Economic Growth Heats up Art Market

Many factors have contributed to the booming art market, such as years of dynamic economic growth, the emergence of the affluent class, the increase of the living standard of the Chinese people and the importance the government has attached to the culture and art fields.

Ye Hong, Deputy Manager of Beijing-based Meisong Gallery, has seen this transformation process up close. As the gallery mainly deals with oil paintings of a French artist, Ye has watched as the lukewarm attitude of local patrons in the gallery's early days has changed to an appreciation of the canvases by the same clientele.

"More and more Chinese mainlanders tend to decorate their houses or offices with oil paintings and modern artwork, and many of our clients are movie stars or celebrities in other fields," she said.