When Mehmat Hassan, London-born and Bangkok-based dealer of Asian art, decided to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his work, he chose to host an exhibition at the 14th edition of the annual Parisian fair Parcours des Mondes. Hassan chose this fair over any other because, he says, “…it is regarded as the most important fair for non-Western art. It commands the attention of leading scholars, museum officials and collectors, and because Paris is a great city which showcases the arts.” Moreover, as Hassan elaborates, “In recent years, Parcours des Mondes has ventured far beyond the tribal art that it was once primarily known for – today, it attracts close to 70 of the most respected dealers in African, Oceanic, American and Asian art.”

His gallery, Mehmet Hassan Asian Art will showcase an exhibition, “Art From The Himalayas And China,” at Galerie Anne + Just Jaeckin in the Saint Germain-des-Pres district of Paris. The exhibition will focus on bronze sculpture from Tibet and Nepal as well as paintings and gold-silver objects from China and Central Asia. This dips into the core of Hassan’s specialty, which is art from Tibet, the Himalayas, China, Japan and Central Asia, and early textiles from Central Asia. Highlights of the exhibition include some exquisite works of art such as a 15th century Bodhisattva Manjushri from Nepal, a 14th century Milarepa bronze from Tibet, a 9th-10th century Japanese Padmapani from the Fujiwara period and a 15th century bronze statue of Padmasambhava from Tibet, among others.

Hassan, who has earlier exhibited in many of the world’s leading fairs, speaks to BLOUIN ARTINFO at length about his upcoming exhibition.

In recent years, the Chinese collectors have shown a robust interest in Buddhist art from the Himalayas, pushing up its prices. Do you think this genre of art is in its best phase ever or the market can go further north?

The price increase has been quite remarkable and driven by the mainland Chinese buyers. There are some very wealthy Chinese collectors now with discerning taste who are creating private museums. There has also been a resurgent interest in Tibetan Buddhism in China and this is also spurring the demand for good quality Tibetan pieces. The best quality pieces will always be in demand and will continue to appreciate in value.

You have been dealing with the art of the Himalayas – the crucible of Buddhist art – for a quarter of a century. How did you get interested in this genre of art in the first place?

I became interested in Tibetan Art and Culture whilst in London about 1988 and in May 1990 I went to Tibet. The country, culture and its history fascinated me and that fascination has continued to this day. I went back every year for the next 20 years.

Could you sum up your journey in the past 25 years? How has the profile of the buyers of this genre of art changed in these years?

I am a Londoner and 25 years ago, there were many galleries in London that dealt in Himalayan and Chinese art — Spinks & Son, A & J Speelman, Adrian Maynard, Shirley Day, Rossi & Rossi, Eskenazi Ltd and many smaller galleries and dealers. You could find things everywhere you went and it was easy to learn about, study and actually buy Tibetan and Chinese art.

London was a very exciting place then and it was relatively easy to become a collector because there were so many great pieces coming onto the market.

There are very few galleries left in London now and there also seems to be fewer collectors. I am fortunate to have both Western and Chinese clients.

Could you name some absolute ‘must check out’ works from your 25th anniversary exhibition at Parcours des Mondes?

[One of these would be] the portrait statue of the Tantric Buddhist master Padmasambhava. He was born in the 8th century in Uddayan in Swat Valley, now in Pakistan. This Buddhist practitioner was instrumental in introducing Buddhism into Tibet and in the founding of Tibet’s first monastery, Samye. Cast in bronze with extensive copper inlays and set with semi-precious stones, it is a beautiful example of 15th century Tibetan workmanship.

The gilt copper repousse figure from Nepal dates to the late 15th century and represents an unusual form of Manjusri. It is a fine example of Newari workmanship at its best and is inlaid with turquoise, lapis lazuli and rock crystal.

A fine 17th century Karmagadri school Tibetan painted scroll (Thangka) from Eastern Tibetan Thangka. It depicts the Arhat Dharmatala, a Chinese monk who travelled to India in search of Buddhist scriptures and is shown accompanied by a tiger. The Karmagadri school of painting was started in Eastern Tibet by Mikyo Dorje, the 8th Karmapa (1507 -1554) and incorporates elements of Chinese landscape painting.

Would you share some special anecdotes associated with any of the works that are going to be exhibited at Parcours des Mondes?

The statue of Padmasamhava is one that I sold 10 years ago and I never expected to have the chance to handle it again.

In all these years, you must have come across many exquisite works of art that you wouldn’t have wanted to let go off personally. Have you had such instances?

There are many pieces I look back on and wish that I still owned them!

One of the pieces that I have always wanted to buy back was an iron and copper alloy Vajra that featured in “SACRED SYMBOLS, The Ritual Art of Tibet,” a combined exhibition held by Sotheby’s and Rosssi & Rossi in New York in 1999.

In the past 25 years, I have been fortunate to have owned and handled many fine pieces. In many cases, I have kept them at home for many years and lived with them. And one day, I would look at the piece and decide it was time to sell it. I had appreciated it for a long time and now it was time to move on.

So, I don’t regret selling any of them.

You’ve been living in Thailand for the past 30 years. How has it helped you in pursuing the art of your interest?

Bangkok was my base for many years and from there I was travelling to Hong Kong every few weeks to source material. In the 1990s, Hong Kong was the source of a huge amount of Tibetan & Chinese works of art, the number of shops and private dealers were many.

One could spend all day going up and down the Hollywood Road and there were so many things to see. So, Bangkok was the best place to be and at that time, I had a Thai wife and a young family and I never considered moving anywhere else. I spent a lot of time in London during this period as well.

For the past eight years, I have lived in Chiangrai in northern Thailand, which is an hour’s flight away from my gallery in Bangkok. I can leave my house at 7 am and be in my gallery by 11.30 am and can also get to Hong Kong the same day for a business meeting, if necessary.

I have a nice home in the mountains and that keeps me occupied most of the time.

Mehmet Hassan Asian Art will showcase “Art From The Himalayas And China” at the Parcours des Mondes at Galerie Anne + Just Jaeckin, 19, rue Guenegaud, 75006 Paris, from September 8 through 13