It's an arranged marriage that has collectors salivating. In its inaugural show, Pace Beijing, the newly opened outpost of New York mega-gallery PaceWildenstein, pairs western greats such as Andy Warhol, Chuck Close and Jeff Koons with China's hottest names, including Zhang Xiaogang, Fang Lijun and Yue Minjun. Focusing on contemporary portraiture, the show, Encounters, presents east and west side by side, suggesting equivalence in both quality and importance.

The art isn't the only thing coming to China. In addition to the Pace Beijing opening that took place this month, New York's James Cohan Gallery recently opened a space in Shanghai and the powerhouse Gagosian Gallery is planning a Hong Kong location. The trend of major western galleries now franchising in China seems to point to a new phase of internationalism for the art world.

The contemporary canon is increasingly global in scope; artists from anywhere can garner top prices and the sleek white cube has become an international standard. “Previously, we had to go to Berlin, London or New York to see things of global importance,” says Pace Beijing director Leng Lin. “Now Beijing is an international city.”