Gallery owner has no regrets quitting law for her passion

Art gallery owner Meg Maggio, who runs a thriving business selling contemporary Chinese works to individual collectors, museums and corporate clients, has a record of unearthing and supporting some of the nation's most promising young artists.

The American, who quit a handsomely-paid job as a lawyer to pursue her passion for Chinese art, is a hands-on gallery owner who makes a point of visiting artists in their studios. Many are established, while others are up-and-coming talents seeking a way for their work to gain broader exposure.

"I am proud to know these artists and thrilled to have made their acquaintance. Every day I do a studio visit is a good day, and I try to do several studio visits a week," Maggio says. "Having daily contact with funny, innovative, smart-thinking artists is the biggest pleasure of having an art gallery in China. What is nice is watching these artists get much-deserved recognition, not only from their peers but also from national, regional and international art institutions, as well as private collectors.

"One of my biggest thrills occurs every time I sell a Chinese artist's work to a major museum or collector. We just sold one artist's work to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. There is no better thrill than placing work in museum exhibitions and at the same time persuading the museum not only to exhibit but also to acquire the work for the permanent collection of a major art institution and/or major art collector."

Maggio, who speaks fluent Chinese, initially came to the country as a corporate lawyer. She developed a keen interest in contemporary Chinese art, meeting many of the artists and developing into something of an expert.

In fact, Maggio became so passionately involved in the art world that she decided to make it a career, quitting the day job to sink her savings into founding Pekin Fine Arts. The gallery is located in Caochangdi art district in Beijing, not far from the renowned 798 Art Zone.

But unlike the bustling 798, the galleries of Caochangdi receive few tourist visitors. Most of the browsers are serious about art: people looking to acquire a painting for their personal collection, corporate buyers seeking out distinctive works for lobby spaces, or museum curators keen to acquire cutting-edge pieces.

The chatty Maggio is in a position to give visitors a detailed rundown of her stable of artists in particular and the art scene in general. After almost two decades of immersion, she has encyclopedic knowledge of who is who.

"I consider myself to be a hardworking art gallerist, who is more interested in representing artists long term, and less interested in organizing short-term spectacle-like exhibits of random artists. I want to enable artists we represent to build lasting careers. The aim is to promote quietly the artists' careers and stay as gallery director on the sidelines, behind the scenes," she says. "The artists are the stars, we gallery directors are the art workers. Our job is to provide the stage and good lighting for the artists to shine. And we should stay far in the background and always put the artists first."

A second branch of Pekin Fine Arts is due to open shortly in Hong Kong, a city that is rapidly becoming one of the most important destinations on the international art-fair calendar, with its annual art fair attracting 266 galleries from 38 countries. Maggio's gallery will be in Wong Chuk Hang, an area popular with artists, architects, designers and other creative types, and has a rooftop space that will be used for video screenings and parties.

At any social gathering, the gregarious Maggio is easy to spot. She has a penchant for bright clothing, wears vividly colored spectacles and loves to chat especially about art.

As well as attending the annual Art HK, and events in her home base of Beijing, the entrepreneur travels to other major art gatherings, notably Basel in Switzerland and Miami in the United States. The year is rounded off by trips to London, New York and her home city of Boston in Massachusetts.

There is also a regular stream of international visitors to the Caochangdi premises in Beijing to view works by artists such as Chen Shaoxiong, Bai Yiluo, Zhao Liang, Chen Wei, Weng Wei, Zhang Dali and Huang Rui.

The 600 square meters of exhibition space, along with a garden for showing sculptures, is a favorite of art aficionados. Work shown initially in the Beijing gallery has been purchased for display in such prestigious institutions as the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Musee Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Curators for corporate organizations also often come in search of paintings or sculptures that are considered suitable for displaying in offices, or in public areas, with buying budgets that range from $5,000 (3,990 euros) to $50,000 and above. Among the clients are UBS and Siemens. Hotels and boutiques also ask to rent or borrow art, which brightens up their public spaces and, at the same time, provides a great showcase for the artists' works.

According to Maggio, curators and individuals who made wise purchases of Chinese art five years ago would have seen the value more than double - outperforming almost all other investment tools.

"I think a lot of them are surprised to find that they have increased in value," she says. "Some have done very well. As corporations become more successful, they are investing in art more and more for lobby and public areas.

"We have never had a bidding war but it is funny that they do tend to like similar things. I do have clients who have asked for the same artists for their offices. In China and Asia, there is always this attempt to bridge, and make the connection, between traditional and contemporary."

The first piece Maggio bought was back in 1985, beginning a love affair with Chinese art. Since quitting her day job and sinking her savings into a gallery against the advice of some friends work and pleasure tend to merge into one.

"I have been accused of taking too much financial risk, but my business is my own, and I have much, much more freedom now. Many of my friends and family thought I was insane, but it is my money, and my work, and my decision, so if anyone gets hurt it is me. After 12 years working for a law firm, it was enough," she says. "I think now my friends respect that I started the gallery. Opportunities abound in China at the moment, if one is willing to make the financial and time commitment."

China Daily

(China Daily 06/01/2012 page20)