Pearl Lam () is a Hong Kong-born gallerist, patron, and curator. She is recognized as a leading authority on Asian contemporary art and design. In 2021, Tatler recognized her as one of Asia’s most Influential people. She is regarded as one of the most instantly recognizable gallerists globally due to her unique personal style. Her commitment to art and design aims to promote cultural exchange between East Asia and the world, and present Asia’s art and design contributions to a global audience. In 2008, she founded the China Art Foundation, which showcases the rich history of Chinese culture and traditions on a global stage. The Financial Times has described Lam as “A Powerhouse Of China’s Art World”. She founded the Pearl Lam Galleries (formerly known as Contrasts Gallery) in 2005, a notable entity in Asia’s contemporary art scene with spaces in Hong Kong and Shanghai, known for its cultural ambition that re-evaluates perceptions of cultural practice in China. Lam frequently participates in speaking engagements, focusing on contemporary issues such as inclusivity in the art market, promoting cultural exchange, and the acknowledgment of Chinese contemporary art and design.

Life and career

Lam was born in Hong Kong, which was then a British mandate.Chislett, Helen
"Pearl of the orient"
''The Guardian''. Retrieved 18 April 2014. Lam is the daughter of

Lim Por-yen Lim Por-yen（21 December 1914 – 18 February 2005) was a Hong Kong industrialist. He founded the Lai Sun Group, and his family was the biggest shareholder of Asia Television. Biography Lim was born in Chaoyang, Shantou, on 21 December 1 ...

, a Hong Kong real estate tycoon and founder of the Lai Sun Group. At the age of eleven she was sent to be educated in the United States and the United Kingdom, where she eventually studied accountancy and law. Following her graduation she returned to Shanghai to help her family oversee a real estate project. Not wanting to follow in her parents' footsteps, Lam soon became involved in the Chinese contemporary art scene. In 1993, Lam started organising pop-up exhibitions in Hong Kong.Leanne Mirandilla

"Hong Kong Magazine". Retrieved 17 May 2012. In 2004, Lam was asked by the French Cultural Attache to organise and curate a major exhibition in Shanghai as part of a year of cultural exchanges.Helen Chislett
"A long weekend in Shanghai with Pearl Lam – How to Spend It"
"Financial Times". Retrieved 27 November 2009. The exhibition was called ‘Awakening: La France Mandarin’ and travelled to Beijing, Hong Kong and Paris that year.Nancy Hass

"New York Times". Retrieved 2 April 2006. Lam was nominated as the Chinese design ambassador to France by the French Foreign Ministry and Culture Ministry.Zhu Hui

7 July 2006. From 2000 to 2008, Lam authored the column, "The Rave", for Baccarat Magazine (then known as 'Talkies').Pearl Lam. Why China Art Should Rock (But Doesn't)""Baccarat Magazine". Retrieved 29 May 2008. In 2005 Lam opened her first permanent gallery space in Shanghai, in the early years of its rise as a centre of contemporary art. Focusing on design, Lam used the gallery to introduce Chinese collectors to the international art market.Jill Triptre
"Returning to Rock"
"Luxury Insider". Retrieved July 2012."China Vogue". Retrieved September 2006. Her exhibition for French designer Andree Putman in Shanghai was also shown in Hong Kong's Design Centre.Sophie Hastings
"We will create a vibrant arts scene"
"Financial Times". Retrieved 12 May 2012. The same year, Lam participated in the Forum Talks at the Foire de Paris Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain, and at a conference for the French Senate on Luxury as a guest speaker. In 2006, Lam opened a new gallery on Middle Jiangxi Road in Shanghai where it remains today. In 2009, the design gallery was moved to Xianggang Road Gallery. In 2012, she opened a permanent branch of Pearl Lam Galleries in Hong Kong's Pedder Building.Joyce Lau
"Hong Kong's Cultural Ambitions"
"New York Times". Retrieved 15 June 2012. The gallery's debut exhibition was curated by Gao Minglu.Mei Mei Song
"Pearl Lam Gallery to Open in Hong Kong"
"Hong Kong Tatler". Retrieved 1 March 2012. It was named the best gallery show of the year. The gallery then changed its name from Contrasts Gallery to Pearl Lam Galleries. In 2008, Lam founded the China Art Foundation. The foundation aims to foster global interest in contemporary Chinese art. In early 2014, Lam opened a Singapore branch of Pearl Lam Galleries in Gillman Barracks.Catherine Shaw
"Pearl Opens a New Gallery at Gillman Barracks"
"Wallpaper Magazine". Retrieved 17 January 2014. To inaugurate the new outpost, Lam hosted a group show curated by the author and broadcaster Philip Dodd. Her works extends to sponsoring exhibitions of western art in China and funding an artist-in-residence programme in Shanghai for Western and Asian designers. In 2015, a second gallery space in the Sheung Wan district of Hong Kong was opened with a focus on nurturing younger talents. The inaugural exhibition featured beeswax sculptures by the Beijing-based artist Ren Ri. The exhibit highlights Lam's support for young Chinese artists. Born in 1984, Ren creates beeswax sculptures by removing the artist's subjectivity and allowing bees, nature, and chance to take over the creation process. One of the artists Lam represents is London-based Philip Colbert, a self-titled “pioneer of the metaverse” who launched NFT project The Lobstars. Lam also enjoys exclusivity with Mr Doodle, aka British artist Sam Cox, who covered his entire Kent home in his graphic, graffiti-like imagery. In 2023, Pearl Lam launched The Pearl Lam Podcast, featuring thought-provoking discussions with influential figures from around the world, aiming to inspire, inform, and push the boundaries of conventional thinking.

Recognition

* 2008: One of 100 Women of the Year in 2008 by ''

Corriere della Sera (; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...

'' * 2012: One of the "2012 Art Power 100" by ''

L'Officiel ''L'Officiel'' (; stylised in all caps), full name ''L'Officiel de la couture et de la mode de Paris'' ("The Official ublicationof Paris Couture and Fashion"), is a French bimonthly fashion magazine. It has been published in Paris since 1921 a ...

Art'' * 2012: "Design Power" list by ''

Art+Auction An art auction or fine art auction is the sale of art works, in most cases in an auction house. In England this dates from the latter part of the 17th century, when in most cases the names of the auctioneers were suppressed. In June 1693, Joh ...

'' * 2013: One of the most powerful women "Asia's Women in the Mix" by ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' magazine * 2014: One of the top twenty-five women in the art world by ''

artnet Artnet.com is an art market website. It is operated by Artnet Worldwide Corporation, which has headquarters in New York City. It is owned by Artnet AG, a German publicly-traded company based in Berlin that is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Ex ...

news'' * 2016: "The 2016 Power List: High-Wattage Women of the Art World" by ''Blouin Art Info''http://www.blouinartinfo.com/photo-galleries/the-2016-power-list-high-wattage-women-of-the-art-world-part-1?image=9

References

External links

Pearl Lam GalleryPearl Lam on LinkedInPearl Lam on TwitterPearl Lam on YouTubePearl Lam's bio on Pearl Lam GalleriesPearl Lam on Pearl Lam ShopPearl Lam on China Art FoundationPearl Lam on Medium
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lam, Pearl Living people 1970 births Chinese art dealers Women art dealers Chinese art collectors 20th-century Hong Kong businesspeople 21st-century Hong Kong businesspeople 20th-century Hong Kong businesswomen 21st-century Hong Kong businesswomen