Asian Art in London 2026: Programme, Auction Previews and Stays

The 29th edition of Asian Art in London runs from Thursday 29 October to Tuesday 10 November 2026, bringing specialised exhibitions of Asian antiquities, decorative pieces, and contemporary work to central London. Commercial dealers, auction rooms, and national museums take part across Mayfair, St James's, and South Kensington. For visiting collectors and curators, securing central lodgings and registering for private previews at least two to three weeks ahead is sensible.

Checked 7 October 2026. Programmes, auction dates, and lecture times can adjust; verify specific viewing times directly with Asian Art in London and host salesrooms before visiting.

What this guide covers

• Key dates and festival calendar
• Late night gallery open evenings
• Auction house viewings and flagship sales
• Museum exhibitions and curatorial highlights
• Where to dine between viewings
• Where to stay in London for Asian Art Week
• Transport and private travel across London
• Questions we are asked most
• Planning your London stay with Luxury Experience AI

Key dates and festival calendar

Asian Art in London 2026 takes place from Thursday 29 October to Tuesday 10 November 2026 across London's galleries, salerooms, and public institutions. The programme pairs daytime dealer exhibitions with evening gallery tours and the major autumn sales.

Proceedings begin on Thursday 29 October at The Lavery, 4 Cromwell Place in South Kensington. Running from 18:30 to 20:30 with speeches at 19:00, the evening hosts the 2026 Art Awards sponsored by Antiques Trade Gazette and Apollo, drawing museum directors, scholars, dealers, and private buyers.

The festival coordinates with the LAPADA Berkeley Square Fair in Mayfair, allowing visitors to compare Asian antiquities with European fine art, design, and jewellery during the same week.

Date	Key Event	Location	Focus
Thursday 29 October 2026	Opening Gala & 2026 Art Awards (18:30–20:30)	The Lavery, 4 Cromwell Place	Curators, dealers, collectors
Thursday 29 Oct: Tuesday 10 Nov 2026	Daily Gallery Selling Exhibitions	Mayfair, St James's, South Kensington	Commercial gallery exhibitions
Saturday 31 October 2026	Late Night Openings: Kensington & Belgravia (17:00–20:30)	Cromwell Place, Kensington Church St	Himalayan, Indian, Islamic art
Sunday 1 November 2026	Late Night Openings: St James's (17:00–20:30)	Bury St, Duke St, King St	Chinese ceramics, jades, bronzes
Monday 2 November 2026	Late Night Openings: Mayfair (17:00–20:30)	Bond St, Cork St, Dover St	Japanese art, modern painting, textiles
Early to Mid-November 2026	Flagship Asian Art Autumn Auctions	Sotheby's, Christie's, Bonhams	Imperial porcelain, South Asian art

Late night gallery open evenings

The evening tours offer a relaxed way to visit commercial galleries outside normal hours, accompanied by drinks receptions and informal talks by specialists. Each evening runs from 17:00 until 20:30.

South Kensington and Belgravia: Saturday 31 October 2026

The first gallery tour centres on 4 Cromwell Place and Kensington Church Street. Dealers present displays of Himalayan bronzes, early Indian sculpture, Tibetan thangkas, and Islamic metalwork. At The Lavery Pavilion inside Cromwell Place, Simon Pilling speaks on Japanese lacquer at 14:00, Slaats Fine Art introduces Chinese works of art at 14:30, and Anrad Gallery reviews traditional Indian craftsmanship at 15:00.

Over in Belgravia, Roseberys holds a reception from 18:00 to 20:00 at 26 Pimlico Road, offering an advance look at their Chinese, Japanese, and Southeast Asian Art sales before bidding begins on 3 and 4 November.

St James's: Sunday 1 November 2026

St James's remains London's traditional territory for antique Chinese porcelain, archaic bronzes, and scholar's objects. Around Bury Street, Duke Street St James's, and Mason's Yard, dealers open their townhouse rooms to collectors.

At 4 Bury Street, Alice Williamson Asian Art hosts an exhibition tour and handling session of Song dynasty ceramics and Korean works at Daniel Crouch Rare Books. Moments away at 8 King Street, Christie's holds a book launch and lecture by Becky MacGuire on Chinese export porcelain between 17:30 and 19:00.

Mayfair: Monday 2 November 2026

Mayfair's evening turns attention to Japanese works of art, textiles, and modern Asian painting along New Bond Street, Cork Street, and Dover Street. Eskenazi at 10 Clifford Street marks the launch of a new book on the 1935 International Exhibition of Chinese Art at 18:30.

At Sotheby's on New Bond Street, the Oriental Ceramic Society hosts a lecture by Dr Chen Jie of the Shanghai Museum on 15th-century imperial porcelains at 17:00. At Bonhams, Joe Earle gives the Michael Goedhuis Memorial Lecture at 18:00, following a Sunday afternoon talk on Qing dynasty kiln supervisor Tang Ying by Dr Edward Luper on 1 November.

Auction house viewings and flagship sales

London's major salerooms align their Asian art calendar with the festival, attracting collectors and institutional buyers from across the world. Public viewings are free to attend over the central weekend.

Participating houses include:

• Christie's (8 King Street, St James's): Live sales of Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, alongside Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, with lots on view during the preceding weekend.
• Sotheby's (34-35 New Bond Street): Principal auctions featuring Imperial porcelain, Buddhist bronzes, and Modern and Contemporary South Asian art in their main Bond Street rooms.
• Bonhams (101 New Bond Street and Montpelier Street, Knightsbridge): Fine Chinese Art and Japanese Art sales at New Bond Street, with decorative Asian art auctions in Knightsbridge.
• Lyon & Turnbull (Connaught Street, Marylebone): Asian works of art sales presenting jades, monochrome ceramics, and Japanese woodblock prints in their Connaught Street rooms.
• Roseberys: Twice-yearly auctions covering Chinese, Japanese, and Southeast Asian art, with previews held in Belgravia and West Norwood.
• AstaGuru: Sales and previews dedicated to modern and contemporary Indian art, including a panel discussion at 4 Cromwell Place on 3 November.

If you wish to examine high-value lots under magnification in private rooms or need to register bidding credentials, notify the relevant department at least 48 hours before the auctions open.

Museum exhibitions and curatorial highlights

London's national collections provide useful scholarly context for pieces appearing in the salerooms, and several institutions stage special programming during the festival fortnight.

The British Museum in Bloomsbury shows an ambitious exhibition tracing Korean art from 300 BC to the modern era, drawn from the collection of the late Samsung chairman Lee Kun-Hee. Related talks by curators at Cromwell Place offer further detail during the festival.

At the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington, contemporary Japanese lacquer features in Urushi Now at the Toshiba Gallery of Japanese Art. Curator Masami Yamada presents a lunchtime lecture on 5 November, and curator Xiaoxin Li speaks on contemporary Chinese studio crafts on 10 November.

In Marylebone, The Wallace Collection displays fine Asian arms and armour in Manchester Square. Informed by curatorial research from specialists including Arthur Bijl, visitors can study jewelled Mughal daggers and Ottoman armour in the museum's galleries.

Where to dine between viewings

Booking tables close to the main gallery quarters spares you unnecessary travel between Mayfair and St James's, leaving more time for appointments. Both neighbourhoods offer reliable dining.

In Mayfair:

• BiBi (North Audley Street): Thoughtful modern Indian cooking based on historic trade routes, well suited to an unhurried dinner after viewings.
• Gymkhana (Albemarle Street): Two Michelin-starred Indian dining with club-style booths and an accomplished wine cellar.
• Kai Mayfair (South Audley Street): Michelin-starred Cantonese cooking and delicate dim sum in South Audley Street.

In St James's:

• Wilton's (Jermyn Street): A quiet British staple serving native oysters, Dover sole, and game, only steps from Christie's on King Street.
• 45 Jermyn St: Dependable British dining with caviar service and late supper options close to the Bury Street galleries.

For dinner arrangements between evening viewings, ask our AI concierge to book a table at a Mayfair private room or a St James's dining room. You can also consult our guides to Mayfair fine dining tasting menus and Michelin-starred restaurants with private dining rooms.

Where to stay in London for Asian Art Week

A central apartment base keeps morning previews, dealer visits, and evening receptions within easy reach. A private flat also gives you quiet space that hotel rooms seldom match.

We provide a selection of luxury apartments across central London, bookable through our online concierge. A partner apartment in South Kensington can be arranged on request; our own property there is in development and not yet open. Partner apartments in Mayfair and Knightsbridge place you within walking distance of the salerooms.

For guests who prefer extra square footage, a kitchen, and open views, Luxury Experience AI owns and manages three residences in Canary Wharf, connected to central London by the Elizabeth line:

• The John Cabot: A one-bedroom residence in Canary Wharf, sleeping four, from £427 per night.
• The William Jessop: A two-bedroom residence in Canary Wharf, sleeping seven, from £580 per night.
• The Mellish Residence: A one-bedroom residence in Canary Wharf, sleeping five, from £275 per night.

The Elizabeth line runs from Canary Wharf to Bond Street in 14 minutes and Tottenham Court Road in 12 minutes, making the West End straightforward to reach.

Area	Best For	Proximity to Festival	Key Transit Links
Mayfair	Sotheby's, Bonhams, Mount St dealers	Walking distance to West End galleries	Bond Street (Elizabeth, Jubilee lines)
St James's	Christie's, Bury Street antiquities	Walking distance to classic dealers	Green Park (Piccadilly, Jubilee lines)
South Kensington	Launch gala, Cromwell Place, V&A	Walking distance to museums and pavilions	South Kensington (District, Piccadilly lines)
Canary Wharf	Quiet luxury living, spacious suites	14 minutes by Elizabeth line to Bond Street	Canary Wharf (Elizabeth, Jubilee lines)

Transport and private travel across London

Getting smoothly between South Kensington, St James's, and Mayfair keeps viewing days unhurried. Public transit is often faster than driving through West End traffic, though chauffeured cars suit busy collection schedules.

The Elizabeth line links east and west London directly, with Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road connecting salerooms to the British Museum. The Piccadilly line runs between South Kensington and Green Park in around eight minutes, joining Cromwell Place to St James's.

If your schedule includes private viewings, conservator meetings, and evening receptions on the same day, consult our AI concierge to book a car and driver between appointments.

Visitors travelling from Europe or the Gulf often arrive by private jet into Farnborough or RAF Northolt. Luxury Experience AI arranges private jet charter as an agent, with flights operated solely by licensed commercial air carriers. Indicative charter rates for a light jet from Paris or Geneva to London start between £8,000 and £11,000 one-way, depending on airport slots and availability.

Questions we are asked most

What is Asian Art in London? Asian Art in London is an annual international celebration of Asian art, decorative arts, and antiquities across the UK capital. It unites commercial dealers, major auction houses including Christie's and Sotheby's, and national museums for specialized exhibitions, auctions, lectures, and evening gallery strolls.

When is Asian Art in London 2026? The 29th edition runs from Thursday 29 October to Tuesday 10 November 2026. The programme includes an opening gala at 4 Cromwell Place on 29 October, followed by three evening gallery walks in South Kensington on 31 October, St James's on 1 November, and Mayfair on 2 November.

Do I need tickets to attend the gallery open evenings? Most commercial gallery exhibitions and late-night gallery walks are open to the public free of charge without tickets. Private launch receptions, academic symposia, and select museum lectures require advance registration through individual host galleries or the Asian Art in London calendar.

Can I attend the auction previews if I am not bidding? Yes, public viewings at Christie's, Sotheby's, and Bonhams are open to all visitors during designated preview days without charge. If you plan to examine specific items in private viewing rooms or register to bid, contact the specialist department in advance to complete registration.

Where is the best place to stay for Asian Art Week? Mayfair and St James's place you within walking distance of the premier galleries and Bond Street and King Street salerooms. South Kensington provides close access to Cromwell Place and major museums, while our private residences in Canary Wharf offer spacious suites a 14-minute Elizabeth line ride from Bond Street.

Planning your London stay with Luxury Experience AI

Visiting Asian Art in London runs best with accommodation, private travel, and viewing slots settled well before late October. If you need a partner apartment in Mayfair, a stay near Cromwell Place, or one of our own residences in Canary Wharf, Luxury Experience AI can coordinate your visit.

Alongside apartment bookings, we arrange chauffeured cars, book flights through licensed air carriers via our private jet charter desk, and organise private sessions on etiquette with Laura Windsor through the British social code. To plan your autumn itinerary, speak with our AI concierge.

Browse our current serviced luxury residences in Canary Wharf, or message our online concierge to begin planning your stay.