Representation of Chinese Art in the World Auction Houses: Main Trends, Problems and Perspectives

In the last few years the precedence of Chinese art is increasing globally. International auction houses (e.g.: Sotheby’s, Christie’s) where the Western art has been dominated, are beginning to exhibit more and more works of Chinese art (both traditional and contemporary). The majority of research being devoted to Chinese art, describes the main features of the artworks, its socio-economic, cultural importance and historical heritage. However, there are just a few works, addressing the problems and main tendencies of representation of Chinese art in the world auction houses. Moreover, organizations who provide annual reports on the situation of Chinese art market, haven’t posted their reports for the last 2 years. This research is devoted to analyze the representation of Chinese art in the international art market, the correlation between the price of the piece of art and its artistic value. This research will reveal the phenomenon of the deep interest in Chinese art among westers collectors. This paper will provide the analysis of the total sales of Chinese artworks by the year, calculate the percentage of each type of Chinese art (Contemporary art, Traditional paintings and calligraphy, Antiques and traditional art) and observe the dynamics of sales during the last 3 years. Key words: China, art, Chinese art, traditional Chinese art, contemporary Chinese art, world auction houses, Sotheby’s, Christie’s