Spring 2008 Issue > Fine Arts Services International Art Fair
Crown Provides Fine Arts Services at Hong Kong’s Largest International Art Fair
Art HK 08, Hong Kong’s first truly international art fair in a decade, was held from May 14th-18th at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Preparing for such an event was a grand affair--from coordinating incoming art works from around the world to hanging and displaying the works to re-packing and transporting after the event. The event organizers called on Crown to support their needs. The Fine Arts team in Hong Kong worked together as the exclusive provider of these logistics.
The team was responsible for moving works of art for 80 galleries, for on-site art storage, hanging and installation, and other logistics services for the duration of the event. Crown was also the recommended provider for international shipments into Hong Kong, utilizing Crown’s global network of fine arts offices.
ART HK 08 showcased art from the world’s leading contemporary- and modern-art galleries, and has truly elevated the Hong Kong art scene onto the global stage. The event attracted approximately 15,000 visitors from Hong Kong and around the world including representatives from Lehman Brothers, who served as the leading sponsor of the event.
High-profile works up for sale included Andy Warhol’s 1962 Avanti Cars from Ben Brown Fine Arts, worth an estimated US $3.8 million, Basquiat’s Untitled (Car) from Max Lang Gallery, New York for $7 million and a number of works by Damien Hirst offered by Seomi & Tuus.
According to Monica Lee-Muller, deputy managing director for the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, "The Opening Reception of the Art HK 08 was an exciting and most enjoyable day as we were able to see the inauguration of Art HK08, as we have been working very hard in the last two years to help create this promising event in Hong Kong. Working with this organizer and the various galleries (exhibitors) and different stake holders in this 1st time event has been a challenging experience. It is not a typical exhibition that we run in our Centre everyday. On this note, I would like to thank you and your professional team who worked diligently under the tight move-in & move-out schedule. We heard many compliments from the galleries about the Crown’s service during the show as well. We are thrilled to witness the outstanding success of Art HK 08. It is HKCEC’s goal to help nurture Art HK to become the most important art exhibition in the Asia Pacific Region, staging at HKCEC on an annual basis. I certainly look forward to working with Crown again for the future Art HK and other events at the HKCEC."
"The Crown Fine Arts team has been proud to be associated with ART HK 08. As one of the leading global fine art transportation companies in Asia, we hope to do our part in developing Hong Kong’s vibrant art scene," noted Sherry Liu, general manager of Crown’s Hong Kong businesses.
Magnus Renfrew, the fair’s director said, “We are pleased to announce the appointment of Crown Fine Arts as the sole official logistics provider of ART HK 08. Their global fine arts shipping and handling network makes them ideal for the staging of an international art fair.”
ART HK 08 was well placed to attract not just Western collectors seeking Asian art but also Asian collectors seeking blue chip and emerging Western art. Hong Kong is the third largest art market in the world after New York and London, by auction turnover, and Hong Kong’s status as a free port also gives it a clear advantage over many other locations in Asia with no tax on the import or export of art.