Christie’s kicked off its autumn sales week in Hong Kong on November 25 with robust participation across all three categories offered †Modern and contemporary Southeast Asian art, Chinese Twentieth Century art and Asian contemporary art. Collectors competed vigorously for spectacular works by some of the most celebrated contemporary and Modern artists in Asia.
The opening sale of Modern and contemporary Southeast Asian art totaled a record $8,272,709 and witnessed a packed room and vigorous buying. The sales created new elites among Southeast Asian art categories, and placed names such as I. Nyoman Masriadi, Rudi Mantofani and others in the spotlight. Artist records were set throughout the sale, with five world auction records set in the top ten results alone. The top lot was Rudolf Bonnet’s market scene, which more than doubled its high presale estimate and fetched $1,482,437, a world auction record for the artist.
The Chinese Twentieth Century art sale saw enthusiastic bidding, with the top lot, Chen Cheng-Po’s “Sunset in Danshui,” going for $6,523,557 to a private Asian buyer. The sale also set two world auction artist records †Zao Wou-Ki’s “Et la terre tait sans forme,” 1956‱957, which sold for $3,786,949, and Wu Zuoren’s “Golden Ocean,” which brought $1,050,341.
A marathon sale of Asian contemporary art set the new benchmark for the category with a record total of $60,079,155. Leading the day was a large-scale work comprising 14 large gunpowder screens by Cai Guo-Qiang titled “Set of Fourteen Drawings for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.” Embodying more than a decadelong period of creative experimentation, this work sold for $9,548,229 to an anonymous bidder †a world auction record for the artist, for Chinese contemporary art and for Chinese painting.
Artists such as Yue MinJun, Zhang Xiaogang and Zeng GanZhi continue to rule the landscape of this category, and each was well represented in the top lots. From Xiaogang came “Portrait in Yellow,” which portrays Ye Yongqing, a fellow artist and member of the Southwest China Art Group; it realized $2,922,757. The top lot from MinJun was “Life,” an exceptional installation of 15 separate paintings, each depicting Yue’s self-image in different, contorted and absurdist positions; it fetched $2,778,725. Among the highlights from FanZhi was “The Mask-Five Faces,” which realized $1,050,341.
The Asian contemporary art sale also brought tremendous results in the growing category of Indian and Pakistani contemporary art with a total of $3,906,000 for 22 works †the highest value ever achieved in Hong Kong.
Prices reported include the buyer’s premium. For information, 852 2978 9966 or www.Christies.com .
