Chinese Art Market Today
Statistics on Chinese Art Sales, 2006
- 105 Auction Houses organized 697 sales, totaling RMB1,498,761,316 (US$187,345,164).
- 60% to 70% of all objects sold successfully in Chinese auction sales.
- 28.3% of Chinese painting and calligraphy increased in value; 53.3% remained stable; 18.4% fell.
- 80% of Contemporary Art and oil paintings increased in value; 10% stayed unchanged; 10% fell.
- 23.3% of ceramics increased in price; 50% remained with little change; 26.7% fell.
Market Analysis, 2006
-
The Chinese art market was dominated by short-term investors rather than long-term art collectors. Museums were not active.
-
Contemporary Chinese art of the 80s was the leader.
-
The Chinese art market slowed down afterreaching a peak in 2005.
-
The Chinese art market joined the international Chinese art market. Both Sotheby’s and Christie’s were actively involved in the art market in China.
-
The sale of classical Chinese paintings and calligraphies was very slow as compared with that of contemporary Chinese art and ceramics.
-
Jade, furniture and ceramics were steady, with no dramatic ups and downs.
-
Decorative arts and crafts, the new stars on the market, started to gain favor from buyers.
Market Watch List, 2007
-
Classical Chinese paintings and traditional Chinese paintings, due to their rarity and historical value, will dominate the market.
-
Contemporary oil paintings will yield their leading position to traditional Chinese painting by artists of the 1970s.
-
Paintings by famous contemporary artists will fall 20% below their 2006 market value.
-
Paintings by Fu Baoshi, Huang Binhong and Lin Sanzhi will be hot.
Chinese Paintings by Ancient Female Artists are Inscreasing Fast in Value.
Chinese paintings by seventeen Chinese woman artists of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) were auctioned during the first weekend of September 2006 in Beijing. The female artists included Li Ying, Ma Quan, Qian Yuling, and Liao Jiahui, and the subject matter included flowers, birds, and female figures. In 2004, a Chinese flower painting by Yan Yan of the Song dynasty (918-960) was sold for RMB 275,000 (US$34,375) in Shanghai. The painting of "Five Hundred Arhats" by Liao Jiahui reached RMB 66,000 (US$8,250) in September 2006 in Beijing. Another flower and rock painting by the same artist was sold for HK$36,000 (US$4,600) in Hong Kong in 2005. This consistent rise shows that the value of Classical Chinese Paintings by female Chinese artist has increased strongly over the past two years. This can be an attractive market for new collectors and collectors with a smaller budget.
Chinese Fan Paintings are Moving Up Dramatically in Recent Auction Sales.
Beginning in the second half of 2003, ancient Chinese paintings in the fan format became a valuable choice for Chinese art collectors. A fan painting by Wang Jian (1598-1677), "Pine Trees in Valley," was sold for RMB770,000 (US$96,250) in Beijing. A set of Chinese fan paintings painted and inscribed by eight Chinese masters of the Ming Dynasty reached RMB101,200 (US$12,650) in May 2004 in Beijing. In December 2004, a Chinese figure painting in fan format by the famous Chinese artist of the Yuan dynasty (1269-1368) Liu Guanda (fl.1280) was sold for RMB242,000 (US$ 30,250), breaking the record of the artist in auction sales. Chinse art market analysists predict that classical Chinese fan paintings still have strong potential.
Click here