he Hefner Collection represents MeiLi and Robert A. Hefner III's passion for contemporary Chinese art and their commitment to sharing their knowledge of this art and culture with others. It began in 1985 when American businessman and collector Robert Hefner first visited China and started to acquire the best examples of Post-Cultural Revolution oil painting. Today, The Hefner Collection is recognized as the most important collection of its kind in the world and encompasses not only work from this period, but seminal examples from Chinese oil painting's history dating back to the early 20th century.