Thai pharma dynasty opens doors to 1,000-piece contemporary collection

"After his death in 2023, the project has been brought to fruition by his son Purat 'Chang' Osathanugrah, who is the president of Bangkok University, the chief executive of the property company Zipcode and a partner at the private equity firm Arc 9, which he co-founded. 'Petch was building his collection over a few decades, always with the idea that eventually he would share his collection,' says Miwako Tezuka, Dib's inaugural director and a former curator at New York's Asia Society Museum."

"Tezuka describes Bangkok's art scene as 'nearing a tipping point to become a destination for art for the global audience'. Since 2018, the Bangkok Art Biennale and the Thailand Biennale have built 'considerable energy' in Thailand, she says. The private Maiiam Contemporary Art Museum was established in 2016 in Chiang Mai, a northern Thai city with a number of art schools and studios, and in 2020, the trailblazing gallery 100 Tonson in Bangkok was converted into a foundation."

Dib Bangkok opened in a converted 1980s warehouse in Bangkok to present a vast family art collection to the public. The museum fulfills a long-held ambition of collector Petch Osathanugrah, who died in 2023, and the project was completed by his son Purat 'Chang' Osathanugrah. Purat serves as president of Bangkok University, chief executive of Zipcode and a partner at Arc 9. Miwako Tezuka is the inaugural director and previously curated at New York's Asia Society Museum. Bangkok's contemporary art scene has expanded with biennales, new museums, converted foundations, galleries and prominent artists, maintaining international visibility despite political turmoil since 2014.

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