Christie’s sets September open date for milestone jewelry exhibition

August 21, 2023

The event premiers at the company's King Street headquarters in London, and is free and open to the public. Image courtesy of Christie's

By Luxury Daily News Service

British auction house Christie’s will celebrate the work of a Hong-Kong-based gemstone master in London.

Open Sept. 4 through Sept. 10, 2023, at Christie’s King Street headquarters, “The Wheel of Time” is Europe's largest-ever exhibition of jewelry artist and sculptor Wallace Chan’s creations. The event is free and open to the public.

“Christie’s is committed to supporting great artists and the evolution of their work,” said Guillaume Cerutti, CEO of Christie’s, in a statement.

“We hope collectors and art enthusiasts around the world will be enriched by this rare retrospective of Wallace Chan.”

Bejeweled and beset
Featuring 150 jewelry pieces and six titanium sculptures, the exhibition will showcase Mr. Chan’s embrace of traditional Chinese aesthetics and the beauty of raw materials. A select few have never been shown publicly.

Items included as part of “The Wheel of Time” are emblematic of major milestones in the artist’s career, according to the company.

Spanning five decades of work, the lineup mainly consists of loans from Mr. Chan’s major international collectors, including one of the largest cut black diamonds on the planet. The "Legend of the Color Black" shoulder brooch sculpture includes the behemoth -- the stone is 312.24 carats, surrounded by silver grey diamonds, crystal sapphire, black agate, titanium and "Wallace Chan porcelain," a material he developed that is five times stronger than steel.

The The "Legend of the Color Black" shoulder brooch sculpture includes the black diamond. Image courtesy of Christie's

The title of the exhibition itself is a nod to the artist’s work-intensive creationary process, as Mr. Chan is known to enhance works with the element of time, tying the concept into each of his deliveries.

“In the blink of an eye, half a century has flown by,” said Mr. Chan, in a statement.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to present my largest exhibition in Europe at Christie’s in London,” he said. “My heartfelt thanks go to Christie’s for supporting my creative journey throughout the years and across the globe.

“I am also grateful to my long-term collectors for loaning the pieces, without their friendship the exhibition would not be possible.”

The Made from pink sapphire, sapphire, tsavorite garnet, diamond, yellow diamond, pearl and titanium, the "Joy of Life" butterfly brooch shows off one of Mr. Chan’s most beloved motifs. Image courtesy of Christie's

Having presented between the cities of Hong Kong and Shanghai before in 2015, 2019, 2020 and 2021, this is the fifth time that Christie’s has collaborated with Mr. Chan offline.

The auction company more recently flipped its in-person script, working with Italian fashion house Gucci to host a digital gallery event (see story).

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