Since the end of March and the beginning of April, major auction houses have successively launched a new round of spring auctions, including Sotheby’s Hong Kong, Christie’s, China Guardian, and Poly Auction Hong Kong, bringing an art feast to local and international collectors. This season brings together extraordinary works of art, and the contemporary art section has achieved impressive results. Below, let us select 10 works that have sold for over tens of millions, or even billions, to share with everyone!
Zhang Daqian’s “Flowers Blossoming in Ten Zhangs with Varied Shadows” | Final Price: HKD 250 million
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
Zhang Daqian’s “Flowers Blossoming in Ten Zhangs with Varied Shadows” was honored as the highest-selling lot at the Sotheby’s Hong Kong Spring Auction in 2023, selling for HKD 250 million. It is the third highest-priced artwork by Zhang Daqian!
This piece was painted in 1973. Zhang Daqian first used light ink as a base, then layered it with heavy ink. Large lotus leaves are prominently displayed, and mineral pigments are splashed on, creating a misty and vibrant effect. Zhang Daqian loved lotus flowers throughout his life, and this work is a representative example of his passion for this subject. The use of gold foil throughout the painting adds to its preciousness, contributing to its high value.
Joan Miró “Untitled” | Sold for: HKD 50,570,000
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
This painting broke the Asian auction record set by Sotheby’s Hong Kong in November 2022 with “Starry Stroll”. In 1947, Juan Miró, who was already well-known in the European and American art world, visited the United States for the first time, and this untitled piece was created during his time there. The artwork combines vibrant primary colors and calligraphic lines, reminiscent of the cosmic imagery in the “Constellations” series, while also showcasing a shift in Miró’s artistic style.
Marc Chagall’s “Bride with Bouquet” | Sold for HKD 27.07 million
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
This is the artist’s second most expensive work in Asia. The vibrant colors and whimsical characters make “Bouquet Bride” as joyful as Chagall’s later works. This piece combines Chagall’s classic blue tones with vibrant red, yellow, and green, showcasing his mastery of color while reflecting his deep inspiration from the Mediterranean sunlight of southern France.
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Wang Junjie “Twilight River” | Transaction Price: HKD 52.3 million
Hong Kong Sotheby’s
Wang Junjie’s masterpiece “The River at Dusk” is colorful, with a winding emerald green river flowing towards the center of the painting, flanked by artist’s signature, rainbow-colored tree-shaped lollipops. This work is an outstanding example of Wang Junjie’s skillful use of lively brushstrokes, with thick layers of paint and dots of color dancing vividly on the canvas, perfectly capturing the essence of the dusk scenery.
Loie Hollowell’s “Standing in Red” | Sold for HKD 18 million
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
“Standing in Red” is extremely captivating, full of temptation and sacredness, and is a classic masterpiece by Holoway. Holoway currently resides in New York and his works have received wide acclaim. This work evokes the mysterious power contained in religious or symbolically meaningful patterns, fully showcasing Holoway’s use of light, color, and shape to explore the theme of the female body in a highly impactful artistic creation.
Yoshitomo Nara “Searching for Treasure” Sold for HKD 83.85 million
Fulwise Hong Kong
The works created by Yoshitomo Nara during his time in Germany are highly sought after, and “Searching for Treasure” was created during this important period in Germany. Yoshitomo Nara pairs the girl in the painting with a divination staff, seemingly contemplating the connection between “prospecting” and the natural world, as well as the mysterious aspect of supernatural divination. The long, rod-like divination staff also implies the meaning of a paintbrush, indicating that the little girl in his brushstrokes is actually a self-portrait, reflecting his search for artistic development “treasure” during his years in Germany.
Yayoi Kusama “Pumpkin” | Sold for HKD 56.11 million
Christie’s Hong Kong
The painting in this auction is full, symmetrical, and rich, serving as an exquisite example of Yayoi Kusama’s highly sought-after pumpkin paintings. The contrasting golden yellow and jet black in “Pumpkin” create a vibrant and energetic composition. Additionally, the artwork seamlessly combines dots, infinite nets, and pumpkins, skillfully embodying the artist’s obsession with concepts such as accumulation, repetition, and infinity.
Murakami Takashi “Parent and Child of Flowers” | Sold for: HKD 14,002,000
Fu Yi Si Hong Kong
Takashi Murakami’s “Parent and Child of Flowers” is meticulously crafted with gold leaf, bursting with dazzling brilliance. Murakami demonstrates a profound understanding of contemporary global culture and is recognized as an innovator and cultural icon of our time. “Parent and Child of Flowers” showcases the artist’s unique visual language, offering an original response to contemporary reality and emotions.
Gerhard Richter “Abstract Painting (607-2)” | Sold for HKD 30 million
Poly Hong Kong
This work is a perfect masterpiece that embodies all of Richter’s techniques. Richter used the most classic colors of this period: bright red, yellow, green, and blue. The main image is created by scraping and smearing large areas of oil paint, with layers of vibrant colors stacked on top of each other, and scratch-like lines extending from the bottom of the painting. The strong and vibrant lines and colors in the image perfectly showcase the artistic essence of the artist’s peak moment in abstract painting.
朱德群《輝煌》| 成交價： 10,680,000 港元
中國嘉德（香港） Translation: Zhu Dequn “Brilliance” | Transaction Price: HKD 10,680,000
China Guardian (Hong Kong)
Zhu Dequn’s “Brilliance” is the cover artwork for this auction. The painting embodies three major aesthetic characteristics of “shocking light source,” “innovative image,” and “color rhythm” that he deepened after the millennium, making it a culmination of his 50 years in France. This work breaks away from the artist’s usual use of concentrated light sources, central composition, and predominantly blue-green tones in his later works, and instead takes a different approach with a scattered light spot composition, creating a “diverse visual space.”
In addition, another giant auction house, Christie’s, will officially debut its spring auction in May. Everyone remember to closely follow our related reports!
