Asian 20th Century & Contemporary Art (Evening Sale)

The spring season’s three sales of Asian 20^th Century and Contemporary Art achieved HK$629,478,750 (US$81,076,863). 60% of the sold lots realized in excess of the high estimate and 32 lots of those sold realized in excess of HK$10,000,000 (US$1,288,000).

The success of the sales affirms the increased sophistication of the collecting market for this category, with buyers seeking exceptional works of quality. For the top ten lots in the sales, the sold price was more than double the pre-sale estimate and particularly noticeable were the results for contemporary artist, Shang Yang’s, Hearth, (HK$ 6,380,000 / US$ 821,744), as well as modern master Lin Fengmian’s, Opera Series: Beauty Defies Tyranny, (HK$ 11,636,000 / US$ 1,498,717), both of which achieved in excess of five times their estimate. These figures confirm the robust appetite for Asian art and demonstrate a strong level of confidence from a diverse range of international buyers across categories and periods.

Eric Chang, International Director of Asian 20^th Century & Contemporary Art, commented, “The results of this season’s sales of Asian 20^th Century and Contemporary Art attest to the strong level of confidence that buyers have for Asian art as a global collecting category. The sale witnessed world auction records for both Chinese and Southeast Asian artists, which is a result of Christie’s integration of Southeast Asian Art into our 20^th Century & Contemporary Asian Art category.  Given the state of the global economy, this is a robust response and one that is indicative of the potential for continued growth in the category and a bright overall outlook for masterworks of Asian art.”