Collecting In The Digital Age
VIEW EVENT DETAILSBrunch Panel Discussion with Francois Curiel, Christie's Asia Pacific; Sebastian Cwilich, Artsy; Lynn Fung, Liangyi Museum; Alice Zhang, Mischmasch; Chong Zhou, Collector and Amy Wood, AXA ART (Moderator)
Sparkling Wine Brunch at 10.15am
Discussion at 10.45am
Close at 12pm
Since the onset of the internet, a recent study conducted by AXA ART revealed that the worldwide community of collectors and their habits are rapidly shifting. Currently, a majority of art lovers will have seen art online, via email, computer or iPad, before they see it in person in a museum or a gallery. In the age of the internet, when shopping online is rapidly becoming a commonplace habit for those with access to a computer, the upper limit for buying art online is constantly shifting. The act of purchasing a physical artwork in a virtual space will change the future of art investment in one of the last free markets left in the world. After several false starts in the last decade by large online companies to partner with traditional art sales platforms and sell works online, why hasn’t a true leader emerged in the field? Who will emerge as the leader in the field? There are many risks and benefits to buying online in a field that has traditionally been dominated by face-to-face private sales. Commercializing a space that has traditionally been an open platform with democratic ways of sharing and distributing information is a game changer for many companies and dealers. Artists are offering work free for anyone to print from the internet, changing the traditional idea of an edition size & altering the way art is priced and sold. Museums are also competing for online audiences and struggling with how to present their collections to the general public via the internet. How does the digital space reconcile two completely different approaches to art – one being open & democratic and the other built on secretive valued transactions by insiders with inherited knowledge? These questions and others will be addressed by panelists representing auction houses, private collections, museums and online art sales platforms.
François Curiel began his career at Christie’s as a jewelry specialist in London in 1969. After working in Madrid, Paris and Geneva, he moved to New York in 1977 to launch the jewellery department there. In 1998, he was appointed Chairman of Christie’s Europe and in 2001, he took over the reins of Christie’s France. In 2010, he became President of Christie’s in Asia, based in Hong Kong, and one of the seven executives to lead the Group International Management Team. In February 2014, he was promoted to Chairman of Christie’s Asia Pacific. He launched Christie’s first sales in China in September 2013 and was promoted to international head of the firm’s Luxury division the following year. In 1996, the Diamond High Council in Belgium awarded François Curiel the prestigious Antwerp Diamond Career Award, given to fewer than ten personalities in the world. In 2009, he received France’s most prestigious distinction when he was promoted Officer of the Legion of Honor. Often described in the press as one of the greatest auctioneers of our time, he regularly holds the hammer for sales in Europe, Asia and America.
Sebastian Cwilich is the president and COO of Artsy, the leading resource for art collecting and education. Artsy provides free access to an encyclopedic database of art, architecture, and design, which includes the largest online collection of contemporary art. Previously, Sebastian was an executive at Christie's, where he launched the company's expanded private sales division and was later named the commercial and business director of Haunch of Venison, after Christie's acquired the gallery. Sebastian is also the co-founder and Chairman of ProyectArte, an international nonprofit art school for young emerging artists based in Buenos Aires. Outside of the art world, he has served as an advisor and consultant to businesses ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies across many different industries. Sebastian began his career as a software engineer at AT&T (Bell) Labs.
Lynn Fung is the managing director of Liang Yi Museum on Hollywood Road. As managing director, her duties include reaching out to local educational institutes to see how the museum can help encourage and foster local design talent; increase public interest in the museum’s collections; as well as build relationships with international museums to bring noteworthy exhibits to Hong Kong. For the purpose of this panel, Lynn will be discussing her experience with social media and the impact the internet has had on the traditional museum experience.
Alice Zhang is the Founder and Creative Director of Mischmasch (www.mischmasch.com) and Stew (www.eatyourstew.com). Alice was born in China and grew up in New Zealand. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Graphic Design and worked as a graphic designer in New York City and London before starting Mischmasch in Hong Kong. Alice creates online platforms for young artists to exhibit and sell art that captures the humor, frustrations and nuances of their generation.
Chong Zhou is a young Shanghai based collector born in the 1980s. His goal is to become a scholarly collector. The inception of his collection was influenced by his entrepreneurial mother, owner of a pharmaceutical company. He graduated from UCLA in Art History and devotes much enthusiasm and passion to the study of art history. He began his personal collection in 2008 and now mainly collects Pan-East Asian contemporary fine art. His collection includes work by Yayoi Kusama, Aya Takano and Yoshitomo Nara.
Amy Wood (Moderator) has been an in-house Art Expert with global insurer AXA ART since 2013. She has over 15 years of experience working in the art world, including 3 years at MoMA in NYC. Amy has lived and worked in Greater China since 2004 where she started her own Museum Management Consulting company working on projects including the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai. Amy was formerly Director of Development for Asia Art Archive where she ran the Collector's Circle and currently advises collectors across Asia, Europe and the Americas on long term collection management & protection. Formerly the Shanghai-based Editor for Art Asia Pacific Magazine in 2005, she continues to write about art for various publications, frequently lectures for private banks, collectors groups & institutions in Hong Kong and teaches a course on Art Appreciation for AXA ART.
Co-presented with