MEET THE SPECIALIST

What is your current position at Bonhams? What did you do before?

I’m currently a Specialist and Head of Sale in the Department of Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy at Bonhams, based in New York. We hold four sales every year, including two live and two online sales. Our next live sale will take place on September 15, alongside an online sale running from September 8 to 17.

Before joining Bonhams, I worked with Chinese classical furniture dealer Nicholas Grindley and the Lowentheil China Photography Collection.  I also worked as a cataloger and object intelligence researcher at Christie’s, where I gained experience across different areas of Chinese art.

Where are you from and what inspired you to go into the art world? 

I grew up in Zhuhai (literally meaning “pearl sea”), a beautiful coastal city in southern China’s Guangdong Province, bordering Macau and Hong Kong. That location gave me early access to the art world. I often visited auction previews and art fairs in Hong Kong where I was fascinated by the excitement of seeing great works of art gathered in one place before they changed hands.

After graduating from King’s College London, I spent a year in Beijing working at a contemporary art gallery, which happened to be located next to the Kerry Hotel where many auction previews were held. Later, while studying art history at New York University, my Chinese painting professors often brought us to auction previews as part of our classes. These experiences gradually deepened my fascination with the auction world and ultimately inspired me to pursue a career in this field.

What was your first job?

My first job during college and graduate school was working as a freelance feature writer for a magazine under Southern Weekly. Looking back, it was actually excellent training for the auction world. It sharpened my research and writing skills, and taught me how to connect with people quickly; I often had to interview someone for two to three hours the very first time I met them, and somehow ask the right questions!

What is your strength as a specialist?

I would say my strength as a specialist lies in the combination of research, connoisseurship, and client relationships. My academic training in art history has helped me to develop effective research methodologies, allowing me to uncover as much information as possible about artworks and artists, and to analyze each work from the perspectives of an art historian, a connoisseur and an aesthete.

At the same time, I treat my clients with sincerity and care, often building relationships that feel more like friendships. They trust not only my expertise, but also my dedication to maximizing the value of the works they collect as well as my advice on collecting.

What excites you most about your upcoming auction?

What excites me most about our upcoming auction is the range and rarity of the works we are presenting, from 18th-century imperial pieces to contemporary ink paintings.

The live sale features two very rare Qing imperial works. The first is an album of eight leaves (Lot 231) illustrating the stages of porcelain production at the Qing Imperial kilns in Jingdezhen, from the preparation of raw materials to forming, decorating, glazing, firing, and transporting the finished wares. Finely executed in a meticulous style, the album is filled with lively and fascinating details, offering a rare visual record of the craftsmanship behind imperial porcelain production.

The second is an extremely rare Qing court oil portrait of a lady (Lot 235) attributed to the school of Jean-Denis Attiret (1702-1768), the French Jesuit painter who served at the imperial court under the Chinese name Wang Zhicheng. The work may originally have been an affixed painting (tieluo) in the Summer Palace intended to create a tromp-l’œil effect. With its refined depiction of the sitter’s face, luxurious fur-lined robe, and carefully rendered interior setting, the painting offers a compelling glimpse into the hybrid visual language of the Qing court, where European modeling and perspective were adapted to imperial Chinese portraiture.

This season, our sales include a selection of contemporary ink paintings, including works by artists of the Fifth Moon Group, a group formerly in the collection of the renowned collector, connoisseur and artist C.C. Wang (Wang Jiqian, 1907-2003), as well as another group acquired directly from artists by a Chicago private collector.

The cover lot of our live sale is Liu Dan’s Single Pinwheel (Lot 311) executed in 1999 while the artist was living in New York. Both this work and his Ink Daffodil 1 (Lot 312) were acquired directly from Liu Dan’s solo exhibition Still Expression: Recent Flower Paintings by Liu Dan held by The Chinese Porcelain Company in New York in 2000. While rooted in the long tradition of Chinese flower painting and ink-and-brush practice, Liu Dan transforms these familiar subjects through meticulous observation, dramatic scale, and a heightened sense of form. Together, the two works bridge classical literati sensibility and contemporary visual language, turning individual blossoms into powerful studies of nature, perception, and artistic discipline.

Do you have a hidden talent?

As a specialist in Chinese Paintings, how could I not practice this art form myself? I began learning ink painting when I was young, later explored Western-style sketching and gouache, and am now returning to Chinese ink painting with renewed focus. I have been developing my skills under the encouragement and guidance of Arnold Chang, whose own painting (Lot 308) is also included in our upcoming September Chinese Painting live sale. Arnold will also be giving a lecture on modern and contemporary Chinese painting at Bonhams New York on September 13 at 3pm! Don’t miss it and RSVP here!

Apart from painting, dance has been one of the most constant and nourishing parts of my life. I’ve been dancing since I was four and still perform occasionally! I started with Chinese classical and folk dance, later trained in ballet as well. Dance keeps reminding me of who I am beyond all the roles I play.

Name one of your triumphs.

While there have been many exciting moments selling great artworks at Bonhams, one that will forever remain at the top of my list is the remarkable two-volume album Celebrating the Sheizhuang Residence conceived for the influential salt merchant Ye Yongting (Ye Tianci), by various artists between 1775 and circa 1798.

I was completely captivated by the work when I first encountered it in the collector’s home. Centered on the celebration of the dedicatee’s residence, the album belongs to a refined literati tradition in which artists and friends contributed paintings, calligraphy, and inscriptions to honor a patron, a home, and a shared cultural world. I spent a significant amount of time researching the artists and stories behind the production of the album, and I was deeply moved by the process of uncovering the hidden network of personal relationships and precious artistic exchange preserved within the work. This research ultimately resulted in my in-depth catalog essay for the lot.

The album had remained in the consignor’s family collection for a very long period, and I felt truly honored to be the first to research it in depth, and to witness its successful debut on the market. It became the star lot our September 2024 Chinese Paintings sale, selling for US$406,900, more than ten times its low estimate.

What advice would you give to somebody just starting their collecting journey?

No matter what price range you are considering, buy pieces you would love to live with for decades. Seek advice from specialists who are honest, knowledgeable, and whom you trust. This is especially important in the field of Chinese painting and works of art, where connoisseurship plays a crucial role.

Krystal Liu is a Specialist and Head of Sale in the Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy department in New York. She can be reached at krystal.liu@bonhams.com.

Stay updated with our auctions

Create an account with Bonhams to follow your favourite collecting categories and get email alerts when new auctions are open for bidding.

For the latest news and auction highlights, follow @bonhams1793 on Instagram