Join the conversation here: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/j/3073785963?pwd=WjhNZXp4NmdmTmJxeEtsNTdta3pRdz09
Password: 010838

After watching The Chinese Lives of Uli Sigg, which streams this month on our website, join Sigg and filmmaker Michael Schindhelm for a conversation about Sigg’s life and his devotion to contemporary Chinese art. Uli Sigg is not a man who does things by halves. “My ego, my way” says a tee shirt he wears at one point in the film. When he took up rowing, he went to the world championships. When he negotiated a joint venture, he wanted to create a model for future partnerships. And when he became interested in Chinese art, he built a world-class personal collection. Sigg championed the artists he admired, working tirelessly for their international recognition and to preserve their artwork as a record of China's tumultuous and historic changes. Eventually, Sigg became the Swiss ambassador to China and a consultant on major Chinese art projects, including the construction of the Bird’s Nest stadium for the Olympic Games. Schindhelm’s film is a history of China's recent opening to the West, and of the West's embrace of Chinese contemporary art, through the eyes of Sigg and the artists he championed.