Chinese Art Market Watch

Prices for the Best Chinese Art, Old And New, Have Skyrocketed. Chinese economic growth is the driving force behind the volatile Chinese art market. Most important is the blossoming of a new generation of collectors in China itself. Five years ago, the art market's center of gravity shifted eastward: more Chinese paintings, old and new, are now purchased by Chinese buyers than by those outside of China. The major international auction houses have opened their own operations on Chinese soil. The global economy and a local rise in income mean that more and more Chinese citizens are taking an interest in art, for both aesthetic and economic reasons. These Chinese art collectors exert a powerful influence on the size and shape of the market.

Cheap Attempts at Classical Chinese Paintings Are Trying to Meet the Demand for High-quality Chinese Art. Although many sellers claim Zhang Daqian as an inspiration, their actual methods as well as the results are second-rate or worse. The supply of poor-quality reproductions is sometimes generated through assembly-line reproduction. Some paintings are reproduced mechanically in the fast-growing economic zones, largely for unwitting tourists or for cheap sale through the less reputable internet galleries.

Chinese Buyers Constitute a Significant force in the Purchase of Classical Chinese Paintings, not just in Hong Kong but in New York, London, Amsterdam and Paris. Sales at China's ten leading auction houses topped US$1 billion in 2005, up from $100 million in 2000, according to published figures.

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• Paintings by female artists of the Ming and Qing dynasty (17th –early 20th century). Li Yin, Ma Quan, Qian Yulin, Liao Jiahui, Chou Zhu, Chen Shu (1660-1736), Liu Ru (1618-1644), Huang Yuanjie are leading female artists of the time.
• Paintings by female entertainers of the Ming and Qing dynasty will be in demand. The leading artist in this category is Xue Susu of the Ming dynasty.  
• Buddhist art objects, especially painting and sculptures, will do well, continuing their excellent performance in 2006.
• Ancient paper money, such as certificates of exchange, is emerging in the market. The most popular ones are a rare set of eight specimens issued by the Chinese government of the Republic period, one of which sold for RMB528,000 (US$66,000) in 2006.
• Scholarly objects, including bamboo carving, ink stones, and desks of rare wood, are hot.
• Wood block prints have started to attract the attention of Chinese art collectors.