CAMBRIDGE .- Cheffins is making waves in the regional market for Asian art with the appointment of world-renowned specialist, Philippe Smolarski.

Philippe Smolarski joins the Cambridge-based team after 25 years in the Oriental art market, having previously worked as the Director at the Foundation Richard Liu, the European Institute of Chinese Studies, based in Paris. Taking on the role of Head of Asian Art, Mr Smolarski is French and speaks several languages including Chinese and Russian and has spent many years in China, Hong Kong and Japan.

Led by Jonathan Law, the Cheffins’ Fine Art department is placing greater emphasis on the Asian Art market and will be hosting specific sales throughout the year, offering art and artefacts from a wide range of dynasties.

Luke Macdonald, Director of Cheffins Fine Art Department comments: “We are thrilled to welcome Philippe to the team. His wide-ranging experience will help Cheffins to be the go-to regional auction house for Asian Art and artefacts. As a market which has gone from strength-to-strength, we are now seeing high prices paid for historical items from China, Japan and Hong Kong and we hope to harness the opportunities which these are sure to bring over the coming years.”

Philippe Smolarski, Head of Asian Art, Cheffins, comments: “I am delighted to be joining Cheffins which is a firm with a longstanding reputation as one of the leading regional auction houses. Asian works of art are some of the most fascinating sections of the art and antiques market and have been a passion for me for over 25 years. The first time I went to Beijing was back in 1985 and is a period which I remember with nostalgia. At the time it was empty of skyscrapers, shopping malls and crazy traffic and was still full of little lanes and traditional Chinese buildings. During the 1980’s it was possible to buy Ming blue and white porcelain objects for only around 15 pounds, however in today’s market similar items can fetch up to around £2,500. Similarly, I remember sourcing celadon bowls from the Song dynasty for only five pounds – those days are now long gone. The demand for these items is still growing and I am thrilled to see a number of collectors in only their 20’s and 30’s which is an excellent indicator of market vitality.”

The next Cheffins Asian Art auction will take place on 8th November 2018 at Cheffins, 1-2 Clifton Road, Cambridge, CB1 7EA.