The Shanghai Art Fair is going from strength to strength, with 150 galleries participating this year. About half of these come from abroad, including 15 from South Korea. The art fair is a key element of the Shanghai International Arts Festival.
This is the fourth year US-based Galerie Simard Bilodeau has attended the fair. The gallery is displaying 45 sculptures and 25 paintings. They feature a fusion of classical techniques by old masters like Michelangelo with contemporary styles.
"The Chinese people are much more gravitated to that style because they like the figurative, beautiful, classical feel. But they also, the newer generation, like more contemporary modern art, and this is the artist that can combine both of those. And that is why it's been doing so well," said Daniel Winn, curator of Gallerie Simard Bilodeau.
Winn's gallery has seen an increase of 10 to 20 percent in trade volume at the fair over the last three years. Its paintings sold out last year, and a week ago the gallery opened its first branch in Shanghai.
"Truly for us, the market is growing. Our collectors are very loyal. They come back. They want to see the new collection. They're curious, they want to see what's coming out," said Eve Marie Bilodeau, Gallerie Simard Bilodeau.
The fair is also attracting fresh faces. New York-based gallery owner Barry Friedman is at the Shanghai Art Fair for the first time. He has brought 16 pieces of antique furniture, with prices ranging from 60 thousand yuan to 300 thousand yuan.
"I wanted to show a big wide range of furniture to sort of a new market. I started to sell by photographs in email to a couple of clients in Shanghai -furniture - and it seemed to go very well. So I decided to do this fair," said Barry Friedman, Barry Friedman Ltd..
Visitors have shown great interest in Friedman's collection. Potential customers have been negotiating prices for five of his pieces.
There are also 15 South Korean galleries at the fair, the most of any country other than China. Organizers of the Busan Art Fair are attending for the first time, bringing 11 paintings by five South Korean artists.
"Because I heard that these days Shanghai's art market is kind of booming. So we want to have a look and we can have a real experience of it," said Minju Kweon, Busan Art Fair.
Founded in 1997, the Shanghai Art Fair is the largest trade fair of its kind in Asia. Last year, the event attracted more than 50 thousand visitors in four days, and sales reached 140 million yuan. Fair organizers are expecting both figures to increase this year.
The event runs until Sunday at Shanghai Mart in the Hongqiao area.
