Christie's figures reveal active Asia participation (2)

Also, its real-time online bidding platform has attracted a great number of Chinese buyers, whose numbers jumped to 19 percent compared to the same period of last year.

The first foreign auction house to operate independently on the Chinese mainland, Christie's will hold its debut auction in Shanghai in September. It will also host an inaugural auction in Mumbai in December, making it the only international auction house to conduct sales in India.

"The hallmark of Christie's strategy is to build the capability to serve both new and existing clients wherever they are, from auction to private sales to online," says Christie's CEO Steven Murphy.

"We are building on our continuing leadership in auctions as we expand into China and India, as well as on the Internet, and we continue to connect with new collectors who hold an already-established desire for art."

Here are the top lots for Christie's in the first half of the year.

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