Christie's sales of Chinese paintings present works spanning the classical, modern and contemporary periods from as early as the 11th century to the present day, and include masters such as Su Shi (1037-1101), Wen Zhengming (1470-1559), Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), Fu Baoshi (1904-1965) and Liu Kuo-sung (b. 1932). Featuring a diverse range of subject matter including striking calligraphic works and exquisite landscapes in brush and ink, our sales offer collectors and connoisseurs the opportunity to acquire works of art that celebrate the historic tradition of painting in China.
Christie's is renowned for selling significant private collections at auction and achieving record prices for leading artists in this category such as Wood and Rock by Su Shi, which achieved HK$436.6 million / US$59.5 million, making the monumental masterpiece the most expensive object ever sold by Christie's in Asia. Zhang Daqian’s Temple at the Mountain Peak, the second-highest price ever achieved for the artist, was sold HK$209.1 million / US$ 27 million. The Song of the Pipa Player by Fu Baoshi, one of the most important works by the artist, also fetched HK$204.8 million / US$26.3 million in a standalone sale.
We have had the great honor to present works from various notable private and museum collections in our sales, including Six Dragons by Chen Rong from the renowned Fujita Museum collection which realised US$49 million, 40 times higher than its low estimate, and the Chokaido Museum collection, which was 100% sold and fetched over 5 times its original estimate. These achievements signal Christie's success in working with large-scale collections from all over the world.
With a team of specialists in Hong Kong, Beijing and New York, we are dedicated to advising clients on their collection and sourcing works of the finest quality and provenance.
