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Arts & Communication The rise and fall of global art worlds

2.3. Selling the collection and its art brand: The sought to distance himself from his financial obligations
Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, China to fund the UCCA’s operations. However, his approach
In 2007, Belgian collector Guy Ullens established the arguably did little to enhance his public reputation in
“museum-like space” UCCA (2007 – 2016) as the first China as he appeared to be profiting from the sale of a
art institution in China founded around a single private collection originally perceived as part of a “non-profit”
collection. It was also the first to move to the 798 Art institution; despite his earlier impression of intending to
District in Beijing. The opening exhibition, “85 New gift the holdings to the state.
Wave: The Birth of Chinese Contemporary Art, was soon In 2016, Ullens officially announced plans to sell
followed by Christian Dior and Chinese Artists”, where a UCCA and his remaining holdings. By late 2017, UCCA
special exhibition featuring 100 haute couture pieces from had been sold to a private consortium led by Chinese
Dior’s Paris collection created a dazzling narrative and advertising billionaire Jason Jiang (founder of Future
fashion gala event. Scholar Shuchen Wang notes that this Edutainment), investors (Focus Media), and a group of
distinction set UCCA apart, making it “the landmark of local patrons and shareholders registered as the UCCA
Chinese Contemporary Art (CCA) in mainland China”. Group. UCCA transitioned into a newly formed private
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The collection quickly grew to approximately 1,700 works, foundation seeking further financial support to offset its
and UCCA’s robust exhibition program included (but annual operating costs. This quickly signaled a new model
was not limited to) works from the founder’s holdings of for private museum-like spaces as the sale did not include
Chinese Contemporary Art. the art collection or even the museum itself but access
st
Within the 1 decade, Ullens began selling pieces to the “UCCA” naming rights and the symbolic value
from his collection as he realized that his personal and associated with it. According to Philip Tinari, Director
entrepreneurial ambitions would not be met. Thus, he of the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art and CEO of
began extracting himself from UCCA and China around the UCCA Group, many were initially confused about
2011. As Wang notes, this shift was prompted by an earlier what was being sold as UCCA had few remaining assets,
decision to restructure UCCA between 2003 and 2010 and the art collection had already been sold. Essentially,
and transition the museum-like space from a non-profit Ullens was selling a brand, the position, location, and the
entity to a for-profit art business, although it had always history of UCCA, which included important exhibition
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been registered as a for-profit organization in China. The archival material. As Wang points out, “Ullens built his
plan was to generate €6 million annually to cover UCCA’s own art authority through UCCA—a quasi-museum with
operating costs. This strategy proved unfeasible, and customary social functions such as research, exhibition,
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Ullens began auctioning parts of his collection that were and education (but not collection). Ullens attempted to
owned by his private foundation as early as in 2009. make UCCA an established venue itself in China by having
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The process gained momentum in 2011 when 106 works it headed by reputable directors and collaborating with
were auctioned at Sotheby’s Hong Kong on April 3, 2011, luxury fashion and high-end brands”. 22
under “The Ullens Collection: The Nascence of Avant 3. Private museums, collectors, and
Garde China”, followed by a further 90 works at Sotheby’s
auction on October 2, 2011, under “The Ullens Collection: complex inter-relationships
Experimentation and Evolution”. 24 My research has shown that private museums often struggle
This process continued in 2017 when 32 artworks to endure beyond the founder’s lifetime. As a result, many
were sold at Poly International in Hong Kong (June 4, have sought to secure their museum’s future by establishing
2017), with the auction house facilitating the private sale private–public partnerships. With that in mind, I conclude
of an additional 22 works from Ullens’ holdings. These my analysis by examining how collectors such as Harald
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sales conveyed the message that Ullens’s plan to sell his Falckenberg, Budi Tek, and Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi have
contemporary Chinese art collection and UCCA either constructed complex inter-relationships between private
to the government or privately could not be realized. He and public, private and commercial, and private and state
failed to garner sufficient financial or “philanthropic” stakeholders, both within their respective nations and
support to cover UCCA’s operating costs, and his works internationally, to take control of their cultural legacies.
proved financially unsustainable in the long term. More
importantly, he appeared to lack the desire and willingness 3.1. Private and public: The Falckenberg Collection,
(both financial and personal) to continue his commitment Germany
to Chinese contemporary artists and his privately founded Harald Falckenberg began collecting in 1994. In 2001, he
Center in Beijing. For these and other reasons, Ullens started exhibiting his collection in a 62,000-square-foot

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2025) 5 doi: 10.36922/ac.2880