The day after Christie’s inaugurated its new Hong Kong headquarters with a $134 million night twentieth/twenty first century artwork sale, actuality bit for the home, as its first twenty first Century day sale introduced in simply $16 million plus charges.
Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips have every made main investments in Hong Kong and elsewhere within the area in recent times. Sotheby’s will inaugurate its personal new Hong Kong headquarters in November, and Phillips opened a brand new Asia headquarters in metropolis in 2023. It’s nonetheless too early to say whether or not these investments will assist the homes defy the worldwide artwork market’s ongoing stagnation, however ArtTactic did report just lately that gross sales of artwork at Hong Kong night gross sales tanked 40 % by worth through the first six months of this yr in contrast with 12 months earlier. That was their lowest degree since 2017.
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We should always have extra knowledge quickly nonetheless, as all three homes shall be utilizing their new digs to carry year-round auctions within the metropolis, versus beforehand holding all of their gross sales over the course of a jam-packed week or two.
(All costs beneath are with charges)
The inaugural twenty first century artwork day sale on Friday had 44 heaps, headlined by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s Pumpkin and Hen (each acrylic on canvas). Kusama has loved elevated consideration in the UK just lately, with two new public sculptures in London and her 14th UK solo present at Victoria Miro gallery. Nevertheless, Pumpkin bought for $1.8 million, simply shy of its $2 million low estimate. Hen did a bit of higher, promoting for $1.7 million (excessive estimate: $2 million). These outcomes, and simply two others, made the post-sale highlights. It was slim pickings.
Kusama’s compatriot, Yoshitomo Nara, deservedly made Friday’s highlights reel. His ABC (acrylic and graphite on canvas) bought for $2.1 million, exceeding the excessive estimate of $1.3 million. Nara’s Assault the Trendy World (acrylic and coloured pencil on paper) additionally bought properly, edging previous its excessive estimate of $320,000. His Lengthy Lengthy Method From Your Dwelling (a hand-painted ceramic plate) was bought for $810,000 (excessive estimate: $515,000).
A twentieth century day sale preceded the night sale on Thursday. Collectively, the three auctions totalled $162.2 million together with charges, with 90 % bought by lot.
As one may count on, Asian artists made up a big chunk of these featured within the twenty first century day sale on Friday. Except for Kusama and Nara, works by a number of different Japanese artists together with Izumi Kato, Ayako Rokkaku, and Kohei Nawa have been provided. Indonesia’s Handiwirman Saputra and Christine Ay Tjoe have been included, so too Chinese language artists Stephen Wong Chun Hei, Huang Yuxing, Cui Jie, and Ding Yi. Of the above, Ay Tjoe’s First Kind of Stairs #02 was the standout performer, tripling its excessive estimate and promoting for $770,000.
Representing the West, George Apartment, Antony Gormley, and Lucy Bull have been essentially the most outstanding names. Apartment and Bull’s works (one a bit) bought simply past their low estimate, whereas Gormley’s was pulled earlier than the sale.
As for the moist artists, Britain’s Jadé Fadojutimi, who’s barely 20 years outdated, noticed her Gimmer of Our Twigs (oil, oil stick, and acrylic on canvas) skip previous its excessive estimate of $515,000 to promote for $730,000. China’s Yuan Fang, born in 1996, additionally did comparatively properly; her Galloping Horse and Vines (acrylic on canvas) bought for $40,000 (excessive estimate: $32,000).
New York’s standing because the public sale capital of the world is protected in the meanwhile, nevertheless it’s early days in Asia. Watch this house?