Thomas Shao, Member of the Reiffers Art Initiatives Committee

Biography

Thomas Shao is a Chinese entrepreneur, philanthropist and art collector. He is the founder of the MetaMedia Group and the Shao Foundation in Shanghai.

Thomas Shao founded MetaMedia in 1993: a leading innovative and high-end media group in China and internationally. MetaMedia owns various types of media platforms in business, culture, art, fashion and lifestyle. The group has launched several leading publications, including Modern Weekly, Life Magazine and City Magazine, among others. MetaMedia has partnerships with many influential international media groups, such as Bloomberg News and Time Inc in the US, Numéro and IDEAT in France, The Art Newspaper in the UK, and also co-publishes their Chinese versions. MetaMedia has ventured into digital publishing in recent years, notably with Nowness, the world’s first creative digital video platform. With the Shao Foundation and the ZiWU and Modern Art Base art spaces, Thomas Shao becomes the first Chinese entrepreneur operating in the fields of publishing, digital technology and art space in China. In 2019, Thomas Shao acquires ArtReview and ArtReview Asia; international revues specialized in contemporary art.