UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing. OMA Architects

Since its founding in 2007, Beijing’s UCCA Center for Contemporary Art has played a pivotal role in amplifying the international recognition of Chinese artists while raising awareness of global artistic practices within China. One of the country’s first private contemporary art museums, UCCA was established in Beijing’s 798 Art District by late Belgian collector, philanthropist and patron Baron Guy Ullens.

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After retiring, Ullens—together with his second wife, Miriam—dedicated himself fully to the arts and philanthropic work. A passionate supporter of the post-1989 generation of Chinese artists who emerged in the wake of the Tiananmen Square protests, Ullens championed the conceptually rigorous, politically engaged work of figures such as Zeng Fanzhi, Huang Yong Ping and Wang Guangyi. His holdings of this early avant-garde formed the backbone of what became the Ullens Center, an institution that would steadily evolve into a multi-location platform known for its intellectually ambitious and carefully curated exhibitions.

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Although the Ullens family handed over leadership of UCCA in 2017, Baron Guy Ullens remained deeply committed to the museum’s development and to expanding the vision he had originally seeded. Several weeks ago, UCCA announced his passing; in an Instagram post, the institution wrote: “We remember him with deep respect and gratitude. His legacy endures—in the institution he founded, the artists he championed, and the communities he helped build—and will continue to shape and inspire UCCA’s work and mission.”

With the announcement of his passing, and ahead of Beijing Gallery Weekend (May 25-June 11), Observer revisits the legacy of the institution he created, speaking with current director Philip Tinari about UCCA’s evolution and its enduring role in shaping China’s contemporary art scene.

Today, the growing network of UCCA museums is led by a corporate entity, the UCCA Group, which has scaled up significantly from Ullens’s original vision—particularly after 2018, when UCCA formally received museum accreditation and became a licensed nonprofit foundation registered with both the Beijing Bureau of Civil Affairs and the Hong Kong government.

That same year, UCCA expanded with a second location: UCCA Dune in Beidaihe, carved discreetly into the Aranya Gold Coast’s........

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