%20(844%20x%20844%20px)%20(3).png)
MEET THE EXPERT
Sarah Le Helley
Senior Expert in Chinese Art at Catawiki, Sarah Le Helley embodies a new generation of specialists, combining academic rigour with a contemporary understanding of the art market. Through her work, she brings clarity, expertise, and a renewed perspective to the appreciation of Chinese art today.
Your path, at once academic, practical and distinctly international, led you to the Asian art market. How did this trajectory take shape, and did your time in Taipei mark a defining moment in your understanding of Chinese art?
​
After moving to France at the age of 18 from the United Kingdom, I began a BA in French Studies at the University of London Institute in Paris (ULIP), before pursuing a Master’s degree at the EAC in Paris, specialising in the art market.
​
My early experiences at Sotheby’s and Artcurial provided an essential foundation, but it was at Cabinet Portier & Associés that a true shift occurred. Under the attentive guidance of Alice Jossaume and Thierry Portier, I discovered a deep fascination for Asian art that has never left me. I then joined Galerie Jacques Barrère where, over two and a half years, through fairs and encounters, I refined my eye—particularly in relation to Buddhist statuary. Very quickly, however, a more specific attraction to Chinese porcelain emerged.
​
It was this intuition that led me back to London, where I undertook a second Master’s degree at SOAS, focusing on Chinese porcelain under the supervision of Dr Stacey Pierson. Alongside my role at Christie’s London, I dedicated my research to the collection of Chinese porcelain at the Château de Fontainebleau, gifted to Empress Eugénie following the British-French expedition to China in 1860. I had the privilege of entering the intimate world of the “Musée chinois” through private visits with Vincent Droguet, the château’s former director. Engaging with 19th-century archives proved particularly fascinating, revealing the still tentative understanding of these works—ceramics, jades, cloisonné and bronzes—which were then only beginning to be appreciated in their full significance.
​
As an extension of this research, a four-month stay in Taipei at the National Palace Museum allowed me to encounter this extraordinary heritage at close range. This immersion profoundly transformed my perception of the cultural nuances between East and West. Upon returning to Paris, I joined Catawiki in 2015.
How do you define your role as an expert, and in what way do you “read” objects, particularly ceramic, while balancing scholarly rigour with accessibility in a digital environment?
​
My role at Catawiki lies at the intersection of expertise, transmission and trust. The platform, dedicated to exceptional objects, invites individuals to access rare pieces, often elusive elsewhere. As an expert, I contribute to this mediation by rigorously selecting works presented for auction, ensuring their quality, and guiding sellers so that each object is conveyed with the full richness of its historical and cultural context. To transform a longstanding passion for Chinese art into a profession in which knowledge is central remains, for me, a true form of fulfilment.
Approaching an artwork begins with careful and attentive observation: proportions, material, decorative language, function, as well as the symbolic universe inherent to it. Condition also provides a valuable insight—I am often particularly moved by objects that bear the marks of time, as though layered with multiple lives, rather than those preserved in pristine perfection. Provenance, together with dialogue with the seller, further enriches this reading by offering essential keys to understanding the object’s journey and meaning.
In a digital environment, this level of rigour translates into heightened attention to images, descriptions and supporting documentation. At Catawiki, we rely on a wide range of internal and external resources to support this expertise. My passion for research finds particularly stimulating expression here, in a context where access to information enables ever more nuanced and informed analysis.
Vase 'meiping', Blue and white, Heaped and piled, Porcelain, Scholar, Windswept, China, 15th - 16th century : link
In a rapidly evolving market, how do you perceive the changing profiles of collectors of Chinese art, and what new sensibilities are emerging today, particularly among younger generations?
​
Over the past fifteen years, the market for Chinese art has undergone profound transformations. Following periods of intense activity in major centres such as London, New York and Hong Kong, the Covid era accelerated a shift already underway in the ways collectors discover and acquire works. Well established prior to this transition, Catawiki now resonates strongly with this new era, where accessibility, transparency and expertise are redefining expectations.
What is particularly striking today is the diversity of collector profiles. Younger collectors, naturally at ease in digital environments, display a genuine curiosity and a strong desire to understand. Their interest extends beyond prestige alone, focusing instead on the narrative of objects, their symbolism, and their place within a broader historical context. At the same time, more seasoned collectors—particularly Baby Boomers—are equally engaged, drawn to the fluidity and intensity of online bidding. Across generations, the growing importance placed on expertise, trust and the pleasure of discovery is reshaping the relationship to the market in a more informed and sensitive way.
A CHINESE GILT DECORATED AND CORAL RED TULIP VASE, with a '嶰竹主人' mark , Porcelain, China, Republic period (1912-1949) : link
Finally, which object, book or favourite best reflects your personal connection to Chinese art?
Among my most treasured references is Chinese Glazes by Nigel Wood. Discovered following my early studies in sculpture and glazing in England, this book has remained a constant companion. It traces, with remarkable depth, the evolution of Chinese glazes from the Bronze Age to the present day, and continues to inform both my eye and my understanding of these works.