Page 14 - J.J. Lally Chinese Art CHRISTIE'S March 23 2023 NYC

Jim Lally, 1995 n 1987, the esteemed scholar and art critic Souren Melikian reviewed the opening of
Maggie Nimkin Photography
J. J. Lally & Co. in New York. Melikian’s review, published in the International Herald
ITribune and re-printed on the following pages, astutely foreshadowed the importance of
the gallery in the field of Chinese art for the next 30 years. In the first sentence Melikian
observed “When the president of the most powerful auction house in the United States
steps down to open his own art gallery, it means something big is happening in the
field,” and indeed he was right. For the following three decades, the gallery reflected the
sophisticated eye and passion of its founder, welcoming scholars, collectors, amateurs and
professionals alike.
James (Jim) Lally graduated from Harvard College and Columbia University and
joined Sotheby’s New York in 1970, working first in Los Angeles and then in London.
He returned to Sotheby’s New York in 1972, where he took charge of the Chinese Art
Department. The catalogues which he produced were a radical departure for the New York
department, employing a rigorous scholarly approach to the presentation of objects. In
1974, he joined his senior colleague Julian Thompson in the founding of Sotheby’s Hong
Kong, traveling there several times each year to meet with collectors, catalogue works
of art and participate in conducting biennial auctions. In the mid 1980’s he was named
president of Sotheby’s North America and continued to travel in Asia and conduct auctions
in Hong Kong and New York. In 1987, Lally left Sotheby’s and opened J.J. Lally & Co.
on 57th Street in New York to concentrate on the Chinese works of art that most
intrigued him – early ceramics, ritual bronze vessels, archaic jade carvings and sculpture.
From the start, Lally’s high standards, integrity and goodwill were always evident at the
gallery. The intimate and elegant setting that he created at the Fuller Building became
a space where collectors and curators felt at home. The main room presented objects
in sleek, museum-style cases, while the reference library served as a private space for
first-hand viewing, study and discussion. Lally’s unerring eye and constant emphasis on
connoisseurship were evident upon first setting foot in the gallery. His annual exhibitions
were highlights of New York Asia Week, and the authoritative catalogues the gallery
published are well-regarded and enduring, important reference works in the field. The
focus of J.J. Lally & Co. was always the quality and rarity of the objects themselves; neither
market trends nor fashion drove Lally’s exhibitions. One of the great scholar-dealers in the
field of Chinese art, Jim Lally has gained the admiration and respect of curators, collectors
and dealers around the world. The quality and art-historical importance of the works
sold by J. J. Lally & Co. is evidenced by the long list of museums around the world that
acquired works from the gallery and continue to seek Lally’s advice and counsel.

Christie’s is honored to present the auction of Chinese art from J. J. Lally & Co., offering
the works in this catalogue in celebration of the extraordinary contribution the gallery has
made to the appreciation and understanding of Chinese art.

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