Art market needs confident series of brushstrokes

Demand wanes in 2014 despite handful of big-ticket purchases by wealthy collectors

Although deals in the Chinese mainland art market shrank a little in 2014 compared to the previous year, the continuing strong demand for antique paintings and scrolls, along with Chinese collectors' rise on the international stage and diversified auctions, are all sustaining hope in the growth of the art market.

Sales in auction houses in China from January to September totaled 15.3 billion yuan ($2.5 billion), says Ouyang Shuying, deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Auctioneers. With autumn auctions ending, major houses like China Guardian and Poly Auction that represent more than half the art market have seen an average 20 percent drop in sales.