HONG KONG — A painting by the Chinese-French painter Zao Wou-Ki sold for a record $65 million on September 30, leading one of Asia’s largest ever art auctions.
“Juin-Octobre 1985,” an abstract work, is now the most expensive painting ever to go under the hammer in Hong Kong, according to Sotheby’s. Measuring 33 feet in length, the oil painting sold for more than double that previously paid for an artwork by Zao, who died in 2013.
The auction house sold $200 million worth of art, with Asian artists featuring prominently alongside Western names. Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara’s “Portrait of AE” brought $3.4 million. Watch for a complete report on this sale in an upcoming issue.