HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s concluded its spring sales series in Hong Kong, with 3,794 lots sold across 17 auctions conducted over seven days at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre for a grand total of HK$3.22 billion / US$411 million – the seven consecutive Hong Kong series to exceed US$400 million (Estimate: HK$2.28 – 3.32 billion / US$291.1 – 424 million).

Kevin Ching, CEO of Sotheby’s Asia, said: “Hot on the heels of our ground-breaking live-streamed flagship New York sales that demonstrated the market to be vibrant and well, our rescheduled Spring sales in Hong Kong produced robust results and exceptional performance across all categories. This is a true testament to Sotheby’s market leading position in Asia for five consecutive seasons.”

Patti Wong, Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, said: “Our highly successful sales series in Hong Kong once again demonstrates the resilience of the Asian market. Undeterred by travel bans, our clients enthusiastically participated through different channels. The pent-up demand and appetite for top quality materials were abundantly apparent. Sotheby’s first-rate sourcing, worldclass curation, and intuitive understanding of the market, is our winning formula to produce such stellar results.”

Nicolas Chow, Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, commented: “Finding ourselves up against the challenges of an unprecedented backdrop, we quickly adapted and evolved to connect with and serve our clients in ever more effective ways – with enhanced e-catalogues, videos, live-streaming and social media, transcending global and physical boundaries.”

HIGHLIGHTS ACROSS CATEGORIES

THIRD HIGHEST TOTAL EVER FOR A WINE SALE SERIES AT SOTHEBY’S ASIA COMBINED SALE TOTAL: HK$177 MILLION / US$22.6 MILLION

• The combination of an exceptional total and performance against estimates put Sotheby’s in pole position as the market leader in the region

• Domaine de la Romanée-Conti led the sales - 1 Six-Litre Methuselah of Romanée Conti 1999 doubled estimate to sell for HK$2.1 million / US$272,100

*UNRIVALLED MARKET LEADERSHIP IN MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART* SIX SALES ACHIEVED A STELLAR TOTAL OF HK$1.7 BILLION / US$220 MILLION
COMBINED SELL-THROUGH RATE: 86%
14 AUCTION RECORDS SET

MODERN ART SALES REALISE SECOND HIGHEST SERIES TOTAL EVER ACHIEVED FOR THE CATEGORY, WITH MULTIPLE RECORDS SET
COMBINED SALE TOTAL: HK$883 MILLION / US$114 MILLION

• Top lot: Four-way ten-minute bidding battle took Sanyu’s Quatre Nus to HK$258 million / US$33.3 million

• Chu Teh-chun’s only pentaptych, Les eléments confédérés, soared to a record setting HK$114 million / US$14.7 million – the artist’s first work to cross HK$100m mark

• Zao Wou-ki whipped up a storm in the saleroom with all seven lots sold for a combined total of HK$318.5 million / US$41 million in the Evening Sale, led by the artist’s ‘Hurricane Period’ masterpieces 20.03.60 and 19.11.59

• Eight auction records were set across the two sales, including artist records for Chu Teh-Chun, Guan Zilan, Pang Jiun, Chen Ting-Shih, Ho Kan, Hsiao Ming-Hsien, as well as Chu Teh-Chun calligraphy record and Sanyu oil painting on mirror record.

CONTEMPORARY ART SALES ACHIEVE THE HIGHEST VALUED EVENING SALE OF THE CATEGORY AT SOTHEBY’S ASIA
COMBINED SALE TOTAL: HK$734 MILLION / US$94.6 MILLION

• David Hockney’s 30 Sunflowers achieved HK$114.8 million / US$14.8 million – the second highest price for any Western art sold at auction in Asia. It is also the seventh highest price for Hockney globally, signalling new heights for Asia as global platform for contemporary art

• Robust Results for Asian Contemporary Art: Liu Ye’s Leave Me in the Dark fetched HK$45.4 million / US$5.8 million, achieving the second highest auction record for Liu Ye following world record also achieved by Sotheby’s last October. Japanese highlights at Evening Sale were 100% sold

• All seven works by François-Xavier Lalanne and Claude Lalanne sold for a combined HK$32 million / US$4 million, demonstrating strong interest from the region. Led by François-Xavier Lalanne’s Gorille de Sûreté I, which achieved HK$18 million / US$2.37 million, more than three times its estimate and breaking the series record set previously at Sotheby’s Paris




• Artist auction records was set for Hao Liang, Firenze Lai and MR.

SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART SALES SEES STRONG PERFORMANCE OF VIETNAMESE ART COMBINED SALE TOTAL: HK$85 MILLION / US$11 MILLION

• Three rare works by Adrien Jean Le Mayeur de Merprès all sold, led by Balinese Women in the Garden achieving HK$7.4 million / US$951,596

• 90% of Vietnamese art works sold. The sales set three new auction records, including artist records for Mai Trung Thu and Tran Van Ha, as well as Oil on Canvas record for Nguyen Nam Son

WU GUANZHONG TAKES TOP SPOT AT FINE CHINESE PAINTINGS SALE
SALE TOTAL: HK$244 MILLION / US$31.5 MILLION

• A series of masterpieces by Wu Guanzhong executed at the peak of his artistic career was 100% sold, led by a six-foot monumental landscape painting, Heavenly Lake in Mount Changbai that sold for an above-estimate HK$24 million / US$3.1 million

• New artist auction record set for Ju Lian’s The Legends of Flowers, which achieved HK$7.4 million / US$951,600

DONG QICHANG TAKES TOP SPOT AT FINE CLASSICAL CHINESE PAINTINGS SALE
SALE TOTAL: HK$76 MILLION / US$9.8 MILLION

• Two calligraphy works realised over HK$10 million each: Dong Qichang’s Stele Inscription in Running Script more than doubled its estimate to sell for HK$20.6 million / US$2.7 million; Zhang Yu’s Letter to Bo Qing achieved HK$12.2 million / US$1.6 million

TWO EXCEPTIONALLY RARE FANCY VIVID COLOURED DIAMONDS LEADS MAGNIFICENT JEWELS SALE
SALE TOTAL: HK$438 MILLION / US$56.5 MILLION

• A 5.04 Carat Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond Ring, Type IIb achieved HK$82 million / US$10.6 million

• A 4.49 Carat Fancy Vivid Pink Diamond, Internally Flawless sold for HK$63 million / US$8.1 million

• An ‘Imperial Green’ jadeite bead necklace competed by 5 determined phone bidders achieved stunning price of HK$80.7 million / US$10.4 million

• Princess Margaret’s 21st birthday bracelet attracted fierce competition from phone and online bidders, soaring over high estimate to sell for HK$1.6 million / US$209,674

CHINESE WORKS OF ART SALES DEMONSTRATE SUSTAINED MARKET APPETITE FOR TOP QUALITY WORKS
SALE TOTAL: HK$470 MILLION / US$60 MILLION

• A Magnificent and Highly Important Yangcai Reticulated Vase from the Qianlong period achieved HK$70 million / US$9 million

• 10 pieces of Huanghuali furniture from an important collection fetched a strong total of HK$167 million / US$21.5 million, with all lots selling above high estimates. Highlighted by A Rare Huanghuali Recessed-Leg Long Table, Qiaotouan Ming Dynasty, 17th Century, sold at HK$60 million / US$7.8 million, ten times its high estimate

IMPORTANT WATCHES SALE SETS NEW AUCTION RECORD FOR AN AUTOMATIC ROLEX DAYTONA
SALE TOTAL: HK$117 MILLION / US$15 MILLION

• Rolex Platinum Zenith Daytona with Hardstone Lapis Lazuli Dial, soared to HK$25.4 million / US$3.3 million, 5 times over estimate, after a 7-minute bidding battle among phone and online bidders. This sets a new auction record for an automatic Rolex Daytona, 3 times over the record set previously at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in October 2018

• Winning Watch from Ressence Watch Design Charity Competition, Type 1 Slim “Ayrton & Finley”, achieved HK$375,000 / US$48,386 - sold to benefit The Covid-19 Research Programme of The KU Leuven and UZ Leuven Universities