Paper, oil and a vision for Chinese art

Beijing gallery owner Hadrien de Montferrand is presenting oil paintings by emerging artist Lu Chao at the ongoing Art Basel Hong Kong.

The oil work is a dramatic departure from Montferrand's previous offerings at Art Basel. Over the past two years, he has presented paper works from established Chinese artists, which his gallery specializes in.

This year, the French gallerist is backing Lu's solo shows, Black Mirror. The show features 30 works that Lu says reflect "a search for a faint shadow in a black mirror". It is part of the fair's Insights section from March 15 to 17.

Lu, 27, received a master's degree at the Royal College of Art in London, where he now lives.

Montferrand, 39, says the show celebrates the expansion of his art business to Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in 2013. Four years after the opening of Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery in Beijing's 798 art zone, Montferrand launched the HDM Gallery in Hangzhou to promote work in all media by young artists and alumni of the city's China Academy of Art.

May marks the eighth year of Montferrand's involvement in the Chinese art world. He says Art Basel came to Hong Kong at just the right moment.

The fair inaugurated its Asian show in 2013 by merging with ART HK, the city's premier art fair.

"ART HK operated for many years. It has brought a lot of professionalism and collectors to Art Basel that is already quite big. The new show really puts Asia on the map of the art market," Montferrand says.

"We see a lot of Asian collectors in Hong Kong, which you don't see in the States or Europe."

Above Montferrand's gallery in the 798 art zone is his spacious office. He works at a large, antique Ming-style desk. Above the desk is a lamp he made from 99 wine glasses.

As the son of a diplomat, Montferrand traveled a lot with his family at a young age. He has been exposed to different cultures all his life.

His story with China began with a three-month stint at Fudan University to study Chinese in 1997.

Montferrand worked for French auction house Artcurial in Paris before moving to Beijing in 2007. He soon took on the role of development manager of the Ullens Center of Contemporary Art, which had been founded that year.

The job required frequent visits to artists' studios. On those visits, he found many works on paper that were rarely seen by the public. He thought it was a huge waste and saw an opportunity to start his own career.

"I collect paper works, like drawings and watercolors, not only because they are cheaper but also the audiences get closer to the artists through the paper."

The Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery opened to the public in 2009. Visitors can see drawings from artists, such as Lin Gang and Zhong Han, or from well-known artists who primarily work with oil painting.

"When you do a piece of work on paper, it's like doing an entry in your diary. It's very private, with no filter. When you do an oil painting, it's like writing your own biography and it's for other people to read.

"Paper works cannot lie. One can't repaint on paper. It's either bad or good," he says.

Montferrand also advises private museums about the purchase of Western art and China Guardian Auctions for scouting potential customers in Europe.

He has witnessed the development of a more professional Chinese art market.

"Galleries which used to stage exhibitions for making money are now curating good-quality shows."

The decision to open a new space in Hangzhou instead of Shanghai shows his confidence in the rising collecting power of second-tier cities.

"Other than Beijing and Shanghai, the market is also booming in Changsha, Chengdu and other cities where open-minded people buy contemporary art. I need to go deeper into the knowledge of the Chinese art market and to better understand the collecting habits of people there," he says.

"My job is only about human relationships, and it is based on people's trust. I discovered it by working with art. In return, it has made me fall in love with art even more."

linqi@chinadaily.com.cn