Works By Chinese Artists Like Zao Wou-Ki And Zeng Fanzhi Up For Grabs, Along With Diamonds, Wine, Calligraphy#
From April 3-8, Sotheby's will hold its 2010 Hong Kong Spring Auctions at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. As Artinfo points out today, the sales series "will offer over 2,100 lots of modern and contemporary Asian art, traditional Chinese paintings, fine Chinese ceramics, and works of art as well as jewelry, watches, and wine with a total estimate in excess of HK$1 billion ($128 million)." As Jing Daily wrote after the success of Chinese contemporary art at recent contemporary art auctions in London, these Hong Kong auctions are expected by many to be dominated by collectors from mainland China -- not only at art auctions but diamond and fine wine sales as well.
Artinfo today quotes Sotheby's Asia CEO Kevin Ching, who said:
“The global art market has seen a surge in both growth and confidence, particularly in Asia...This has partly been underpinned by the astounding ascendance of new buyers internationally as well as from the region, especially China. Our Spring sales series shall be yet another opportunity for collectors worldwide to acquire the finest and rarest objects.”
Along with highlights like a 5.16-carat pear-shaped "internally flawless fancy vivid blue diamond ring" (est. $4.6 million—5.8 million) from the DeBeers collection and the fifth part of the hugely successful "Classic Cellar from a Great American Collector" wine series (covered previously on Jing Daily), a number of works by top Chinese artists will be up for grabs.
Chinese arts site Artron (雅昌), writing on the auctions, points out the late Zao Wou-Ki's "10-3-78" (estimated to go for US$1.02 million-1.46 million) and "#1 contemporary Chinese artist" Zeng Fanzhi's "Mask Series No. 8" (est. US$586,000-$879,000) as favorites.
