Chinese auctioneer in HK strives to boost Chinese art in global market

Source:Xinhua Published: 2013-9-14 14:11:25

Celebrating its first anniversary, Hong Kong's Poly Auction is presenting about 2,000 items in its Autumn Auctions, with Chinese Art Important Sale being the focus. The Hong Kong-based Chinese auctioneer is keen to fulfill their mission -- to showcase Chinese art to the world.

"We have our own direction...to promote Chinese art works on the international market," Alex Chang, Managing Director of Poly Auction (Hong Kong) Limited told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Poly Auction Hong Kong's parent company is Beijing-based Poly International Auction Co. Ltd. It ventured into Hong Kong in 2012, fetching 520 million HK dollars (about 67 million US dollars) in their first large-scale auction last autumn in the city.

Chang said Hong Kong is definitely an interface to lead Chinese art to the stage of the world, as in regard of taxation, imports and exports, finance, culture and humanities, transportation, the city is offering an environment with more convenience and freedom.

As part of its development plan, Poly Auction Hong Kong has made Chinese Contemporary Ink Paintings an independent specialist section, Chang said such a move aims at providing the market with a clearer development of this art.

"Chinese contemporary ink painting has been introduced to the international market for some 20 years," he said, however, no one treated it as a specific auction item. "We think it is time to make it stand out."

Despite that it is still green in Hong Kong and the Asia- Pacific region, the young auctioneer was inevitably compared with venerable old auction companies, Christie's and Sotheby's.

Chang said the two international houses have been keen to crack the Chinese Mainland market in the realm of Chinese art, which "is saying that Chinese art has been recognized globally, and we believe the influence of Chinese art will continue to expand in terms of culture and value."

In this year's autumn sale, which will be held from Oct. 5 to 7, Poly Auction Hong Kong is selling close to 2,000 pieces of works at 700 million HK dollars (about 90 million US dollars). The number of items to be on sale is almost doubling that in spring this year.

"We believe that there will be a big growth in our Autumn Auctions," said the auctioneer's director, adding that last year's success has enabled Poly to expand rapidly in Hong Kong.

"Our expectation towards Chinese art auction market is sanguine, " he said, reckoning Chinese bidders would continue to be among the majority vying for Chinese art works.

Talking about the highlights of the coming autumn sale, Chang said Chinese-French abstract painter Zao Wou-Ki's oil on canvas "5. 11.64", painted in 1964, estimating 2.8 million to 4.1 million US dollars, would become an eye-catcher.

Zao's works became more and more popular in recent 10 years in the auction market. His auction record of 8.86 million US dollars was set at Sotheby's, Hong Kong, in October 2011.

"What made this piece of work so special is that Zao once said he started to pick up oil painting in 1935, but it was until 1964 when he really knew how to do oil painting," which, Chang said, has set the painting a milestone among the artist's works.



Posted in: ARTS

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