Christies Shanghai to London Sales Series Announced

SHANGHAI AND LONDON – Launching the 20/21 Marquee Sale Weeks in 2022, Christie’s March season will establish a dialogue between the cities of London and Shanghai. The 20/21 Shanghai to London series of auctions will take place on 1 March 2022, beginning with the 20th / 21st Century: Shanghai Evening Sale before moving to the 20th / 21st Century: London Evening Sale and concluding with The Art of the Surreal Evening Sale. This initiative continues Christie’s pioneering commitment to Shanghai with the auction inaugurating the new office and gallery spaces at BUND ONE, No. 1 East Zhongshan Road. Christie’s remains the only international auction house to be authorised to hold sales in Mainland China and this will mark our first in the city since the pandemic began. The 20/21 Shanghai to London series of sales will also be live and livestreamed to our salerooms in Hong Kong and New York. Highlights from each of the three sales within the Shanghai to London series will be announced in the coming weeks.

Giovanna Bertazzoni, Vice Chairman, 20th / 21st Century Department, Christie’s: “Providing innovative ways of connecting our clients to the finest examples of art that span the dynamic art movements and artists of the 20th and 21st centuries is what has come to define Christie’s global auction programme. At the heart of this is our desire to showcase Western art in Asia and Asian artworks to the rest of the world. Christie’s has a longstanding relationship with clients in Mainland China, where we were the first to sell a painting by Pablo Picasso in the region whilst setting world records for artists including Cheong Soo Pieng in our ground-breaking auction in 2013. We will continue this spirit in the pioneering Shanghai to London sale series, which will see the likes of Basquiat, Picasso, Van Dongen, Chagall, Magritte, and Riley presented to the market while inaugurating our fantastic new space at BUND ONE. We look forward to welcoming our clients to our salerooms not only in Shanghai and London but in Hong Kong and New York too.”

Rebecca Yang, Chairman, Christie’s China: “Christie's China saw a remarkable year in 2021 with exceptional participation from new and established collectors in our global auctions. The relocation of our Shanghai art space and the relaunch of auctions in Shanghai this March once again demonstrate our continued commitment and confidence in the Chinese market. Now that Shanghai has become one of the most exciting art destinations in Asia, I am pleased that we are able to facilitate a global dialogue through this innovative Shanghai to London joint sale series that reflects the diversified and growing appetite of our clients. My colleagues and I look very much forward to welcoming clients and visitors alike to Christie's new home at BUND ONE."

Katharine Arnold, Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art, Europe and Keith Gill, Head of Impressionist and Modern Art, London: “London is pivotal to the dialogues that Christie’s has established between art world hubs across the globe. Having presented pioneering auctions in Shanghai since 2013, we are thrilled to continue the ongoing cultural exchange with our colleagues and collectors in Shanghai. Iconic artists and art movements are what shape our 20th / 21st Century: London Evening Sale, and we look forward to announcing works shortly. As demonstrated in our successful London to Paris auctions in 2020 and 2021, we will bring together our global collector base in the March season, offering masterpieces and fresh contemporary names from the 20th and 21st centuries.” 

Grace Zhuang, Head of Sale, 20th / 21st Century: Shanghai Evening Sale: “The Shanghai portion of the joint auction is carefully sourced by Christie's international team of specialists, demonstrating our strength and vision as a global art business. Since our first auction in Shanghai in 2013, Christie’s has been deeply involved in the evolving contemporary art scene in China. With the debut of our first sale after opening our new space in Shanghai, we are proud to continue to resonate with collectors, and we will share highlights in the coming weeks."