"Rarely has there been such an extravagant press tour," commented one of the 40-plus foreign journalists invited earlier this month to witness the opening of the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA), Beijing's newest and, for the moment, most important contemporary-art venue.
There were gigantic press packs at the press conference, presents at the parties, rows of welcoming guys and girls in traditional dress at the dinners, and informative tours of the local art scene. And as for the UCCA itself? Well, it was every bit as professional and rewarding as the hoopla surrounding it.
Housed in 8,000 sq. meters of converted Bauhaus-era warehouses in Beijing's premier art district, 798, the UCCA has been created by the Belgian couple Guy and Myriam Ullens to show contemporary art, much of it Chinese, and much of it their own.