French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu said art and brands were interlinked when the middle class becomes the dominant one in a society and starts searching for cultural capital – hence, China. And when this is combined with a prominent institution, so much the better. K11 has partnered with the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Armory Show in New York and the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

K11 Musea is part of the K11 Group, which was founded in 2008 by New World Development heir and entrepreneur Adrian Cheng. It will anchor the new three-million-square-foot, $2.6 billion Victoria Dockside art and design district, developed by parent company New World Group with the goal of revitalising the Kowloon harbourfront.

Through K11, Cheng's stated aim is to "connect China's cultural ecosystem and its emerging millennials and Generation Z with the world". By 2023, K11 is set to have a footprint in nine cities across the Greater China region. Cheng has said he actively wants to "democratise art by creating a habit for millennials to appreciate and understand all forms of beauty".