London – Christie’s is gearing up for another Wallace Chan exhibition.
Following shows in Hong Kong in 2015 and 2019, and in Shanghai in 2020 and 2021, the auction house will host an exhibition of the designer’s work in London this September.
“The Wheel of Time will be the largest European showcase of Chan’s creations, Christie’s said.
“We are delighted to bring Wallace Chan’s imagination to London and present this unique exhibition celebrating five decades of artistic excellence,” said Christie’s Private Sales Director, Jewellery, Mei Y Giam.
“Our fifth collaboration with Chan reaffirms Christie’s longstanding relationship with the artist and we look forward to welcoming visitors to the exhibition.”
Spanning five decades of the Chinese designer’s career, the exhibition will feature 150 jewels and six titanium sculptures.
With the majority of the works on loan from Chan’s collectors, some of the pieces have never been seen publicly before.
Highlights include “Legend of the Colour Black”, a shoulder brooch sculpture featuring a 312.24 carat black diamond, grey diamonds, sapphires, black agate, titanium and a material Chan created called “Wallace Chan Porcelain”, which Christie’s says is five times stronger than steel.
Several of Chan’s signature butterfly designs will also be on display, including the “Joy of Life” brooch, made of pink sapphires, blue sapphires, tsavorite garnets, white diamonds, yellow diamonds, pearls and titanium.
The exhibition’s name, The Wheel of Time, serves as a metaphor for Chan’s meticulous and time-consuming design process, which pays attention to the smallest details.
“Time is an eternal wheel that turns forever, with no beginning and no end. In the creative process, time is a subject that is so intangible and yet omnipotent,” says Chan.
The works showcase Chan’s disregard for convention, his embrace of colour and his love of unusual materials. Design themes include classical Chinese aesthetics and the natural world.
François Curiel, Chairman of Christie’s Europe, said: “A deeply philosophical man, Wallace imbues his jewels with oriental spiritualism. He spends his entire creative life interpreting and reinterpreting this motif, experimenting with endless combinations of gemstones, mediums, styles and aesthetics, executed in his world-renowned techniques.
Chan added, “Half a century has flown by in the blink of an eye. I am humbled by the opportunity to present my largest exhibition in Europe at Christie’s in London.
“My heartfelt thanks go to Christie’s for supporting my creative journey over the years and around the world. I am also grateful to my long-time collectors for loaning the pieces; without their friendship the exhibition would not be possible”.
The Wheel of Time will be on view at Christie’s London from 4 to 10 September. The exhibition is free and open to the public.
