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Auctions
The largest private collection of Asian art ever to come to auction is
scheduled to go under the hammer in March 2015.
The group, which numbers in excess of 2,000 pieces, was gathered
together by Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, a distinguished American scholar and
collector and includes objects from China, Japan, India, Tibet and Vietnam.
Christie’s will be publicising the sale by staging public exhibitions of the
collection in a number of cities including Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing and
London, prior to the final sale at New York’s Rockefeller Center.
Ellsworth was a pioneer of Asian art at a time when its popularity was less
pronounced than it is today. He displayed much of his collection within his
22-room Manhattan residence and his home became a gathering place for
clients, academics and anyone with an interest in the subject.
He built a reputation for his expertise in Chinese furniture and for his ability
to identify often overlooked Himalayan and Southeast Asian artworks. He was
also a champion of the merits of 19th- and 20th-century Chinese painting.
www.christies.comLegendary Asian art collection on sale
The Diary
Robert Ellsworth in China (above);
his Manhattan residence (top)