NEW YORK, NY.- During New York’s annual Asian Art Week in March 2022, Christie’s will present Enlightenment and Serenity: Important Buddhist Paintings from the Collection of David and Nayda Utterberg as part of the Japanese and Korean Art Including the Collection of David and Nayda Utterberg sale on 22 March 2022. Twenty lots from this prestigious collection will be included in the single owner section of the sale.

A selection of highlights from the collection will be on view in Tokyo between 16 to 18 February, followed by an exhibit at Christie’s Seoul between 23 to 25 February, prior to an exhibit of the full sale as part of Christie’s New York Asian Art Week preview from 18 to 21 March.

David and Nayda Utterberg were attracted to Asian art from the start. They formed a substantial collection of Buddhist painting and sculpture, as well as: ink painting, woodblock-printed Buddhist material, medieval Japanese ceramics, some lacquer, Korean celadons, and both Japanese and Korean folding screens, among other genres. David had a keen eye and deep understanding of Korean art, which resulted in his distinguished Korean celadon collection. Virtually all of the pieces had been purchased from leading dealers in Japan, just as almost every piece had previously been published. Works from their collection were exhibited at renowned institutions such as the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and Seattle Asian Art Museum.

Takaaki Murakami, Head of Department, Japanese and Korean Art, Christie’s, stated: “We are extremely honored to offer the collection of David and Nayda Utterberg. This is inarguably the finest collection of Japanese and East Asian Buddhist paintings and calligraphy that has ever appeared in auction history.”

Highlights:

• PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF DAVID AND NAYDA UTTERBERG
Anonymous (Early 14th Century)
Miroku Bosatsu (Bodhisattva Maitreya) in Welcoming Descent
Ink, color, gold and gold leaf on silk
Estimate: $300,000-400,000

• PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF DAVID AND NAYDA UTTERBERG
Anonymous (Late 13th Century)
Amida Triad
Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold and silver on silk
31⅞ x 16¾ in.
Estimate: $400,000-500,000