ProfileThe Tate, M+, Guggenheim: Hong Kong collector and key art patron is involved with them all – meet ‘nerdy guy’ Alan Lau
- A random splurge on a King of Kowloon work blew open the art world for Alan Lau, who has since built up a large collection and become a key Hong Kong art figure
- He says a lack of ‘cultural confidence’ sees young Chinese collectors focusing on Western art, but places like Tai Kwun and M+ will help write a new narrative
Confessed “nerdy guy” Alan Lau was on a successful but predictable life path until a random splurge to celebrate a promotion at work blew open a whole new world, leading to an all-consuming passion and a whole new set of friends.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, the 48-year-old went to the all-boys St Joseph’s College where he was in the science stream, studied engineering at Oxford University in the UK and went into consulting, at McKinsey.
He made partner at McKinsey at age 30 and was rewarded with his own office.
“I had a room for the first time in my life and I wanted something for the wall. I wanted something quintessentially Hong Kong, so I picked the King of Kowloon,” he says.
The King of Kowloon, real name Tsang Tsou-choi, was a graffiti artist who used brush and ink to daub Chinese calligraphy on Hong Kong’s streets.
He began his work in 1956 and was initially considered a madman. However, by the 1990s he was recognised as an artist, and by the time of his death in 2007 he was an icon.