The Swiss exhibitions group MCH, organiser of the leading art fairs Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach, is buying a majority (60 per cent) stake in Asian Art Fairs Ltd, owner of the Hong Kong International Art Fair, HK11. The deal, due to be finalised in July, extends Basel’s reach into the potentially hugely lucrative Asian market. Earlier this year it was revealed that China has leapt to the number one place in auction terms, knocking out the traditional US/UK dominance of the art market.
巴塞爾國際藝術博覽會(Art Basel)與巴塞爾邁阿密博覽會(Art Basel MiamiBeach)的主辦方瑞士展會集團公司MCH將控股（佔60%股份）香港國際藝術展（Hong Kong International Art Fair，即HK11）所有方亞洲藝術博覽會有限公司(Asian Art Fairs Ltd)。本次交易定於7月正式生效，這使得巴塞爾國際藝術博覽會成功將觸角延伸至最具贏利前景的亞洲市場。若從拍賣金額衡量，今年年初中國市場就已躍居全球首位，把藝術品市場的傳統王者美國及英國趕下了寶座。