Alexandra Seno talks to Lorenzo Rudolf about Art Stage Singapore’s focus on collectors:

“In Asia, the collector is very, very important,” says Lorenzo Rudolf, the fair’s chief executive. “Even more than America or Europe, where you have good art infrastructure — museums, a strong gallery system, he says, “in Asia, like nowhere else, collectors are today’s main actors.”

Organizers expect more than 40,000 visitors, a 25% increase from 2011, and they have classified 1,000 of them as “collectors.” […]

“Why not become a scene for collectors to dialogue in a region so fragmented?” Mr. Rudolf asks. “We want to bring together leading collectors in Asia, like a Rotary Club. No obligation, but where they are in a circle and communicate and know each other’s art.” […]

“In Asia, people are influenced by who big collectors are buying,” says Sylvain Levy, a real-estate investor who is known for his extensive Chinese art collection. “People get ‘inspired.’”

At This Show, Collectors Rule (SceneAsia/The Wall Street Journal)