Friday, March 25, 2011
Qi Baishi' painting of Guan Lin sold for $1.5 million
For the first time in the auction world, China last year topped the United States and the United Kingdom as the biggest seller of art.
Chinese public auctions in 2010 accounted for 33% of worldwide global fine art sales (everything from paintings to sculptures to photography), while American houses sold 30% and UK 19 %.
Leading the way in sales were Poly Auctions ($1.45 billion) and China Guardian ($1.14 billion), each of which enjoyed record years and easily beat out Christie’s ($722 million) and Sotheby’s Hong Kong ($685 million).
One art expert, G. Roger Denson, says China’s newfound dominance in the art market may result in critics and historians reshaping “the canon of global art history to better reflect [China’s] own image,” which would mean focusing more international attention on traditional Chinese artists.
Although Andy Warhol raked in the most money at auctions in 2010, second and third places went to Chinese painters Qi Baishi and Zhang Daqian.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Is China Number One? New Analysis Puts Chinese Art Market Ahead of U.S. and U.K. (by Madeleine O’Dea, ArtInfo China)
China Takes Top Spot in Art Auction Sales Away From the US & UK -- What It Means for Global Culture (G. Roger Denson, Huffington Post)
Comments