A wave of new art institutions in China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA) has drawn considerable attention lately, but beyond the large galleries built by local governments and corporate giants – such as Guangzhou’s Bai’etan Greater Bay Area Art Centre and Shenzhen’s Rong Museum of Art and JD Museum – a young generation of art collectors is emerging.

These new collectors, below or around the age of 40, often approach art collecting differently from their predecessors. They are more eager to share their collections with the public, in ways they can directly control: launching artist residencies, establishing foundations and opening dedicated private spaces.

“There’s really a strong force in the region, including Shenzhen and beyond,” says Christopher Noe, co-founder of Larry’s List, an art market specialist that recently published its second “Next Gen Art Collector” report. Among the more than 120 names on the global list, 17 collectors or collector duos hail from Greater China, and nine of those are based in Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

Below are some of the collectors redefining what it means to support the GBA contemporary art ecosystem from the ground up. This list includes names in the report as well as inspiring collections selected by the South China Morning Post.

Brian Ip

While the pace of cultural development in mainland Chinese cities is stealing the limelight, Hong Kong remains the most established centre for art collecting and philanthropy, even if most collections remain behind closed doors. But here, too, the culture is changing.