Inside Rosamond and Ben Brown’s art world empire
Pillars of Hong Kong’s art scene, a mother and son team reveal the fine art of collecting and their ‘Warren Buffett’-style role
“I love the Tony Bevan,” she says, noting the piece by the prominent British artist above the mantle. “Have you got a spare one for me, for my new flat?”
When her son pretends he doesn’t hear, she tries again. “Ben. Have you got any good Tony Bevans for me?”
The badinage between the two (or lack of, in this case – “He’s stingy,” she later jokes) isn’t just evidence of how intertwined their lives still are, but also of how prolific the Browns are as collectors.
“They were thrilled to meet me because I’d started using these new paints – paints that you could use in a humid climate,” she recalls. “An oil painting in that climate … I tried it. You had to have 10 paintings on the go, it was a week before they dried.”