Fine arts expert treasures her HK life (hktdc.com)


	Pola Antebi head of the Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Department at Christie's Hong Kong, holds an early Ming vase which set a new world record at Christie's Hong Kong spring sale on May 30

Pola Antebi, Senior Vice-President and Head of the Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Department at Christie's Hong Kong, says she lives in "the best place in the world". With world records being broken at every sale, and so many business and lifestyle advantages, Hong Kong offers the French born, US raised fine arts professional an unbeatable edge, she says.

"I came to Hong Kong from New York in 1989, to work in an art gallery. I was very interested in Chinese works of art, and knew that if I wanted to have an in depth understanding of the subject, Hong Kong was the place to be.

Within my first year, I had joined Christie's. I knew this was to be my true career path. I enjoyed being exposed to so many facets of the fine art business, and learning from the many pieces we offered at auction.

For a person who is enthusiastic about Chinese ceramics and works of art, there is no better place in the world to work. Many of the most important pieces in my field are sold in Hong Kong, and in addition, we have a very strong local market for antiquities and works of art.

Hub of Asia

Hong Kong really is the hub of Asia, with excellent facilities and a terrific airport - it's an ideal location for us. Having a duty free port is another big advantage for holding auctions here, and also the lack of a value-added tax (VAT). The banking system, the speed and efficiency with which everything is done, all make Hong Kong the best place in Asia for us to do business.

It's also the gateway to the Chinese market. From Hong Kong we can easily visit our major clients in the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, South East Asia and Japan, as well as the rest of the world. Having a physical presence here, being easily accessible to clients and visiting them often, is a definite advantage. Over the years I've developed very strong relationships with many major collectors, and this is a great advantage.

The market in this field has never been stronger, with sale total records being broken year after year. This spring Christie's sold a magnificent early Ming underglaze copper-red vase from the Hongwu period (1368-1398) for over HK$78 million (US$10.2 million), a world record price for a Ming ceramic. We sold the same vase in 1997 for HK$22 million (US$2.8 million). This is one of the many examples of the tremendous growth in our field in a very short while.

Sales quadruple

There is phenomenal interest in my field worldwide, and it shows no sign of slowing down. In the past five years, Christie's Hong Kong sales have almost quadrupled, from HK$590 million (US$76 million) in 2001, to HK$2.07 billion (US$267 million) in 2005.

All categories of art sold in Hong Kong have shown dramatic growth in recent years, and one of the reasons is the continued prosperity in the region. We have many avid collectors putting together significant collections and the means to do so financially. There are also people who are buying art as an investment alternative to commodities and real estate. They are diversifying their portfolios, buying art which they see as tangible and easily portable.

Our sales attract buyers from around the world, and they look forward to their trips to Hong Kong. This city is incredibly easy to fly into, and we have excellent restaurants which they very much enjoy. Hong Kong is a wonderful place for entertaining as our facilities here are some of the best in the world.

City meets country

From a lifestyle perspective, I also love being in Hong Kong. My family is scattered all over the world, so I love the international flavour here. It's a very active city, but at the same time I enjoy hiking and sailing and I appreciate that we have such wonderful country parks and facilities so close to where we live.

The ease and speed with which things get done in Hong Kong is the best I have experienced anywhere. Hong Kong is a wonderful place for people who want to achieve their goals as effortlessly as possible."