Visiting Professor Dr. Uli Sigg

Photo: Christian Scholz

The Chair of East Asian Art History is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Uli Sigg—Swiss entrepreneur, former ambassador to PR China, North Korea and Mongolia, and the leading patron and collector of contemporary Chinese art—as Visiting Professor for the Autumn Semester 2025 and the academic year 2026.

Internationally recognised patron and collector of contemporary Chinese art, Dr. Uli Sigg shared his expertise in autumn 2025 in a groundbreaking course at UZH titled "Inside the Art World: Collecting, Curating, and Cultural Diplomacy in the Chinese Cultural Sphere," bridging academic inquiry with professional practice. The course offered first-hand insights into how contemporary art is curated, circulated, and canonised, while critically examining the socio-economic and institutional forces that shape these processes — drawing on Sigg's unique role in the making of contemporary Chinese art history.

With over 140 students from diverse disciplines participating, the course generated exceptional engagement and demonstrated a clear demand for expanded teaching in Chinese art. By bringing one of the most significant collectors and cultural diplomats in the field directly into the UZH classroom, the course strengthened ties between Swiss and Chinese art worlds and positioned UZH as a meaningful site of exchange within the broader international conversation on Chinese art history.

— Watch Reflections on Dr. Sigg’s Course "Inside the Art World" —