He bought the works of Ai Xuan and Wang Guangyi in the first batch, and later began to collect some exquisite ancient paintings from auctions. At that time, people paid more attention to China porcelain, but few people were interested in painting. "Through the introduction of Wu Erlu, he also met some painter friends. For Europeans, it is more difficult to collect classical paintings, because they need to have a full understanding of China's cultural accomplishment, calligraphy, philosophy and art history.
Ullens summed up his 30-year collection experience and pointed out that collectors should first love art, and then learn with an open mind and make friends.
199 1 year, he met Zhang Songren, who runs a gallery, and saw many works of contemporary artists in China in a garage. He bought some works by Fang Lijun and Liu Wei on a whim. Since then, he has been buying and collecting avant-garde works of China.
It is necessary to transport the collections that have been collected for many years to China for display.
In 2000, Ullens decided to quit the management of the family business and devote more energy to the art collection with his wife Myriam.
In fact, nearly 80% of his nearly 2,000 pieces of China cultural relics belong to the category of contemporary art, and he is one of the best contemporary art collectors in China.
Two years ago, Ullens gradually realized that Beijing was becoming an international art center, so he wanted to transport his collection for many years back to China. In 2005, with the help of China art critic and curator Fei Dawei, he discovered the 798 Art District and was immediately attracted by the harmonious and primitive architecture here. Gradually, the idea of finding a warehouse turned into a huge plan to show his multi-functional artistic space.