Chinese-Language Edition Will Begin Publishing Early Next Year
Thomas Shao, the chief executive of Modern Media Group, and Ye Ying, the new editor of The Art Newspaper China
This past week, London’s The Art Newspaper announced that it has partnered with Beijing-based Modern Media Group to produce The Art Newspaper China under license from early 2013. Joining the Umberto Allemandi network of newspapers which, in addition to The Art Newspaper, includes Il Giornale dell’Arte, Le Journal des Arts, Ta Nea Tis Technis, Il Giornale dell’Architettura and The Art Newspaper Russia, the Chinese-language Art Newspaper China will be distributed with the magazine Bloomberg Businessweek China and the bilingual art-criticism journal Leap.
Taking the helm of this new franchise will be Editor Ye Ying, currently the arts editor of Bloomberg Businessweek China. On this next venture, Anna Somers Cocks, the founding editor and chief executive of The Art Newspaper, remarked:
The revival of art in China over the past 30 years has been one of the most revolutionary developments in that country. It is taken seriously by the Chinese government and is of great interest to the rest of the world. We look forward very much to this bilateral project that will increase understanding between China and the West. We have been fortunate to find the Modern Media Group, which has a leading position in Chinese periodical publishing, with an international outlook and high journalistic standards.
Thomas Shao, the chief executive of Modern Media Group, added:
The Chinese are now curious about the world of art beyond their frontiers, so it is vitally important to launch a professional art newspaper that provides timely and accurate news about the global art scene. The Art Newspaper’s long experience, unparalleled reputation and rich content are precisely what the market needs.
In the same way Condé Nast Traveler recently announced plans to launch in China, The Art Newspaper, keen on monitoring the trends of the Chinese art market, has identified a potentially huge market for their publication. Moreover, while setting up shop independently may be too ambitious even for a mighty conglomerate like Condé Nast, partnering with Chinese agencies appears to be the strategic road to take when expanding readership into the East.
