Painting by Michaël Borremans. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A critical darling and the heir apparent to Francisco Goya, the Ghent-based Borremans paints enigmatic portraits that suggest a dark, sinister narrative lurking in the depths. His haunting canvases reference the Old Masters and numerous moments in art history, steeped in ambiguous symbolism. It's a world where the beauty of the Romantics meets the aggressive, sexually charged brutality of the modern era in silent meditation.

To support the Hong Kong gallery launch, Zwirner has appointed Asian art experts Leo Xu (who founded Leo Xu Projects in Shanghai in 2011, which represented emerging Chinese artists) and Jennifer Yum (the former vice-president and head of morning day sales in the post-war and contemporary art department at Christie's New York) as directors to oversee his first outpost in the region.

Prior to opening his gallery, Xu was the Shanghai director of the James Cohan Gallery and the founding director of Chambers Fine Art in Beijing. During her 12 years at Christie's, Yum actively developed business in Asia, particularly in South Korea and Japan. For nearly a decade, she was the principal of Jennifer Yum Art Advisory, specialising in advising private, corporate and institutional clients on art acquisitions, appraisals and curatorial management.

Clearly we're getting 2018 started on the right foot, artistically speaking.