China develops a taste for contemporary art

Asian contemporary art is gaining prominence in the art world, says Chris Carter. And it isn't just the Chinese buying.

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Art Basel Hong Kong is doing a roaring trade

The Hong Kong Art Fair, as it was known before coming under the Art Basel banner in 2011, attracted fewer than 20,000 visitors when it opened nine years ago. This year's three-day event, which ended last Saturday, was expected to attract closer to 70,000. "The event's growth maps the burgeoning engagement of the Asia Pacific region with international contemporary art," says Rachel Spence in the Financial Times. "That this year only 50% of the 242 exhibitors hail from that part of the world testifies to the fair's lucrative potential": London dealers were selling pieces for millions of dollars to Chinese buyers, who are reportedly extremely eager to do business.

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Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

You can follow Chris on Instagram.