Christie's is preparing two Chinese paintings auctions in Hong Kong on 27 and 28 October 2026, bringing classical calligraphy and painting into conversation with twentieth-century ink art. The sales include important works from several private collections, offering a broad view of the country's artistic traditions.
The classical sale opens the programme
On 27 October, the Fine Chinese Classical Paintings and Calligraphy auction will offer works spanning several centuries. Christie’s singles out Bada Shanren's Flowers and Birds, a twelve-leaf album from a distinguished American private collection, as an important opening point for the catalogue.
The sale also includes Shen Zhou's Pine Trees and Calligraphy, previously associated with the Qing imperial collection and recorded in the Shiqu Baoji catalogue. Such documentation can help establish the historical movement of an object, but serious buyers should still study the relevant scholarly literature and provenance.
Li Keran leads the second day's ink paintings
The 28 October Fine Chinese Modern and Contemporary Ink Paintings sale places Li Keran's 1972 work Sailing in River Li at its centre. His landscape language offers a point of comparison with traditional brushwork while also demonstrating the changes that took place in Chinese painting during the twentieth century.
Other works include several by Zhang Daqian, among them Secluded Dwelling in the Hills and Longevity Cypress. Christie’s also highlights Fu Baoshi's The Song of the Pipa Player and Lin Fengmian's Opera Figures – A Fisherman Kills a Family, introducing distinct approaches to narrative and the human figure.
Private ownership creates opportunities and obligations
A work emerging from an established private collection may carry valuable historical context, particularly where inscriptions, seals or earlier catalogues survive. These details require specialist interpretation, because even an attractive provenance story does not prove that every attribution or date is correct.
Collectors who divide their time between homes and yachts must also consider how works on paper respond to light, humidity and movement. Chinese ink paintings and albums may require controlled storage and professional framing, making conservation planning part of the acquisition process rather than a later refinement.
Hong Kong previews precede the two-day sale
Christie’s lists viewing in Hong Kong from 22 to 27 October at its Asia-Pacific headquarters in The Henderson, followed by the two sale days. A Taipei preview on 17–18 October provides an additional opportunity to engage with selected works before bidding, subject to what is actually displayed.
The announcement was issued as part of the auction house's fortieth anniversary year in Asia. Final estimates and outcomes should be checked by lot, and neither a press statement nor a photograph can replace condition reports, export documentation and expert assessment for significant acquisitions.
Official sources: press.christies.com.
