Shangri-la has been found—in Manhattan, of all places. On March 14 the cultural mecca transforms into an Asian art heaven where devotees can flock to concurrent gallery shows, museum exhibits, and auctions, all under the banner of Asia Week New York. While it began only seven years ago as a humble gathering of 14 local Asian art dealers, Asia Week has grown to encompass five auctions, 17 institutions, and a record 47 dealers from nine countries, all under the direction of newly appointed chair Carol Conover.
The heart of this year’s event lies within the galleries that span 30 blocks on the city’s Upper East Side, which are staging exhibitions of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian arts through March 22. “We have brought together many important cultural institutions in the New York area associated with Asian art,” says Conover. Most of the action is clustered around Madison Avenue from 57th Street to 87th Street.
Longtime participant J.J. Lally & Co., which over the past two decades has helped define the antique Chinese market in the United States, is eschewing the current taste for snuff bottles and jade by sticking to the classics. Lally is featuring antique bronzes from the Daniel Shapiro collection, including a ritual wine vessel from the Shang Dynasty. A few blocks north, Koo New York, one of two Korean participants, is setting up shop in Mark Murray’s 72nd Street gallery with traditional Korean wares, such as a lacquered-wood altar chair from the 18th-century Choson Dynasty.
Meanwhile, on 78th Street, Joan B. Mirviss, an original cofounder of Asia Week New York with expertise in Japanese art, has paired ink paintings with modern ceramics, including Yagi Kazuo’s asymmetrical, earthy creations. “Japanese ceramics remains one of the most attractive areas of collecting due to its affordability,” Mirviss says. Reflecting the current craze for Himalayan art, Walter Arader will have a selection of Tibetan and Chinese gilt-bronze bodhisattvas from the 15th through the 18th centuries, including a slim-waisted Tibetan goddess Tara. With Asia Week’s gallery sales last year hitting $35 million, the category “continues to grow, and with it the demand in niche markets,” Conover notes.
For those who prefer the excitement of the auction room, there is no shortage of Asian art action there, either. Christie’s and Sotheby’s dominate with 14 sales across all categories on March 18 and 19, aiming to fetch more than the combined $140 million they brought in during the sales last fall. Bonhams hosts three sales, including two daytime auctions on March 17, one of Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian art, and another of Chinese works from the collection of a single special owner: Zhang Daqian. The artist’s deteriorating eyesight is said to have led to his painterly innovations. On March 19 the house also hosts a Fine Japanese art sale.
A version of this article appears in the March 2014 issue of Art + Auction.
