PARIS.- For the first time in its history,
Artcurial will organise an auction in Hong Kong, in collaboration with Spink, on 5th and 6th October 2015, organized by Isabelle Bresset, a Director of Artcurial, France. This auction is part of the international development strategy of the auction house, the growth of which has been significant over the past few years with the opening of several offices in Europe.
“Right from its start, Artcurial has been an integral part of the Paris art scene and a keen supporter of the city as one of the world’s most important art hub. We are thrilled to collaborate with Spink on our debut sale in Hong Kong, presenting to Asian collectors a taste of Paris… our art, our culture, and our Parisian touch.” explains Isabelle Bresset, Director at Artcurial.
The choice of Hong Kong
Spearheaded by Hong Kong, Asia has become the world’s second-largest art market after the US, as China continues to challenge the top spot. There are now more contemporary art auctions in Asia than in Paris or London. The proliferation of public and private museums, the advent of international galleries and art fairs, and the arrival of thousands of new collectors have revolutionized the Chinese market since the opening of the first regional auction house in 1994.
Within this context, Artcurial has witnessed a significant increase in the number of Asian clients over the past few years, a number which doubled with every passing year. Artcurial addresses this important clientele with an inaugural sale in Hong Kong as the first step to a larger strategy to set up a permanent base in this part of the world.
Asian collectors are already active buyers in the categories of Asian and contemporary art (especially works by Chinese artists), and they are appearing more and more frequently in specialist lifestyle or art de vivre sales such as wine or vintage Hermès. Our sale From Paris to Hong Kong will reflect these diverse and growing interests.
For its first sale in Hong Kong, Artcurial will partner with centuries-old English auction house Spink on site logistics. With salerooms in London, New York, Singapore, Switzerland and Hong Kong, Spink will provide logistics and administrative support for Artcurial, in addition to hosting the exhibition and sales on its premises. Contents of the sale are selected by specialists from Artcurial.
The exhibition gallery will be designed by and furnished especially for Artcurial. It will incorporate the theme colors that echo the classic yet modern style of Artcurial’s Paris headquarters, in a 19th century mansion located at the corner of Avenue Montaigne and the Champs-Elysées. The exhibition will be designed to emulate a contemporary cabinet for curios, against a decor inspired by the wooden interiors of the grand mansions of the 18th and 19th centuries in Paris
Artcurial will hold special events in their galleries in France and around the world throughout the week leading to the sale, to provide collectors with a taste of what Artcurial is and represents.
A sale reflecting Artcurial’s image
The sale, entitled From Paris to Hong Kong, aims to create a story of artwork and objects of beauty spanning three centuries, from decorative arts to international mainstream works of art. It highlights Artcurial’s strength as an auction house, with a choice sampling of what it offers at its auctions around the world. A preview of the sale will be held from 9th to 14th September 2015 in Paris, and from 2nd to 5th October 2015 in Hong Kong.
The sale will include several sections:
• Furniture and Decorative Arts including an important collection from a noble European family estimated between 3 500 000 – 5 500 000 HK$ (approx. 400 000 – 640 000 €) and including 28 pieces such as a gathering of gold boxes executed by the finest craftsmen. Amongst the remarkable silver wear and gold ornaments, a golden cup from the collection of Count Nicolas Demidov (estimate : 700 000 – 1 000 000 HK$ approx. 80 000 – 120 000 €) deserves a mention. Another exceptional piece featured in this Hong Kong sale, a clock-working masterpiece, is a rare pendulum cage structure created by James Cox around 1770 (estimate 800 000 – 1 500 000 HK$ / approx. 90 000 – 180 000 €).
• Modern Art Artcurial will present a bronze sculpture by Camille Claudel, L’implorante (estimate : 1 300 000 – 1 800 000 HK$ / approx. 150 000 – 200 000 €). Pierre Auguste Renoir, Chagall, Picasso will herald the modern paintings with a portrait of Edmond Renoir Junior, by his father dating from 1888 (estimate : 8 000 000 – 12 000 000 HK$ / approx. 1 000 000 – 1 500 000 €), formerly in the Gaffé Collection, a striking Parade au village, by Chagall, painted in 1964 (estimate : 13 000 000 – 18 000 000 HK$ / approx. 1 500 000 – 2 000 000 €) and a sarcastic Buste de femme that Pablo Picasso executed in 1967(estimate : 20 000 000 – 30 000 000 HK$ / approx. 2 500 000 – 3 000 000 €).
• Contemporary Art Asian artists will be represented in the sale with the majestic Timonier created by Yan Pei-Ming, in 2000 (estimate : 2 000 000 – 3 000 000 HK$ / approx. 250 000 – 300 000 €), as well as works by Wang Yan Cheng in 2007, untitled 15 (estimate : 600 000 – 800 000 HK$ / approx. 70 000 – 90 000 €) and by Wang Guangyi in 2005, Cartier (estimate : 700 000 – 1 000 000 HK$ / approx. 80 000 – 120 000 €). For European paintings, we can mention 4 oils on canvas by Bernard Buffet including The Cry of the Clown from 1970 (estimate 1 300 000 – 1 800 000 HK$ / approx. 150 000 – 200 000 €),
• Twentieth century Decorative Arts (Art Deco and Design) and Art de Vivre (Hermès Vintage) are two areas in which Artcurial is a pioneer.
• Collectors’ cars Artcurial Motorcars, European leader in its field, will bring a legendary car, a Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster equipped with its hard-top which has belonged to the same owner for the past 48 years (estimate : 10 000 000 – 15 000 000 HK$ / 1 200 000 – 1 500 000 €).
