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About Us

About Hougai Gallery

Hougai Gallery was born from a life lived between commerce and culture. Founded by Jean-Pierre Roquet (JP), former CEO and board member of Elee China Logistics, the gallery emerged from his lifelong passion for 19th and early 20th-century European painting — a passion that was never merely a side interest, but a sustained dialogue with art across decades.

The nineteenth century represents a pivotal shift in art history: from commissioned works serving the Church, nobility, and state, to a new modernity where artistic creation emerged from the exploration of personal experience, individual aspirations, and everyday life. Artists began painting what truly resonated with their spirituality. In that sense, each work we present is not only a window into the past but also a witness to art’s evolution from collective representation to individual expression.

Over the years, JP has travelled extensively across Europe and Asia, discovering paintings that resonate with him through their sincerity and craftsmanship. The collection at the heart of Hougai Gallery is the result of years of careful attention — an eye trained to recognise quality, authenticity, and emotional depth. Among the tens of thousands of paintings circulating in the market, JP chooses only those that evoke emotion, those that still bear the living trace of an artist’s gaze. This is not the act of a collector who merely accumulates, but of an observer who recognises — to share these works with others who will experience the same quiet thrill of discovery.


Our Promise

Every artwork in our collection represents the assurance of a discerning eye and refined taste—the result of thoughtful, confident selection. We are committed to making authentic European paintings of exceptional quality accessible to a wider audience in China. These works, created by artists who once captured hthe life and spirit of their time, still speak to us today.

A painting from another era can quietly connect us to the shared history of human creativity, enriching our present while honouring the past. That is the spirit in which Hougai Gallery continues to grow.


Our Continued Mission

Today, Hougai Gallery continues this work with the same commitment. We actively source new pieces across Europe, selecting each painting for its artistic merit, historical significance, and emotional depth. This ongoing effort ensures that our collection remains dynamic and evolving, offering fresh discoveries while maintaining a consistent standard of excellence.

We believe that acquiring a painting is a deeply personal experience — not merely about possession, but about connection. The gaze of a figure, the turn of a body, the way light lingers on a surface: these moments create emotions that nothing else can replicate. A work of art holds something alive within it — the trace of its creator’s eye, hand, and thought. To live with such a work is to share space with someone’s vision of the world: intimate, fragile, and enduring.

At Hougai, we believe art should be part of everyday life, not reserved for museums or elites. A painting from another time can quietly enrich a home, becoming part of one’s own story — a reflection of personal taste, sensibility, and memory. For those who acquire these works, it is about recognition: seeing in a painting something of themselves and making it visible in their surroundings. Sharing that presence with family, friends, and guests transforms private feeling into shared experience.