London – Christie’s has announced The Wheel of Time, the largest exhibition in Europe to date of the exquisite work of Wallace Chan, renowned Chinese jewellery creator, visual artist and innovator. Through 150 pieces of jewellery, together with six titanium sculptures, some of which have never before been seen publicly, Chan considers the act of creation, looking back on major moments in his continuing career across five decades.
Free and open to the public, The Wheel of Time premieres at Christie’s King Street headquarters in London, where it will be on view from September 4-10, 2023. This exhibition is the fifth that Christie’s has presented in collaboration with Wallace Chan, following previous shows in Hong Kong (2015, 2019) and Shanghai (2020, 2021). The majority of pieces on display, created during the past half-century, are generously on loan from many of Chan’s major international collectors.
The Wheel of Time serves as a metaphor for Chan’s labour-intensive working process, requiring meticulous attention to detail. His art embraces traditional aspects of Chinese aesthetics, combined with respect for the intrinsic qualities of his working materials, the unique skill employed in carving them, and the element of time involved in their creation.
A highlight of the exhibition will be Legend of the Colour Black, a remarkable black diamond shoulder brooch sculpture. The impressive centre stone of the piece, one of the largest known cut black diamonds in the world, weighs 312.24 carats, alongside silver grey diamonds, crystal sapphire, black agate, titanium and the Wallace Chan Porcelain, a material Chan has spent years developing which is five times stronger than steel.
Legend of the Colour Black
