Biography
Julian King began his career in the art world working as a cataloguer of Chinese ceramics and works of art in Sotheby’s London from 2000 to 2004, where he trained under Julian Thompson, the late Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia. After a career change working at Deloitte, he joined Bonhams in London, from where he relocated to their newly established Hong Kong office in 2008 to head their Chinese ceramics and works of art department. He returned to Sotheby’s in 2013 as an International Specialist and trained auctioneer in the Hong Kong office, focusing on single-owner collections and later initiating online sales across all categories of Chinese and Himalayan art in 2020 and 2021.
Buddhist art sales he organised include Chinese Art Through The Eye Of Sakamoto Gorō: Early Buddhist Bronzes (2017), The Heart of Tantra (2017), A Celebration of Enlightenment: Buddhist Metalwork From the Collection of Tuyet Nguyet and Stephen Markbreiter (2021), and Reflection and Enlightenment. Chinese Buddhist Gilt-Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection (2021). Specialised single-owner sales of Chinese art he spearheaded include Later Chinese Bronzes From The Collection Of Ulrich Hausmann (2014), Snuff Bottles From The Mary And George Bloch Collection (2013-2015), the Muwen Tang collection (2003, 2016 and 2018) and Marchant – Qing Imperial Porcelain (2021-2022). In June 2022, Mr King transferred to New York as Senior Vice-President, heading up sales of Himalayan Art.
Mr King graduated from Wadham College, Oxford University, with a Masters in Chinese Studies in 1999 after a year living in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas studying Tibetan culture and teaching English to Tibetan monks and schoolchildren.
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