Date: Fri 30-Apr-1999

Publication: Ant

Author: SHIRLE

Quick Words:

Weihe

Full Text:

Christie's Appoints Dr Hugo Weihe

NEW YORK CITY -- Christie's has announced the appointment of Dr Hugo Weihe as

head of Asian Art in the United States, effective immediately.

Dr Weihe will be responsible for the strategic planning of Asian art sales in

the United States, including the organization and implementation of

business-getting initiatives.

Weihe will work closely with a team of specialists in the Chinese Works of

Art, Chinese Paintings and Japanese and Korean Works of Art departments in New

York and Los Angeles, as well as Theow Tow, senior vice president and

international director of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art.

Weihe, who was appointed in April 1998 to set up and develop Christie's Indian

and Southeast Asian Art Department, will continue to organize sales in this

category. He will report to Christopher Hartop, executive vice president and

director of Christie's specialist departments, and Anthony Lin, chairman of

Christie's Asia, based in Hong Kong.

Hartop comments: "We look to Hugo to lead our Asian art team in maintaining

Christie's market share in the United States and further strengthening our

presence in the Asian art market worldwide."

Christie's spring 1999 sales of Asian art in the United States totaled $13.4

million.

Prior to joining Christie's, Weihe was a specialist in the Chinese Works of

Art Department at Sotheby's in New York. In the early 1990s, he was the

publisher of Artibus Asiae, one of the most important scholarly journals in

the field of Asian art. He also collaborated on a number of Asian art

exhibitions and exhibition catalogues at the Museum Rietberg Zurich, and he

was a senior specialist in the Asian Works of Art Department at Galerie Koller

Auctioneers in Zurich.

Weihe received a PhD in art history from the University of Zurich, where he

also lectured on various subjects related to Asian art. Dr Weihe's book, Die

Wa(h)re Kunst (a pun in German, meaning Art as a Commodity or True Art), was

published in 1989.