Christie’s unveils Impressionist and Modern masterpieces in China

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01:20

Christie’s, the world-renowned auction house, unveiled four Impressionist and modern masterpieces in Shanghai on December 12 to 13. The collection includes artworks by Claude Monet, Van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Paul Cezanne. These paintings are the most valuable pieces ever brought to Asia by Christie's.

The four are part of a private collection that will go under the hammer in February in London. The collection of 25 total works is the most important single-owner collection of Impressionist and modern art offered in London for a decade. Many of them have gone unseen by the public for the last 30 years. The collection is expected to fetch over 100 million U.S. dollars.

The collections have gone on display in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai, and received ample response from both the public and collectors. In 2017, China narrowly surpassed the UK as the world's second-largest art market, accounting for 21 percent of global art sales. Experts said China may be set to further outpace Britain in the near future, as indicators point to ongoing growth in high-end Asian wealth.

In Asia, Christie's has seen a 24 percent increase in new buyers from the Chinese mainland in the first half of 2018.