Sotheby’s will hold a special auction in October called “Dragon’s Journey: Selected Works from the Collection of Liu Yiqian and Wang Wei”. As the founders of the Long Museum and a renowned contemporary art collector couple, they will bring nearly 40 world-class artworks to this auction, with estimated prices ranging from HKD 745 million to HKD 1.106 billion / USD 95.9 million to USD 135.5 million. It is definitely one of the highlights of Sotheby’s Hong Kong Autumn Auction in 2023.
Liu Yiqian and Wang Wei have been exploring the field of art for many years, and the works being auctioned this time are just a small part of their extensive collection. The proceeds from the auction will be used to support important projects at the Long Museum and provide funding for future acquisitions, continuing the two collectors’ vision of promoting cultural dialogue among different artists, regions, and generations.
The auction features a collection of the greatest artists of the past century, including pioneers of modernism and post-war abstract art, as well as contemporary art giants. It includes renowned artists such as Amedeo Modigliani, Zao Wou-Ki, Bai Hairi, Fujita Tsuguharu, René Magritte, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Wang Junjie, Mark Bradford, and Nicolas Party. A series of works will be exhibited separately at conference exhibition centers in Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, and Hong Kong, with a live auction for a single collector taking place on October 5th.
Further reading:
- Andy Lau’s First Art Exhibition! Collaborating with Multiple Contemporary Artists to Create “1/X Andy Lau’s Art Space”
- WOAW Gallery’s new gallery space in Wan Chai opens with a dual exhibition featuring artists Taedong Lee and Kitty Ng!
- Come to Tsuen Wan for an art tour! “#ddHK Design #Hong Kong Land” brings 7 large-scale art installations
Amedeo Modigliani’s “Portrait of Beatrice Hastings” will be auctioned at the upcoming event. This masterpiece is one of the artist’s largest works and his only depiction of Beatrice Hastings. It is also one of his last paintings and the most significant piece to appear at an auction in the past five years. Modigliani used elongated and distorted forms to portray the elegant and seated Beatrice, incorporating influences from Italian Futurism and Parisian Cubism in the composition.
David Hockney’s hexagonal oil painting “Image of a Lion” is co-piloted by Amadeo Modigliani for this evening’s auction. The work traces Hockney’s early and influential stage design, incorporating its elements and combining them with vibrant colors such as bright green, purple, magenta, and emerald green, reminiscent of the Fauvist art movement. It creates a theatrical atmosphere while blurring the boundaries between reality and fantasy, indoor and outdoor landscapes. At the same time, it showcases the artist’s mastery of pointillist perspective and cleverly reimagines the aesthetics of Chinese scroll painting.
The highlighted auction items also include Zao Wou-Ki’s oil painting canvas work “10.03.78”, Wu Dayu’s abstract and semi-figurative work “Untitled-19”, as well as René Magritte’s “Looking Glass”, a masterpiece of surrealism. It is quite rare to gather works from outstanding artists over the past century.
Sotheby’s Hong Kong 2023 Autumn Auction
Live Auction: October 5th
Auction Preview: October 2nd to 8th | Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Hall 1
Image source: Sotheby’s
