Censors had looked closely enough at Chinese artist Huang Min's large painting at the booth of Berlin and Beijing–based dealer Michael Schultz — and forced the gallery to place a square of white paper over the portion of the canvas that contained the unmistakable visage of Mao Zedong. According to Schultz, the trouble with the image was the paint dribbling down Mao's face — a stylistic flourish that wasn’t seen as flattering to the former leader. Still, the painting had been put on reserve for €70,000 ($103,000) by a collector from England.

Other than the Mao cover-up, Schultz had nothing to complain about. He sold a new, life-size sculpture of a car in mixed media by Chinese-born artist Ma Jun for €80,000 to a German collector, as well as three smaller versions of the car, in porcelain, for €12,000 apiece. Ten artworks had sold off his stand in the fair’s preview days alone, to collectors from around the world. “This fair is the highest quality,” said Schultz, whose business strategy includes banking on fairs in developing markets like Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Dubai.

Much of a Western dealer’s investment in any new market comes down to education. Ask James Cohan, whose New York gallery recently opened a branch in Shanghai. At his booth, a representative of China CITIC Bank was seen inquiring about holding an event in the Shanghai gallery so that he could introduce some of his high-end clients to contemporary art. China, clearly, is a long-term investment.

Also making an investment — or perhaps better called a first foray — at the fair was esteemed Milan gallerist Massimo De Carlo, whose booth was stocked with flashily colored works by current Western market darlings Rudolf Stingel, John Armleder, and Piotr Uklanski. De Carlo explained that he had also brought these artists because their brightly colored works have “an aesthetic that matches what collectors here like.”

Taking a Stand
That guessing game — What appeals to the local sensibility? — is one thatdealers from the West are known to play at fairs in developing markets, from Dubai to Moscow. Then there are the brave dealers who take a stand — sometimes a very large stand — and eschew that game entirely in favor of sticking to their programs.  

Such was the case here with Paris, Cologne, and St. Moritz, Switzerland–based gallery Karsten Greve. Its vast booth was immaculately designed, with something of an icy, museum feel about it — there were even a couple security guards — and was packed with millions of dollars of difficult, and in many cases, stunning, works by the likes of Piero Manzoni, Louise Bourgeois, and Lucio Fontana. Sales, according to a representative of the gallery, had been scant, but, she said resolutely, “We are making a statement.”

“These artists are not well known here,” she continued. “You can’t see them in museums. But it’s important to keep with your program. We did meet Chinese collectors, but it’s difficult.”

She might have been interested to know that at least one Chinese collector, the automotive dealer Yang Bin, is embracing art of the West. He had just bought a sculpture by German artist Stefan Balkenhol at the booth of Helsinki, Finland’s Forsblom Gallery, for around €65,000. He said that he has long been collecting Chinese art but has recently begun branching out.

“This is the best fair in the mainland,” said Yang, who could be found relaxing at the booth of his wife’s gallery, the three year old Aye, of Beijing, which was showing, among other things, work by young artist Gao Lei, who makes photographs and photo-based sculptures. “Last year was a good start but few people came to buy. Now lots of Chinese are buying.” Aye gallery sold nine pieces in three hours during the previous day’s preview, and Yang expected to see more collectors from Taiwan and Indonesia make appearances in the coming days. Yang also spoke approvingly of Damien Hirst’s recent primary-market sale at Sotheby’s; Hirst’s move resonates differently in China, where auction houses are far more prevalent and sales take place more frequently, than it does in Europe or the U.S.