Asian Demand, Proved by Record-Breaking $390 Million Autumn Sales, Pushes Up Prices to Pre-Boom Levels

CHINA.- After the record-breaking $390 million autumn sales at Sotheby’s Hong Kong last month and China Guardian’s $620 million record sales last week – the overall Chinese art market is becoming very hot once again. Whilst other art markets are talking about the recovery, the Chinese art market is experiencing a second boom – strongly supported by regional buyers. Auction prices in certain traditional sectors, such as Chinese painting and calligraphy, as well as antique porcelain and ceramics, have been [...]

World Record: $32.4 million for a Qing Dynasty Vase

HONG KONG (REUTERS).- A Chinese Qing dynasty vase sold for HK$253 million (20.2 million pounds) in a Sotheby’s sale in Hong Kong on Thursday, a world record at auction for any Chinese porcelain. “This is definitely a milestone,” Nicolas Chow, the Deputy Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia told Reuters. “Chinese works of art took their place on the world auction stage today.” While segments of the Chinese art market cooled substantially during the financial crisis, especially once white-hot Chinese contemporary art, [...]

First Zeng Fanzhi Solo Show on the West Coast Opens at Fabien Fryns Fine Art

LOS ANGELES, CA.- Fabien Fryns Fine Art in Los Angeles presents an exhibition of works by Chinese artist Zeng Fanzhi. The exhibition – consisting of 2 “Warhol” and 3 “Mao” portraits – is the artist’s, one of Chinese contemporary art’s brightest stars, first solo show on the West Coast. The exhibition opens on October 2, 2010, from 5 to 7p.m. and ends on December 4, 2010. This exhibition coincides with the launch of the new monograph “Zeng Fanzhi” published by [...]

ArtTactic’s Chinese Contemporary Art Market Confidence Survey Shows Continued Strong Recovery

NEW YORK, NY.- This week, ArtTactic released its newest Chinese contemporary art market confidence survey, which — as expected, considering the success of this spring’s auctions in Hong Kong and mainland China — shows a 27% positive increase in confidence over December 2009, with a majority of respondents believing either that the Chinese contemporary art market has rebounded or will do so within one year. Over the past 18 months, the emergence of the mainland Chinese auction house as a [...]

30 years of Development of Chinese Contemporary Art Since the Reform in New Exhibition

BEIJING.- 30 years of development since the reform and opening-up has made China’s contemporary art grown from the embryonic stage to maturity, and become an important part of Chinese contemporary culture. In the age of globalization, the Chinese contemporary art has set foot on the abroad and won the attention of international art field. The existence of Chinese contemporary art also fully embodies the inclusiveness and openness of contemporary Chinese culture, as well as irreplaceable spiritual values contained. The exhibition [...]

Christie’s Asian Contemporary and 20th Century Art Sales Total $67.2 Million

HONG KONG.- The Christie’s Hong Kong completed its Day and Evening Sales of Asian Contemporary Art and Chinese 20th Century Art on May 30th, 2010. Together with the ground-breaking 100% sell-through Evening Sale that totalled HK$303 million/US$39 million, the combined total of the Day and Evening Sales recorded a total of HK$523.4 million / US$67.2 million, an increase of 85% from Spring 2009 that nearly doubled our nearest international competitor. Eric Chang, Christie’s International Director of Asia Contemporary Art and [...]

Christie’s Expects to See Momentum for Chinese Art Market

HONG KONG.- Auction house Christie’s expects to sell HK$ 1.5 ($193 million) worth of predominantly Chinese artwork during its spring sales in Hong Kong, buoyed by recent positive art sales in the region. While the estimate is similar to the total achieved at Christie’s previous sales series in Hong Kong last autumn, it expects positive market sentiment from last week’s record Sotheby’s Asia auctions to spill into its own sales in May. “Across the board, we’re feeling quietly optimistic,” Jonathan [...]

Thirteen’s SundayArts Teams Up with New Arts Correspondent Melissa Chiu

NEW YORK, NY.- SundayArts — THIRTEEN’S unique broadcast and online showcase for the arts – adds its newest correspondent, Melissa Chiu , in March 2010. Chiu will conduct a series of interviews with tastemakers in the arts who are multi-generational and culturally diverse; her interviews will focus on the compelling life stories of her subjects, who include The Nose opera director William Kentridge, Oscar Award- winning composer Tan Dun, painter Chuck Close, filmmaker and artist Shirin Neshat, and conceptual artist [...]

First Bilingual, Collaboratively Authored Guide to Chinese Contemporary Art Launches

NEW YORK, NY.- ArtSpeakChina (ASC), the first online, collaboratively authored bilingual encyclopedia of Chinese contemporary art officially launched today. Now online at both www.artspeakchina.org and www.tanyishu.cn, the Wikipedia-style reference guide provides both English and Mandarin speakers with hundreds of in-depth articles on Chinese artists and the world of Chinese contemporary art. ASC’s bilingual, collaborative character helps overcome the language barrier and is already improving the global availability, exchange and quality of information about Chinese contemporary art. ArtSpeakChina now contains well [...]

Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei Transforms the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion

BARCELONA.- As of December 10 the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion will be the object of an intervention that reflects on the use of buildings and our concept of them as unique, unalterable spaces. The artist Ai Weiwei, one of the leading – and most controversial – figures of Chinese contemporary art, will fill the Pavilion pools with two elements that, though very common in our everyday lives, are totally foreign to architectural construction. He will replace the water of [...]

Classical Paintings Shine at Christie’s in Hong Kong

HONG KONG.- Sales of traditional Chinese paintings and old masters notched up firm results at Christie’s autumn sales in Hong Kong, outshining Chinese contemporary art. Christie’s, hit by anemic spring sales due to the financial crisis, had been banking on the current autumn sales in Hong Kong, now the firm’s third biggest arts hub after New York and London, for a reversal of fortunes. In the fine Chinese modern paintings sale, 84 percent of lots were sold including a world [...]