Art Insider: Adriana Alvarez-Nichol

Oliver Giles, Hong Kong Tatler

Art gallery Puerta Roja is not only unique in Hong Kong—it’s unique in the whole of Asia. Founded in 2010 by Adriana Alvarez-Nichol, Puerta Roja is the only gallery on the continent that specialises in art from Spain and Latin America, shining a light on part of the world that was previously overlooked by many art lovers.

Who in the art world most inspires you and why?

“I think I would have to choose Carlos Cruz-Diez. At 95, the artist continues to work every day with unparalleled energy and positive spirit. Despite his global stature, Cruz-Diez remains a humble, kind soul, constantly searching for intellectual answers while affecting emotionally everyone that meets him. He has also involved his family in his work, developing a vision for his legacy that I think is unique among artists.

As for gallerists, I would need to say Denise René, who launched the career of the likes of Vasarely, Soto, Agam and Cruz-Diez himself. So powerful was her influence in post-war art that she was nicknamed the “Pope of Abstraction”. I founded Puerta Roja in 2010, two years before Denise René’s passing at the age of 99. This past spring, I was privileged to organise a joint exhibition with Galerie Denise René, which is now led by her nephew, Denis Killian.”

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