“UCCA remains committed to bringing the public high-quality exhibitions of Chinese and global contemporary art, promoting contemporary cultural understanding and serving as a bridge between China and the world.” — UCCA statement

    THE Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA), Beijing’s leading contemporary art house, issued a statement Monday, quashing rumors that the owner, Guy Ullens, was planning to “retreat from China.”

    The statement refers to a “recent announcement by Sotheby’s Hong Kong [SHK] about the April 2011 auction of works from the Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation Collection.”

    SHK plans to offer 106 pieces from the Ullens collection, all Chinese contemporary works from the 1980s and early 1990s. A famous triptych by Zhang Xiaogang and a painting of Mao Zedong by Wang Guangyi are among the lots. Other works from the Ullens collection will also be sold at the Beijing Poly International Auction House during its spring sales.

    The announcement once again triggered widespread speculation of Ullens’ intentions. The Belgian food baron and avowed art collector sold a number of traditional Chinese paintings during the economic downturn and was said to have sold the Ullens Center to the Minsheng Art Museum last year.