Home Insights & News Asia Week New York and the Practice of Collecting Chinese Art

Asia Week New York and the Practice of Collecting Chinese Art

从邦瀚斯秋拍走进纽约亚洲艺术周

10.14.2026
Jie Chengying Xiu

Bonhams and the September 2026 auction season

Market results and exhibition schedules as of September 29, 2026

For someone beginning to collect Chinese art, Asia Week New York offers an unusually useful place to learn. Within a concentrated period, collectors can study works across auction houses and galleries, encounter different specialist perspectives, and see how scholarship and market demand meet. This September, my own participation in Bonhams’ Chinese paintings auction made that opportunity personal.

The autumn 2026 edition ran from September 10 to 18, with gallery and online exhibitions and sales associated with six auction houses: Bonhams, Christie’s, Doyle, Freeman’s, Heritage Auctions and Sotheby’s. Some online auctions continued beyond those dates. The organization’s principal annual gathering takes place in March, while its autumn program and year-round activities extend the conversation. For visitors, the appeal includes exhibitions and learning opportunities as well as bidding. [1,2]

My focus on Bonhams reflects the depth and continuity of its Chinese paintings program in New York. Among Bonhams, Christie’s and Sotheby’s, it was the only house whose published September 2026 New York program included a standalone Chinese paintings and calligraphy auction. [3,25,26] According to Krystal Liu, its New York Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy specialist and head of sale, the department holds four auctions annually, including two live and two online sales. [24] For collectors exploring this field, that continuity and specialist attention make Bonhams a particularly useful starting point. Christie’s and Sotheby’s also maintain established Chinese paintings departments and hold dedicated sales in Hong Kong; the distinction here concerns the format of this New York season. [27,28]

Bonhams’ September 15 sale, Fine Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy, deserves particular attention. Its program brought classical painting into conversation with twentieth-century schools and contemporary ink, including the Fifth Moon Group. An accompanying talk by artist Arnold Chang addressed Chinese painting’s evolution in modern China and the diaspora. This combination of works and discussion offered collectors a way to understand connections across generations. [3]

The house’s importance also extends beyond this season. The Value reported that a seventeenth-century Longnü figure sold at Bonhams Hong Kong in May 2025 for HK$27,074,000 to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That institutional acquisition illustrates the caliber of objects Bonhams can bring to market. Its September paintings program, meanwhile, provides a different point of entry for people drawn to ink, calligraphy and the development of modern Chinese art. [4]

Published lot statuses from the September paintings sale show both successful sales and selectivity. Zhang Daqian’s Blue/Green Landscape of 1945 and Arnold Chang’s Meander Series: Streams of 1998 were marked sold; Mu Xin’s Silent Expanse was marked passed. These outcomes are a useful reminder to examine individual works and the full catalog alongside headline totals. [5,6]

Selected September auction results in US dollars

House and scope Reported result Context
Bonhams
September Asia Week series		 $5.74 million Three live and two online sales, including Chinese, Japanese and Korean art; a rounded series total. [7]
Christie’s
Two Chinese art live sales		 $25,966,160 Individual totals of $17,270,480 and $8,695,680; 82% and 94% sold by lot, respectively. [8]
Sotheby’s
Chinese Art, September 16		 $10,595,072 The Value reported 163 of 230 lots sold, approximately 71%. [9,10]
Christie’s
Hiroshige collection, September 15		 $6,991,616 All 181 lots sold, illustrating demand beyond Chinese art. [11]
Freeman’s
Two sales, September 17 and 18		 Over $3.7 million Includes $687,168 for the Thomas Klein snuff-bottle collection, with all 117 lots sold. [12]
Heritage Auctions
Asian art sale, September 16		 $1,072,596 Auction #8270; New York viewing, with the auction based in Dallas. [13,14]

 

These figures cover different categories and numbers of sales; they are not a ranking or a complete Asia Week total. Bonhams’ figure is from its September 28 announcement as reproduced by Bidamount. Sotheby’s total and sell-through are from The Value; the other totals above are from the auction houses. Christie’s and Sotheby’s published prices include buyer’s premium. A buyer’s final cost may also include taxes and other charges. [7–14]

Individual results help explain the range. Christie’s sold a seventeenth-century huanghuali daybed for $3,170,000. At Sotheby’s, The Value reported $2,048,000 including fees for a late Tang or Five Dynasties gilt-bronze Buddhist figure. Freeman’s reported $1,036,800 for a large blue-and-white vase. These are significant outcomes for particular objects, rather than evidence that all Chinese art is rising in value. [8,9,12]

For collectors interested in Chinese painting, Bonhams’ selection offers a useful focus within a varied auction week. The results at Christie’s and Sotheby’s show the depth of the wider market. Together, these programs give collectors an opportunity to compare works, consult specialists and identify the material that best fits their interests. Each decision still turns on the particular work, its documentation and the terms of sale.

I participated online in Bonhams’ September 15 auction in my personal capacity as a collector and acquired two works: Lu Xiaoman’s Flowers and Insects (1931) and Zheng Lianjie’s Abstract Landscape (2025). That experience brought the practical questions of collecting into focus: understanding a catalog description, setting a considered bidding limit, and keeping the records that will accompany a work through future ownership. I share this experience as a personal observation about collecting. [5,15]

My background in corporate, securities and M&A practice shapes the questions I bring to an art transaction: who is selling, what is being promised, what documents support the transaction, and how responsibility is allocated. Legal review and specialist assessment serve different purposes, and a considered purchase can benefit from both. An attractive catalog and a successful bid are the beginning of those considerations.

For a first Asia Week visit, I would begin with one collecting interest and a manageable selection of exhibitions. Read catalogs in advance, attend previews where possible, ask for condition reports and discuss attribution and provenance with the relevant specialists. Before bidding, review the governing terms and applicable charges, including any fee for using a third-party bidding platform. Plan for payment, insurance, shipping and any cross-border requirements, and retain the catalog entry, invoice and supporting correspondence. [5,10,13]

There is also a distinction worth remembering when sharing a collection: acquiring a physical artwork does not, by itself, transfer copyright in the work. Plans to reproduce an image in a publication or on a website should therefore receive separate attention. [16]

The autumn calendar continues in Hong Kong and other Asian cities. The following selection distinguishes exhibitions open on September 29 from those still ahead. A preview offers a chance to study works before bidding; a selling exhibition offers works through private sale. Neither should be confused with a museum exhibition or with an auction result.

Exhibitions and previews open or forthcoming as of September 29

Program and location Dates and status What to see
Phillips
West Kowloon, Hong Kong		 September 21–30
Open		 Modern and contemporary art preview at WKCDA Tower, 8 Austin Road West; works by Zao Wou-Ki, Zeng Fanzhi and others. Auctions September 30. [17]
Christie’s
Doha, Qatar		 September 28–October 3
Open		 Published visitor dates for The Art of Collecting, at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre; art, design, jewellery and watches offered through private sales. [18]
Sotheby’s
Central, Hong Kong		 October 4–8
Forthcoming		 Chinese paintings preview at Sotheby’s Maison, Chater House; viewing dates listed by GalleriesNow. Auction October 9. [19,20]
Christie’s
Taipei		 October 17–18
Forthcoming		 Chinese paintings and Au Bak Ling collection previews at the Taipei Marriott Hotel. Advance registration required. [21,22]
Christie’s
The Henderson, Hong Kong		 From October 22
Forthcoming		 Painting previews October 22–27; Au Bak Ling porcelain preview October 22–28. A separate Royal Academy Chinese art commemorative exhibition runs October 22–November 6. [21,22]

 

Bonhams has also announced Chinese paintings in Hong Kong on October 7 and its Iconic Speelman sale on October 28, the latter with more than forty lots. Collectors can consult the house for viewing arrangements. Exhibition schedules and admission requirements should be checked again when planning a visit. [23]

For collectors and families moving between New York and Asia, these programs offer an opportunity to develop an eye, build relationships and understand the documents behind a purchase. Asia Week can be the beginning of that process. As I develop my Art Law practice at Becker, I look forward to helping collectors, artists and art-related businesses bring the same care to their legal and commercial decisions that they bring to the works themselves.

This article provides general information and personal observations. It is not legal, tax or investment advice, and the author’s purchases are not recommendations to acquire particular artists or works.

Sources and Data Notes

参考资料与数据说明

Accessed September 29, 2026. References apply to both language versions. Dates refer to local exhibition or auction dates. Rounded totals are preserved as reported; the figures are not aggregated across houses. Personal acquisition details are based on the author’s account.

  1. Asia Week New York autumn 2026 announcement — Autumn dates and participating auction houses.
  2. Asia Week New York history — March gathering and year-round program.
  3. Bonhams autumn program at Asia Week New York — September 15 paintings sale, twentieth-century emphasis and Arnold Chang talk.
  4. The Value interview with Asaph Hyman — February 12, 2026; reports the Metropolitan Museum acquisition in May 2025.
  5. Bonhams paintings catalog on LiveAuctioneers page 3 — Lots 264 and 270; published lot statuses and bidding charges.
  6. Bonhams paintings catalog on LiveAuctioneers page 5 — Lots 307, 308 and 318; published lot statuses.
  7. Bonhams news feed reproduced by Bidamount — September 28 series total. Syndicated announcement excerpt, not a detailed results sheet.
  8. Christie’s Chinese art results announcement — September 18, 2026; two Chinese art sales, sell-through and daybed result.
  9. The Value report on Sotheby’s New York Chinese art sale — September 17, 2026; sale total, lot counts and the $2,048,000 result. Secondary reporting.
  10. Sotheby’s New York Chinese art catalog — September 16 sale; published results convention includes premiums and excludes applicable taxes and costs.
  11. Christie’s Hiroshige results announcement — September 15, 2026; total and all 181 lots sold.
  12. Freeman’s September Asian art results — September 18, 2026; rounded two-sale total, Klein collection and blue-and-white vase result.
  13. Heritage Auctions sale 8270 — Reported realized total, Dallas location and auction information.
  14. Heritage September catalog and New York viewing details — Auction-house listing of New York preview at 445 Park Avenue.
  15. Zheng Lianjie lot 318 on LiveAuctioneers — Catalog identification. Statements about the author’s acquisitions are her personal account.
  16. United States Copyright Act section 202 — Physical ownership and copyright are distinct.
  17. Phillips Hong Kong September sale announcement — September 21, 2026; preview September 21–30, venue and auction date.
Areas of Focus: Art Law

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