Opinion | Bonhams Auction Preview Exhibition

Island Ballroom, Island Shangri-La Hotel

Quality modern Chinese paintings with sound provenance are few and far between on the art market these days. But veteran art dealers and auction houses always have a way of tracking them down.

"It all comes down to having a good database. With that, you know exactly who has what," says Carson Chan, Bonhams' managing director in Asia.

"Collectors sell their works for various reasons. Some might have lost interest in a particular artist or art piece, others want to invest in something else like wine and properties. But they all want their pieces to be handled well and, eventually, find another good home."

This week, 129 paintings and pieces of calligraphy - most of which are by modern masters such as Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Zhang Daqian (also known as Chang Dai-chien), Wu Guanzhong and Lin Fengmian - will come under the hammer at Bonhams' fine Chinese paintings and contemporary Asian art sales. The total sales are estimated to be between HK$40 million and HK$60 million.

The highlights include Zhang's Dissipating Mist over Blue and Green Mountain (1973), which was on show at the Chan Liu Art Museum in Taipei last year and one of the artist's best later pieces using the splashing technique; Sanyu's White Chrysanthemums in Yellow Vase (1930-1940), an early piece from the Matisse-influenced painter, and a beautiful landscape by Lin titled Autumn Symphony.