Sotheby’s Hong Kong will hold its Contemporary Asian Art Spring Sale 2011 on 2 April at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, presenting a meticulously selected group of contemporary Chinese artworks of great historical importance, among them Bloodline – Big Family: Family No. 2 (Est. HK$25 –35 million / US$3.2 – 4.5 million), the earliest work from Zhang Xiaogang’s Bloodline series ever offered at auction. Also highlighted are two important early works of Cynical Realism, namely 1993 No. 4 by Fang Lijun and A Good Dog by Liu Wei, which are expected to stir intense bidding. This season Sotheby’s is delighted to introduce a special section dedicated to Without-ism, presenting to collectors contemporary Chinese art from a fresh perspective. Offering 152 lots, the sale is estimated to achieve a total in excess of HK$158 million / US$20 million*.
Zhang Xiaogang Bloodline – Big Family: Family No. 2. 1993 Est. HK$25-35 million / US$3.2-4.5 million. Photo: Sotheby’s.
This season Sotheby’s will also present Fang Lijun’s Dream of Peace, specially created for the Peace and Development Foundation (PDF). Proceeds will be donated to the Foundation for its future development.
2011 has been a remarkable year, in which Sotheby’s Contemporary Asian Art sales achieved an astounding HK$970.4 million / US$124.4 million, the highest ever annual total for contemporary Asian art auctions worldwide. The two sales of The Ullens Collection brought a total of HK$560 million / US$72 million, setting auction records for multiple artists, rendering it the highest-value single-owner collection of contemporary Chinese art ever sold.
Evelyn Lin, Sotheby’s Head of Contemporary Asian Art, said, “The past century has seen a true flourishing in art in Southeast Asia, Greater China and beyond. Sotheby’s has long appreciated the differences between these stylistically diverse realms of art stemming from distinctive periods, each having a unique collecting history and market. Our experts have, therefore, focused on their respective area of expertise, developing substantial understanding of the artworks and the market in order to assist collectors on their quest for ideal objects to expand their collections. The focused professionalism of our team of experts has provided Sotheby’s with incomparable experience and advantage in organising high-quality and engaging auctions for all collectors.
2011 has been a notable year for Sotheby’s sale of contemporary Asian art. Apart from the active participation of collectors across Asia, we attracted strong bids from all over the world, which is solid proof of the market’s recognition of our direction and effort. The confidence of our collectors has enabled us to gather museum-quality and historically important contemporary works, especially contemporary Chinese paintings. Continuing our fine tradition of scrupulous planning, meticulous categorisation and centralised selling, we proudly present the historically significant and immensely valuable early works, Bloodline – Big Family: Family No. 2 by Zhang Xiaogang (1993) as well as 1993 No. 4 by Fang Lijun, the first-ever piece that the artist exhibited abroad. In addition, Sotheby’s introduces a special section devoted to recent works by emerging faces in contemporary Chinese art, bringing new artists and their works to collectors and continuing to expand the market.”
*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium
