About the Collaboration

The Chinese art market remains one of the most fascinating developments in the recent history of the global art trade. Concurrent with the market’s rapid growth, however, are uncertainties about its actual size, level of volatility, and the trustworthiness of key players. In an effort to present an accurate picture of the auction market in China, in 2013 Artnet formed a strategic partnership with the China Association of Auctioneers (CAA).

As the only national association backed by governmental auction laws, the CAA works at the forefront of standardizing the burgeoning art auction industry in China. It works to carefully vet auction houses and their operating numbers in order to report the most accurate market data to the Chinese government, as well as to its member organizations.

By drawing from the wealth of reliable market data for which both Artnet and the CAA are best known, the annual Global Chinese Art Auction Market Report provides an in-depth look at the market size, sector trends, and key players in Chinese art and antiques auctions around the world.

Through this collaboration, vetted auction results from mainland China and comprehensive analysis on the Chinese art and antiques collecting category became readily available for the first time.

Over the years, information provided by the CAA has also been integrated into the Artnet Price Database, further expanding the scope of Artnet’s comprehensive data. The auction information from mainland China comes exclusively from CAA-certified auction houses, with any defaults in payment reported reflected in the database.

Today, as the Chinese art market enters a new phase of maturity and engages more with the international art community, further collaborations between Artnet and the CAA will create a new standard of transparency, thereby solidifying the auction market for Chinese art and antiques worldwide.

Artnet is the leading online resource for the international art market, and the destination to buy, sell, and research art online. Founded in 1989 with the goal of bringing transparency to the art world, Artnet’s comprehensive suite of products offers a variety of art market resources to our audience of collectors, dealers, and art enthusiasts.

The Price Database is the most comprehensive archive of auction results in the world. Host to over 15 million results spanning over 30 years, every lot is cataloged, translated, and edited by a team of multilingual specialists. The database is a valuation tool used by appraisers, dealers, and collectors, allowing users to make informed decisions about buying or selling art.

Market Alerts informs users of buying opportunities, enabling them to receive email notifications whenever works by their favorite artists hit the market at any major auction house, gallery, or event. With Market Alerts Plus, users can get recent sale prices when works by artists they follow sell at auction.

Artnet Galleries, introduced in 1995, is an online platform that connects galleries and collectors from around the world. With over 200,000 artworks, it is the largest network of its kind, drawing a broad audience and generating inquiries from both serious collectors and first-time buyers.

With 24/7 bidding, Artnet Auctions is the first online auctions platform for buying and selling Modern and contemporary

paintings, prints, photographs, sculpture, and more. Its curated auctions provide a unique collecting experience with instant turnaround and lower commissions, and are accessed by millions of monthly visitors worldwide.

Analytics Reports allows users to create customized reports that delve deeper into specific art market trends. Each report includes graphs that visualize market patterns and trends, drawing from the millions of auction results in the Price Database.

Auction House Partnerships offers auction houses the ability to showcase their works to Artnet’s global community. Each partnership includes links between Artnet and the auction house’s proprietary site, driving traffic and gaining more exposure for their sales.

In 2012, Artnet launched a 24-hour global art newswire: Artnet News. Serving as a one-stop platform for the events, trends, and people that shape the art market and global industry, Artnet News provides up-to-the-minute analysis and expert commentary.

Today, Artnet continues to provide reliable information and market transparency to an audience of over 3.6 million monthly users from around the world. As the art market continues to grow and change, Artnet will always find new ways to connect people with the art they love.

The China Association of Auctioneers (CAA) is the only national association of the auction industry in China. Its functions include auctioneers administration, auction house regulation, and industry supervision, as well as industry guidance, policy coordination, industry statistics, consulting services, a platform for resources, and international platform development.

Established in 1995, the CAA has been making every effort to promote the healthy development of China’s auction industry and market, serving as the most important auction platform for fostering connections within China and with the rest of the world. Revitalized in 1986 and now led by the CAA, the Chinese auction industry has entered a new era.

In 1996, the Auction Law of the People’s Republic of China was issued under the promotion of CAA. As the first auction law in China, it laid a solid foundation for the standardization of China’s auction industry.

In 1997, the CAA designated the first group of national certified auctioneers. Currently, over 13,000 national auctioneers have been trained and certified, and serve as the backbone of the industry.

In 2000, the CAA founded the Chinese Cultural Artifacts Auction Professional Committee to specifically fulfill its regulatory, guiding, administrative, and supervisory responsibilities of the art and antiques auction industry in China.

The number of the CAA’s auction house members reached 1,000 in 2005. Today, it has over 3,000 members who constitute the majority of the auction houses currently operating in mainland China.

China’s Ministry of Commerce issued the Standard for Auction of Cultural Relics and Art Works in 2010. Drafted by the CAA, this document marked the beginning of the standardization process. Today, the industry is regulated by many national standards, industry codes of practice, and industry norms that cover important business aspects of the auction process.

Since 2012, the CAA has continued promoting standardization in the industry by vetting auction houses in mainland China according to the Standard for Auction of Cultural Relics and Art Works, effectively catalyzing the shift from quantity-driven to quality-driven growth. So far, 56 antiques and art auction houses have been certified as meeting the industry standard.

The CAA partnered with Artnet in 2014 to successfully co-host an international summit, The Chinese Art Market: Present and Future, in New York. During the summit, the CAA proposed the establishment of an international auctioneers association.

In 2015, the CAA completed the framework of a credit system and an international platform for the antiques and art auction market in China, thus establishing the foundation for sustainable growth and a global strategy for the industry.

In 2016, the CAA founded the Auction of Cultural Relics and Art Works Awards, known as the "Qinghua Awards," which is considered the highest honor in the field of Chinese art auctions.

The CAA hosted the fourth Chinese Art Auction International Summit in 2017 with the theme of "Auction without Boundaries." The summit explored the development and transition of the global Chinese art auction market alongside globalization trends.

In 2020, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the CAA quickly guided the auction industry towards digitization by conglomerating online auction platforms and technology institutions, as well as studying internet transaction laws and regulations in order to build a new business format for online auctions.

In the future, the CAA will continue to play a leading role in the Chinese auction industry, and work with its colleagues around the world in promoting the integration and development of the global auction market.