Industry Insights
Q&A with Dr. András Szántó
Dr. András Szántó, PhD, advises leading museums, foundations, and corporations on cultural strategies and program development worldwide. His writings have appeared in The Art Newspaper, The New York Times, Artforum, and many other publications. He has lectured on art business at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art, and is a frequent moderator at the Art Basel Conversations series.
Q&A with Kevin Ching
Kevin Ching joined Sotheby’s in 2006 as CEO of Sotheby’s Asia, responsible for developing the strategic expansion of the company in the region, particularly into mainland China. Under Mr. Ching’s strategic leadership, Sotheby’s Asia achieved over US$1 billion in total auctions and private sales revenue in 2011.
Previously a board executive director and group legal counsel of Dickson Concepts (International) Limited, Mr. Ching was in charge of legal and general business affairs in luxury fashion, watches, and jewelry. In addition, Mr. Ching was responsible for business development and operations of luxury retail in China, and was instrumental in the opening and development of Seibu department stores in China and Harvey Nichols in Hong Kong. Prior to joining Dickson Concepts (International) Limited, Mr. Ching was a partner in Johnson Stokes & Master, one of the largest law firms in Hong Kong, working as the chief representative of its Beijing Office.
Mr. Ching was educated in Hong Kong and England, and holds a master’s degree in law from London University. He studied English law, Soviet law, air and space law, as well as customary and modern Chinese law. He is qualified to practice law in Hong Kong, Singapore, England, and Wales, as well as in Victoria, Australia.
Q&A with Caroline Cai
Caroline Cai is the president of Christie’s China. Ms. Cai manages Christie’s overall operations in China. She oversees the development of the company’s range of services to its Asia-based clientele, and the expansion of Christie’s business presence throughout the region.
As the company’s leader on the ground in China, Ms. Cai manages Christie’s company offices and executes all activities taking place within the region. In addition, she is responsible for expanding Christie’s educational and cultural activities and assumes an active part in promoting the international exposure of Chinese Art. Ms. Cai also plays an advisory role to mainland China-based clients, counseling them on both the Chinese Art categories offered through Christie’s, as well as on the scope of the overall Chinese marketplace. She also oversees the process of strategizing business objectives that further elevate China’s culture in the global marketplace, while both protecting and celebrating its cultural heritage. Ms. Cai is Christie’s representative for the Greater China region, and supports the company’s participation in existing cooperative programs between China and other countries across Asia.
Ms. Cai received her bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and a master’s in public affairs from Princeton University. She was born and raised in Beijing, and entered Beijing University before pursuing overseas education. She speaks fluent Mandarin and English.
Q&A with Dr. Terry Huang
Dr. Terry Huang is the vice president and head of the Asia-Pacific Region at Motif Art Group. Previously, he was the panel advisor of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and a professor at New York University. Dr. Huang got a PhD in the history of Modern Art at Harvard University, and an MS in arts administration at Boston University. He has published many books, including Philip Guston: Night Studio, His Art in Woodstock, and the Semiology of Visual Languages in Contemporary Art.
Q&A with Linda Dong
Linda Dong has had 12 years of business experience in securities. She has served as the executive general manager of the investment banking division at China Jianyin Investment Securities. She received a BA in economics from Fudan University, and an EMBA degree from the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business Administration. Her accomplishments include reforms, mergers and reorganization, listings and initial public offerings, and financing for various businesses, such as GD Power Development, Yangtze Power, China Hi-Tech Group, Guizhou Aviation Industry, Guangdong Weihua, and China People’s Insurance. She also served as a general partner of Beijing Fortune Land Investment Consultant Co., Ltd. (Limited Partnership) (Private Equity Fund). She has experience in capital market operations, and is familiar with fund management.
Q&A with Dominique Levy
Coming from a family that created two of France’s renowned haute couture fashion houses (Ted Lapidus and Torrent), Dominique Levy is more than familiar with the luxury sector. In 1983, she created the first startup company on the campus of the école des Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Paris, with a focus on developing an extensive database for haute couture houses, enabling them to build their licensing businesses. In 1989, she became the business partner of Richard Attias, specializing in creating cultural, political, and economic events for luxury brands in France. In 1997, she launched a new enterprise, NCI, specializing in new technology. The company was responsible for building the first vocal telephone guide for all mobile phones of the museums of the city of Paris and the National Office of Historical Monuments in France. It was in 2006 when she and her husband, Sylvain Levy, created their private collection of Chinese Contemporary Art, entitled dslcollection. The aim of the collection is to promote the Chinese artistic scene, and to reach as much of the public as possible, through both traditional communication as well as digital technology. In 2014, dslcollection was recognized by Larry’s List as one of the top three most visible private collections online. In May this year, dslcollection also received the inaugural Asia Prize from The Art Newspaper.
Q&A with Adrian Cheng
Adrian is an art pioneer and founder of the K11 Art Foundation (KAF). Growing up in Hong Kong, Adrian also spent a number of years in the United States, and graduated from Harvard University with a BA (Cum Laude). He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2014. His experiences in Asia and the West equipped him to combine the best of both cultures, and bring a new dimension to the community and beyond.
Adrian is also a board director of the National Museum of China Foundation, trustee of the Royal Academy of Arts, visiting committee at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, member of Tate’s Asia-Pacific Acquisitions Committee, and a member of the International Circle of Centre Pompidou. In early 2013, Adrian spearheaded a new collaboration with Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in the United Kingdom, setting up an annual full scholarship program for MA candidates, to help students from Hong Kong and mainland China study at CSM.
Contacts
artnet
Ning Lu
Auction House Success Manager
Artnet Worldwide Corporation
+1-212-497-9700 ext. 164
nlu@artnet.com
CAA
Jinsheng Yu
Cultrue & Art Auction Committee Office Manager
China Association of Auctioneers
+86 10 6839 1137 ext. 8017
jinsheng@caa123.org.cn
