Stellar draw

Ying Qinglan has been featured in fashion and lifestyle magazines, which complements her familiarity with the celebrity scene.

She is the co-founder of Art021, a popular annual art fair in Shanghai that attracts a stellar crowd. Ying is also a celebrity collector of sorts in her circle of friends, many of whom are from the fashion scene.

Ying organized an art award for young Chinese artists, supported by luxury car brand Porsche in late August.

The Shanghai native says she still has a lot to learn and needs time to set up her collection systematically and at her own pace.

"For me, collecting art is actually a humble and private affair," says Ying, adding that she owns several hundred works.

Ying's mother worked in a government culture department and has many connections with art circles. She also buys artwork, mainly figurative paintings.

Ying's first purchase followed in the footsteps of her mother. She bought an oil portrait of herself. In 2012, she bought a painting by influential Chinese artist Zhang Enli in Switzerland, and that inspired her passion to collect more.

She frequently attends gallery exhibitions and fairs. She frequently flies overseas for shows.

"Visiting shows is a kind of lifestyle that I share with my friends. We often go together," says Ying. Friends from the fashion and entertainment fields, whom she has influenced to collect art, include celebrity model Xi Mengyao, who has catwalked for lingerie label Victoria's Secret.

Ying says she loves to meet artists. She even appeared in a work by emerging video artist Cheng Ran. Her experience studying abroad has also fueled her interest in international pieces.

"My mother's generation seldom bought works by foreign artists. But we're from the younger generation and go beyond such borders because of our exposure," she says.

Her collection is also largely inspired by her collector husband, Chau, who has a degree in art history from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. The couple co-founded art fair Art021, and their C.C. Foundation handles their artwork. Still, the husband and wife have separate collections, reflecting their personal tastes.

"I'm independent and try to develop my own style," says Ying.

Apart from art, she runs a beauty center in Shanghai, offering plastic surgery and skincare services. The center is now cooperating with Tongji University on cell regeneration.

She regularly posts her collections and social activities online, and has garnered nearly 270,000 followers on Sina Weibo.

"I'm really happy when I help more people take part in art," she says.

Contact the writer at dengzhangyu@chinadaily.com.cn