James Callahan

Asian Arts

Updated: 7.17.09

James Callahan joined Skinner in the fall of 1997 as director of Asian Works of Art, after nearly three decades as a private dealer. He specializes in all aspects of Asian art, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Khmer, Thai, Burmese, Ottoman Turkish, Armenian, Arabic, Persian and Indian objects.

Jim, as he is known by his friends and colleagues, oversees all aspects of Skinner's specialty auctions of Asian Art, which feature fine furniture and decorative arts from Europe, Asia and 19th-century America, as well as fine silver from the 18th to the 20th century. He also appraises all Asian works of art regularly featured in Skinner's auctions of English and continental furniture and decorations.

Jim is a foremost expert on Asian art, culture, and customs, and his auctions and gallery walks are fraught with the stories, legends, and folklore of thousands of years of Asian history. He is a frequently sought-after resource of Asian-art expertise and he often works closely with museums, historical societies, and independent art groups nationwide. Jim recently teamed with the Brooklyn Museum of Art to bring to auction over 200 important pieces of Southeast Asian art from the collection of Samuel Eilenberg.

Jim began his fascination with the arts of Asia when he participated in his first antique show in Quincy, Massachusetts, at age 11, assisting Hazel Sjobers of Hatherly Shop. Jim conducts appraisal days for nonprofit and arts institutions year-round.