After a successful inaugural auction in mainland China last year, British auction house, Christie's, is further boosting its presence in the country with the recent opening of an art space in Beijing.

The art space, situated at the Imperial Club, is set to hold exhibitions, art programs and art-related lectures and serve as a venue to further showcase Christie's business.

Like Us on Facebook

Its first exhibition showcases nine paintings done by Qi Baishi, a renowned Chinese painter who lived from 1864 to 1957. The exhibit will run until 19^th of April but is a reservation-only show.

Sharing China's Vision

Christie's CEO Steven Murphy said the opening of the art space in Beijing shows that Christie's shares China's vision of developing art and culture in the country.

The art space in Beijing brings Christie's total exhibition venues outside of London to five. It currently has art space in New York, Paris, London and Hong Kong.

In September of last year, the auction house had its successful inaugural auction in mainland China, in Shanghai, with US $25 million in earnings.

During the inaugural auction, a ruby and a diamond necklace sold for 18 million Yuan (US$2.89 million) while a painting by Picasso, the Seated Man, sold for 9.6 million Yuan (US$1.55 million).

Testing the Waters

The Chinese government has issued Christie's a license to operate independently on the mainland. Experts, however, said Christie's is still testing the Chinese market and will have to adapt to restrictions, collecting habits and business culture in the country.

Even before it was given a license to operate in Shanghai, Christie's said its major sales sites experienced strong demand for art from Chinese collectors.