Galerie Ursmeile is one gallery in particular that was amongst the first to take advantage of the exploding Chinese Art Market, featuring well-known Chinese artists such as Ai Weiwei. Its marketing strategy is centered around Chinese artists and the growing market for Chinese artwork in China and throughout the world. The expanding wealth in China and increasing notoriety of their artists is a powerful force in the art market.
According to Galerie Ursmeile's website, it established a gallery in Beijing which is known as an "international meeting place for collectors, curators and aficionados of the arts." An interesting dynamic of their marketing approach is that they have an artist-in-residence studio in the Beijing gallery, where Western artists can work in China and connect with the Chinese art market. Given the increasing involvement of the Chinese in the Art Market, it makes sense that Galerie Ursmeile was present at the Art Basel.
The influence of the Chinese as artists and investors in the art market is probably best reflected in a report published yesterday that Chinese artist Zhang Daqian surpassed Picasso as a top auction earner. If anything is true about the art world, it's that the Chinese have significantly affected every aspect of the market
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Source: Huffingtonpost.com
Here is a photo of their Beijing gallery which was designed by Weiwei:
Galerie Ursmeile was present at Art Basel 2011. The Art Basel is not as much about exhibiting art, as it is selling. It is the "world's most important contemporary art fair" (Thornton 77). The show is said to host "la crème de la crème," only displaying the best artwork from galleries around the world. (Thornton 79). It is mostly collectors present at this fair - looking to make purchases. Interestingly, the art market is not immune from politics as was seen when Weiwei was arrested.
A banner at a recent Art Basel read "I wouldn't say I've become more radical. I was born radical – Ai Weiwei."
After reviewing the art fair calendar, I find it remarkable how often art fairs are held around the world. I never thought that art fairs happened so frequently; I figured there would only be one or so a month. However, I notice there are 22 art fairs in the month of January alone! There are even multiple art fairs in the same city at the same time. I notice that the art fairs are mostly in major cities, such as New York, Los Angeles, and London. The popularity of the fairs is well explained by Amy Cappellazzo, a specialist at Christies, who says "fairs are less stressful than auctions" (Thornton 86). Similar to art galleries, art fairs do not post the price right next to the artwork. The money aspect is not openly spoken about. Art sold at the Art Basel may not necessarily go to the highest bidder. Sometimes, the dealer is usually willing to settle for a lower price if it means placing the artwork in the "most prestigious home" (Thornton 88).