The Belgian collector Guy Ullens yesterday announced plans to sell his Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art (UCCA) in Beijing “to a new benefactor and owner”. Ullens also plans to sell the remainder of his collection of Chinese contemporary art, which is held separately from the gallery.
“We are looking to make an agreement with the right buyer to secure the future of UCCA for the years to come,” a spokesman for Ullens and his centre tells The Art Newspaper. "UCCA will continue to function, presenting exhibitions.” he added. The decision to sell aims to secure the long-term future of the organisation “with a new patron taking over Guy Ullens’ role as benefactor and owner,” he said. One option would be to create a UCCA Foundation to provide long-term financing, our sister publication The Art Newspaper China reports.
UCCA is one of the oldest and most respected private museums in China. Its founding in 2007 in Beijing’s 798 art zone foreshadowed China’s private museum boom; its exhibitions have facilitated the internationalisation of the country’s contemporary art scene and attracted some four million visitors. The UCCA director’s Philip Tinari and the US-based Rauschenberg Foundation have co-organised the current show, Rauschenberg in China (until August 21). “The current management team will remain in place, and they will be continuing to organise some of the best exhibitions in China,” Ullens and the UCCA spokesman said.
The chief executive of the UCCA, May Xue, released last year the gallery’s annual operating costs of around Rmb41m ($6m), 25% from Ullens, 25% from corporate sponsorship, 20% from their charity auction, 10% from individual donors, and 20% generated by the centre.
News of the sale was first broken on Thursday (30 June) by the anonymous art blogger Route 66. The post sent the Chinese art world into a frenzy of speculation on social media, with laments that the institution might lose its integrity or might shut down entirely. “UCCA is not closing,” the spokesman stressed.