Christie's adds new category to fetch Chinese buyers

A pair of red enamel porcelain bowls will be under the hammer at Christie's auction on Saturday. [Photo provided to China Daily]

For foreign auction houses that aren't legally allowed to sell Chinese antiquities on the mainland, an important strategy is to create new collection fields.

Last October, Christie's launched an auction of contemporary Chinese designs in Shanghai. A total of 22 lots with price estimates, upward of 10,000 yuan ($1,600), were sold.

It will auction 35 design works, mostly of Chinese masters with some by Japanese and South Korean artists, at a Shanghai sale on Saturday.

Geraldine Lenain, international director of Christie's Chinese ceramics and works of art, who introduced the category, says the sale will compare masters of different backgrounds in the region to enliven traditional aesthetics with a modern look.

"There is one thing in common with the whole group (of artists involved)－very simple shapes and lines so that the craftsmanship can come forward and be the priority," she tells China Daily, adding that it shows how Chinese designer masters are creating a new dynasty of Chinese art.