Collecting demand rising for Himalayan bronzes

BLOUIN | ARTINFO
By Lucian Harris, Art+Auction

Zheng Huaxing, a collector Guangdong province, purchased this 21 inch high Yongle era gilt-bronze image of a seating Shakyamuni Buddha for $30.3 million. (Sotheby's)

Over the past few years, demand for Buddhist art has rocketed, driven primarily by the new generation of superrich Chinese collectors obsessed with reclaiming parts of what they consider their lost cultural heritage. How much the Buddhist art market will continue to flourish at its current level is also hard to predict. The more wealthy American museums are also prepared to make purchases, often acting with the help of donors. Any art market boom always carries with it the specter of a forthcoming crash, but in the case of Himalayan bronzes, the signs seem to indicate that the only way is up. [link]