Christie’s Shanghai gathers Zao Wou-Ki, Zeng Fanzhi and Picasso for autumn evening sales

The preview rooms at Bund One in Shanghai open this week to collectors drawn by a carefully assembled gathering of works that span continents and centuries. Christie's evening sales here bring together paintings by Zao Wou-Ki, Zeng Fanzhi and Pablo Picasso, each name a meridian in twentieth century art, alongside an array of diamonds, coloured gemstones, jadeite and timepieces from the world's most regarded makers.

A constellation of modernist vision

The 20th and 21st Century Evening Sale draws together works that capture the restless experimentation of abstract modernism and its heirs. Zao Wou-Ki, the French painter of Chinese descent, brought a lyrical abstraction to the canvas, his compositions suffused with light and colour that seemed to dissolve form itself. Zeng Fanzhi, whose practice emerged from contemporary China, channels something darker and more psychological, a gestural intensity rooted in expressionism yet unmistakably his own. And Picasso, that name which has long anchored the market's understanding of twentieth century genius, requires no introduction; his work here carries the weight of history and the indelible mark of his hand.

The sale reflects something essential about how collectors move through art history today: not chronologically, but by affinity, by the dialogue between styles and sensibilities separated by geography and generation. The preview, which runs through 13 November, allows one to stand before these works with the time and silence that serious engagement demands.

Jewels and timepieces

The Luxury Evening Sale that precedes it carries its own quiet glamour. Diamonds of note, coloured gemstones whose provenance carries weight, and jadeite whose cultural significance runs deep appear alongside wristwatches from houses whose names are synonymous with precision and heritage. These are objects for collectors whose passion ranges wide, or whose collections answer to different impulses: the allure of rarity in stone, the fascination with mechanical mastery, the inheritance of brands that have shaped taste across decades.

Both sales unfold on 13 November at the same venue, inviting collectors to move between the gallery's galleries and consider what draws them. It is the rhythm of auction itself: the hours of looking, the conversations overheard, the moment when one pauses before a work and something shifts, and the decision forms.

Preview at Bund One, Shanghai, through 13 November. Live auctions on 13 November: Luxury Evening Sale followed by the 20th/21st Century Evening Sale.

Key Facts

• Sale dates: 13 November 2026
• Location: Bund One, Shanghai
• Preview dates: Through 13 November 2026
• Sales: Luxury Evening Sale and 20th/21st Century Evening Sale
• Featured artists: Zao Wou-Ki, Zeng Fanzhi, Pablo Picasso
• Auction house: Christie's

The Simply Luxury View

Christie's Shanghai sales have become essential moments in the Asian and global art calendar, reflecting the expanding reach of collectors in China and the house's ability to draw significant works from private hands. The gathering here of Zao Wou-Ki, Zeng Fanzhi and Picasso signals a curatorial perspective that values conversation between modernist traditions across borders rather than geographical origin alone.

For collectors, these evening sales offer the rare opportunity to engage with museum quality works in an intimate setting before the sale itself. The inclusion of exceptional watches and gemstones alongside paintings acknowledges the contemporary collector's broadened interests and the way taste itself has shifted towards eclecticism and intellectual cross pollination.

Official brand website: christies.com

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Imagery courtesy of Christie's Asia (@christiesasia).