HONG KONG.- This autumn, in a week-long series of 16 sales spanning categories from Chinese ceramics and paintings, to modern and contemporary art, and jewellery, to watches and wine, Sotheby’s Hong Kong will offer some 2,000 lots with a combined estimate in excess of HK$2.3 billion / US$300 million.

This season’s sales bring together extraordinary works in every category, notably: an exceedingly rare 102.39 carat flawless diamond to be offered with no reserve for the first time in auction history; a highly important handscroll by Yuan Dynasty painter Ren Renfa, formerly in the Qing imperial collection; museum-quality masterpieces by Sanyu and Wu Guanzhong; the stunningly vibrant Abstraktes Bild (649-2) by Gerhard Richter; a fresh-to-market splashed ink and colour painting by Zhang Daqian; the second instalment of the successful Monochrome sale, among others. The autumn sales series also continues Sotheby’s tradition of offering important single-owner collections, including Wine from the Cellar of Joseph Lau, The First Avant-Garde: Masterworks from the Johnson Chang Collection, and Art of Tomorrow: Works Sold to Benefit the Chu Foundation.

Kevin Ching, CEO of Sotheby’s Asia, comments: “Following the highly successful spring sale series in Hong Kong in July, we are particularly enthusiastic and proud about our autumn sales, given the spectacular line-up, the quality of the offerings, as well as the very short turnaround time between the two seasons. This truly demonstrates the unparalleled sourcing and curating capabilities of the Sotheby’s team in the face of changing market conditions.”




This season’s exhibition and sales will bring together the best of the established formats and introduce exciting innovations: the pre-sale exhibition for the sales will, as in the past, be held at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where visitors will be able to view works in a suitably distanced manner. The sales themselves, this season, will be held in Sotheby’s own prestigious gallery at One Pacific Place. Reserved seating for in-room bidding will be implemented, while social distancing and other health and safety measures will be strictly observed.

Given both the importance of Hong Kong as a global art market hub and the stature of this season’s offering, Sotheby’s four Evening Sales1 will be livestreamed with multi-camera feed and enhanced video content. In addition, for the Contemporary Art Evening Sale (6 October), the Hong Kong-based auctioneer will take bids in real time from colleagues on phone banks in New York, Hong Kong and London. This innovative livestream format – pioneered by Sotheby’s, with great success, for its flagship New York and London sales this summer and for the first time introduced in Asia – encourages collectors from around the world to participate live – via telephone and online – in the auctions, while allowing many thousands of enthusiasts to experience the drama of these high-stakes auctions in real time (Sotheby’s recent live-streamed sale, Rembrandt to Richter, was viewed by over 150,000 people).

The introduction of the livestream experience to Sotheby’s Hong Kong salesroom coincides with the introduction of a new digital catalogue, which brings lots on offer to vivid life, with superior imagery, informative videos and history-lines, expert essays and other multimedia features enabling deeper exploration and understanding of the works.

Kevin Ching continues: “The art world has undergone unprecedented changes over the past months, and globally Sotheby’s has been leading the market with digital innovations that continue to deliver the best auction experience. This autumn, we are further amplifying our digital advantage in Hong Kong with cutting-edge live-streaming technologies and enhanced online catalogues to create a personalised and interactive experience for our clientele regardless of physical boundaries. With the best of the established live auction format and pioneering virtual experiences, we are catering to the needs of today’s collectors and building our vision for the future.”