Christie's Auction: Chinese arts work stand out at auction

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Christie's has put featured paintings, ceramics and jewelry on display at Rock Bund in Shanghai ahead of its spring auction that begins May 25th in Hong Kong. Asian art, including some rare pieces, are expected to be the auction's highlight. Sun Caiqin has more.

Over 300 art works are in the spring auction and nearly half are on display in Shanghai. An organizer said 13 pieces from Chinese contemporary artists will likely be prized by collectors. Pieces by Zhao Wuji and Wu Guanzhong, as well as Chen Yifei's giant work of four women in qipao are already generating a buzz. Chen's works are rare to find in the market.

ZHUANG JUN CHRISTIE'S "We are very honored to present Chen's painting in his hometown Shanghai. The painting presents Chen's post works where he used Shanghai in the 1930s as a background. He likes to put Chinese poems into paintings, like this one, it is based on Du Fu's poem Li Ren Xing."

One of Chen's paintings was auctioned for 100 million yuan last year. Contemporary artist Zhao's paintings are another highlight. Zhao stopped naming his paintings in order to avoid misleading people when they see his works. Now his paintings are named after the date he completed each one.

The auction company said the Asian market continues to grow. Chinese buyers tend to be interested in more categories, from traditional Chinese art and impressionism to post-war contemporary art.

JONATHAN STONE, DIRECTOR OF ASIAN ART CHRISTIE'S "In 2017, something like over 30 percent of our turnover came from buyers in Asia. Which means that it was the same as Europe or the Americas, and that buying power grew by 40 percent from the previous year. What is particularly significant is that lots valued at more than 1 million British pounds increased by 60 percent."

The pieces will also be presented in Beijing before heading to Hong Kong for the auction between May 25th and May 30th.