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The debut of the Shanghai Fine Jewellery and Art Fair brings the best of the West to China in a cross-cultural exchange of arts and rare finds.
This October will see the first Shanghai Fine Jewellery and Art Fair, a buying extravaganza of Maastricht proportions, offering China's cultural connoisseurs the chance to peruse an unprecedented selection of Western jewels and fine arts.
Nicolò Mori's definition of luxury
The chance to be able to control time and space by doing everything that is most fulfilling to our personality and the ones that we love.
If Luxury were
An object
Something that is extremely hard to find and possess, which satisfies an inner and very subjective need.
A person
Someone whose lifestyle allows the free control of space and time.
A Place
Somewhere with a style and comfort that emphasizes our personal well-being, where we can feel a real harmony with the natural elements.
A moment
Every single small, big, long or short moment of happiness.
TEXT
From October 12 to 21, the city's illustrious Shanghai Exhibition Center will host one of the most spectacular fine art fairs Asia has ever seen. Hotly tipped as the new Chinese equivalent of Europe's top annual art and jewelry fair TEFAF, the premiere edition of the Shanghai Fine Jewellery and Art Fair boasts a magnificent roundup of galleries, from antique art specialists De Jonckheere and Galerie Schmit to contemporary London and Moscow-based dealer Ravenscourt. Pandering to the Orient's love of bijoux, a smattering of heirloom-quality jewels from the famed houses of Veschetti, David Morris and Lorenz Baumer and a small showing of China's most superior galleries complete the illustrious lineup.
The event is the mastermind of Nicolò Mori and Maximin Berko. Both stemming from family dynasties – Mori a hotelier and international businessman specializing in marketing and corporate branding, and Berko, heir to Belgium's 19th century fine art specialist, Berko Fine Paintings – the men decided to form an allegiance, combining their business acumen to create the niche event. "Maximin and I realized we were doing more or less the same thing; he was taking care of the family's galleries, organizing the fairs and stand design and taking care of the image of the galleries, so we thought, Why don't we do this not only for us, but for other companies too?" says Mori. "Maximin was living in China, taking his PhD in Art History, specializing in Chinese art. He told me, 'You know, keep a project in mind, because in China there is no real high-level art fair.' There are several fairs specializing in modern and contemporary art, but there is not one single fine art fair in Asia for the moment."
Berko carefully calculated the market while Mori concentrated on creating vital business links with local factories and suppliers. When Berko finally gave the go-ahead late last year, the duo called in an impressive network of global contacts to create an epic event with an international offering. Xiaozhou Taillandier-Xing, curator of international exhibitions at the Shanghai Museum, heads up the curatorial team along with Berko. London-based Selina Baring Maclennan, a specialist in 18th and 19th century art brought her event organizing skills and a knowledge of UK dealers and galleries, while Samantha Ripa di Meana, an architect living as a diplomat divides her time between Shanghai and Moscow, bringing valuable Russian links.
The rich, thoughtful decor of the SFJAF appeals to both Eastern and Western sensibilities, courtesy of French-born interior designer Melka Rivé Miao, a Chinese resident for over 13 years. "The idea of the decoration in general was also in line with this cultural exchange. We did not want to create a Chinese look, because Chinese people want to see something different, but still, many Westerners dream of China, though many have never been before. In their imagination, they think of China the way we see it in the movies, so our designer had the insight the build a fair that would remind people of this powerful country and culture, while for the Chinese, there is a sort of Western-style design of clean lines. These two inputs melt together to create the architecture of the fair. Melka is extremely talented," Mori says, beaming.
Bucking the trend for the large-scale shows that buyers have become accustomed to in the East, the event is small but very selective. "We know that the Chinese people are very shrewd; they are very discerning. They are used to fairs and contemporary art, but they are not used to the way we organize fairs in Europe or America. Yet we immediately agreed that this would be a high-level event. We have been very careful with the selection of the galleries," Mori emphasizes. Apart from the carefully considered collection of exhibitors, the surprisingly lengthy duration of the ten-day show and the opulent surroundings of Shanghai Exhibition Center – a gift from Russia to the city of Shanghai, erected in 1955 – the Shanghai Fine Jewellery and Art Fair promises to offer an unrivalled level of service, previously unknown at even the most upscale art events. The elite concierge service Quintessentially reinforces the quality, anticipating a well-heeled turnout that will concentrate on spending, rather than attending. "We stand a very good chance of having the richest men in China attend the fair, thanks to some of the partnerships within the venture, such as Quintessentially. They will be taking care of the VIP registration and service at the fair," says Mori. A separate entrance, a private viewing hour daily between 11 a.m. and midday, an exclusive gala dinner hosted by Hurun – China's wealth tracker - and complimentary membership during the duration of the fair are just a sample of the benefits that will be on offer to the country's rich list attendees.
Once inside the fair, privileged purchasers will be privy to an impressive selection of museum-quality treasures, spanning back as far as 3,000 years and stretching on to the present. "We wanted to give a general overview of the Western art disciplines. Because of the small number of galleries invited to attend this event, we were careful not to duplicate the same periods of art and styles in the fair, because there is not enough space, so we decided to have a maximum of three galleries covering a certain period, although sometimes we have one – for instance, a very important dealer is Gisèle Croës. She specializes in ancient Chinese bronzes, so we didn't look for anyone else. In our opinion, she is widely covering that area. We have Michel Guy Chadelaud covering 19th century furnishing, and we also have 19th century Flemish paintings. The logic was: let's select the best, but also: let's try to give a complete overview of the arts. We don't have 100 booths – but we don't want to. It is important to represent each period well, but this is possible when you choose good dealers," says Mori. "This also links to the commercial side of the fair; if you have too many dealers on offer, you decrease the chance of sales for each dealer and gallery," he adds shrewdly.
While Europe's top fair, Art Basel, has achieved a profitable recipe for success by marrying the worlds of art and design, why did SFJAF opt for jewelry? "Two reasons," says Mori. "Jewelry represents an important network that always brings important people to the fairs; this creates a certain image for the event. On the other hand, the Chinese love jewelry, so it offers something familiar - an attraction to the fair."
As a self-confessed multi-tasker, Mori confesses that, although there are no plans to transverse the project, bringing China's talent to Europe, they are currently considering a proposal to take the same event Stateside at a later date. But as the astute entrepreneur advises, "If you want a good result, you must finish things first – one step at a time."
Shanghai Fine Jewellery and Art Fair will take place from October 12-21 at Shanghai Exhibition Center.