New Beijing collection joins rising ranks of China’s private art museums
Beijing Minsheng Museum of Art is the latest of several hundred collections to have opened on the mainland in recent years
Chinese new art collectors and investors – some of the biggest buyers of artworks at international auctions in recent years – are increasingly opening their own private museums to house their collections.
Earlier this month, Beijing Minsheng Museum of Art, sponsored and funded by China Minsheng Bank, opened its doors inside the Universal Creative Park, near to the 798 Art Zone. This is the third museum affiliated to China Minsheng Bank; Shanghai Minsheng Museum of Art opened in 2010, and Shanghai 21st Century Minsheng Art Museum in 2014.
The latest museum is housed in an abandoned factory that was rebuilt and completely renovated at a cost of 200 million yuan (HK$253 million). It covers 35,000 square-metres and is now China’s largest private museum.
“Private museums are helping to introduce artworks into cities and ordinary people’s lives in China,” said Huang Du, an independent art critic and curator.
“It’s a constructive progress that sees newly wealthy people and enterprises investing in artworks, helping to promote contemporary art and then sharing their collections with the public.”
The new Beijing museum is the latest among several hundred private museums to have opened on the mainland in recent years.