's 'insane', given Hong Kong's art market is so important, that the city lacks a dedicated contemporary art museum of the kind that can be found in China or South Korea
But outside the commercial sector there simply isn’t much art to be seen, and that’s because there isn’t a single major dedicated museum in the city. That should change in 2019, when M+ finally opens and we get the Museum of Art back after a four-year renovation, but, right now, Hong Kong is poorly served compared with all other major Asian cities.
Gallerist Ben Brown confesses to being vexed by the situation.
“It is insane that nobody has come out and made a great non-profit contemporary art museum, given how there are great holdings in Hong Kong,” he says.
Brown has strong roots in the city. He was born here and his mother, Rosamond, a Hong Kong-based artist, has set up a HK$5 million fund for M+ to buy art with.