Christie’s Hong Kong started its spring auction with a phenomenal Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art Evening sale, fueled by a frenzy of interest for Zao Wou-ki paintings. The sale offered seven Zao’s paintings, one was bought-in and the other six were sold for a total of over HK$400m, contributing a major part of the historic evening sale. The leading lot of the sale, 14.12.59, was hammered down for HK$155m and sold for HK$176m, becoming the third most expensive painting by the artist.
The bidding atmosphere in the salesroom was first heated up by Zao’s 05.10.91. The bidding started at HK$5m and later joined by room bidders and telephone bidders. The painting was hammered down for HK$14.5m and sold for HK$17.5m with premium.
The next painting Neige Danse (Swirling Snow) was created by Zao in 1955, a period when Zao started to consciously insert core elements of Chinese culture into his works, while bringing into play his own knowledge of Chinese painting. The auctioneer started the bidding at HK$14m and received the following bid at HK$20m. The work was hammered down for HK$26m and sold for HK$31.3m to a telephone bidder.
Then the sale entered the climax when the bidding for Zao’s 14.12.59 began. 1959 is a transitional period in Zao’s artistic career as he moved from evocative mystery of his oracular paintings from the ‘50s to the dramatic elemental energy of his expressionist work in the ‘60s. The present work, created in 1959, exemplifies the best qualities of Zao’s important transitional period in a large format, and is bold in colour and structure.
The bidding opened at HK$45m and quickly escalated into a bidding battle as the price was pushed up to over HK$100m. The painting was finally sold for HK$155m, followed by a round of applause in the salesroom. It was sold for HK$176m with buyer’s premium to Ada Ong (the one in pink dress in the above image) from Christie’s Taipei, on behalf of her telephone client.
Zao Wou-ki’s Et la terre était sans forme
In March this year, Zao Wou-ki’s Et la terre était sans forme was also hammered down for HK$155m at Poly Auction Hong Kong but it was sold for HK$182m with premium included. So the painting is still safe for now, ranking on the second place in Zao’s most expensive paintings.
The momentum continued for the next Zao’s painting, 2.11.59, estimated at HK$50m-60m. The painting was also created in 1959, a time when Zao Wou-ki’s creative career transitioned into abstraction in the late 1950s. Zao mentioned in his autobiography that he had discovered “boundary is not necessary between symbol and colour”, because colour is alive and the key lies in how to use the connections between colours to express spatial depth and dynamism and to spark both visual and spiritual feelings.
With an opening bid of HK$30m, the painting elicited a strong interest from a lady in the room (the one with the colourful scarf in image below) and the telephone bidder represented by Xin Li-Cohen, Deputy Chairwoman. It was hammered down for HK$82m and sold for HK$94.6m with premium to the lady in the room.
The lady in the room did not stop there. She soon acquired another Zao’s painting, 10.11.58 - 30.12.70, for HK$72.1m with premium. The creation of 10.11.58 - 30.12.70 spans 12 years, witnessing the beginning to the end of the artist's experimental period in the late 50s to early 70s.
The piece marks the conclusion of Zao’s searching phase, and is the epitome of his paintings created in the 50s with “concrete results”. With complex colour variations achieved through the compilation of achromatic black and white, the black symbolizes the realm of empty void, and the white represents hope and light.
28.02.67
28.04.75 was bought-in
The sixth painting went up for auction when the sale came near to the end. 28.02.67 was sold for HK$13.9m with premium included while the last painting, 28.04.75, was passed.
Except the passed lot, the other six Zao’s painting was sold for a total of HK$406,125,000 with premium included, accounting for more than 40% of the sale total.
All seven Zao Wou-ki’s paintings offered at Christie’s Hong Kong (sorted by price realized)
14.12.59
Lot no.: 23
Created in: 1959
Size: 130 x 162cm
Provenance:
- Samuel Kootz Gallery, New York, USA
- Private Collection, USA
- Private Collection, Taiwan
- Anon. Sale. Christie’s Hong Kong: 27 May 2007, Lot 226.
- Private Collection, Asia
- This work is referenced in the archive of the Fondation Zao Wou-Ki and will be included in the artist's forthcoming catalogue raisonne prepared by Francoise Marquet and Yann Hendgen (Information provided by Fondation Zao Wou-Ki).
Estimate: HK$68,000,000 - $88,000,000
Hammer price: HK$155,000,000
Price realised: HK$176,725,000
2.11.59.
Lot no.: 24
Created in: 1959
Size: 130 x 97cm
Provenance:
- Private Collection, New York, USA
- Doyle New York, 22 May 2007, Lot 1173
- Private Collection, New York, USA
- Private Collection, Europe
- Anon. sale, Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2011, Lot 1014
- Private Collection, Asia
- The work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the Foundation Zao Wou-Ki, dated 19 January 2011.
- This work is referenced in the archive of the Fondation Zao Wou-Ki and will be included in the artist's forthcoming catalogue raisonne prepared by Francoise Marquet and Yann Hendgen (Information provided by Fondation Zao Wou-Ki).
Estimate: HK$50,000,000 - $60,000,000
Hammer price: HK$82,000,000
Price realised: HK$94,600,000
10.11.58 - 30.12.70.
Lot no.: 25
Created in: 1958 - 1970
Size: 130 x 195cm
Provenance:
- Galerie de France, Paris, France
- Private Collection, Mexico
- Private Collection, Asia
- Anon sale, Christie’s Hong Kong, 23 November 2013, Lot 0004
- Acquired from the above sale by the present owner
- This work is referenced in the archive of the Fondation Zao Wou-Ki and will be included in the artist's forthcoming catalogue raisonne prepared by Francoise Marquet and Yann Hendgen (Information provided by Fondation Zao Wou-Ki).
Estimate: HK$50,000,000 - $70,000,000
Hammer price: HK$62,000,000
Price realised: HK$72,100,000
Neige Danse (Swirling Snow).
Lot no.: 4
Created in: 1955
Size: 73 x 60cm
Provenance:
- Galerie Pierre Loeb, Paris, France
- Acquired from the above by the previous owner
- Private Collection, Germany
- Acquired from the above by the present owner
- This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the Foundation Zao Wou-Ki.
- This work is referenced in the archive of the Fondation Zao Wou-Ki and will be included in the artist's forthcoming catalogue raisonne prepared by Francoise Marquet and Yann Hendgen (Information provided by Fondation Zao Wou-Ki).
Estimate: HK$20,000,000 - $25,000,000
Hammer price: HK$26,000,000
Price realised: HK$31,300,000
05.10.91
Lot no.: 3
Created in: 1991
Size: 81 x 100cm
Provenance:
- Galerie Thessa Herold, Paris, France
- Private Collection, Asia
- Anon. Sale; Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2006, Lot 233
- Acquired at the above sale by the present owner
- The work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued and signed by the artist on 15 February 2007.
- This work is referenced in the archive of the Fondation Zao Wou- Ki and will be included in the artist's forthcoming catalogue
- raisonne prepared by Francoise Marquet and Yann Hendgen (Information provided by Fondation Zao Wou-Ki).
Estimate: HK$8,000,000 - $12,000,000
Hammer price: HK$14,500,000
Price realised: HK$17,500,000
28.02.67
Lot no.: 65
Created in: 1967
Size: 89 x 116cm
Provenance:
- Galerie de France, Paris, France
- Private Collection, France
- This work is referenced in the archive of the Fondation Zao Wou-Ki and will be included in the artist's forthcoming catalogue raisonne prepared by Francoise Marquet and Yann Hendgen (Information provided by Fondation Zao Wou-Ki).
Estimate: HK$15,000,000 - $25,000,000
Hammer price:HK$11,000,000
Price realised: HK$13,900,000
28.04.75
Lot no.: 75
Created in: 1975
Size: 115.5 x 89cm
Provenance:
- Galerie Kutter, Luxembourg
- Acquired from the above by the previous owner circa 1985
- Private Collection, Europe
- Private Collection, Asia
- Anon. sale, Ravenel Hong Kong, 26 May 2013, Lot 526
- Private Collection, Asia (acquired from the above sale by the present owner)
- This work is referenced in the archive of the Fondation Zao Wou-Ki and will be included in the artist's forthcoming catalogue raisonne prepared by Francoise Marquet and Yann Hendgen (Information provided by Fondation Zao Wou-Ki).
Estimate: HK$12,000,000 - $16,000,000
Passed
Auction summary
Auction house: Christie’s Hong Kong
Sale: Asian 20th Century & Contemporary Art (Evening Sale) / Contemporaries: Voices from East and West (Evening Sale)
Lots offered: 77
Sold: 65
Unsold: 12
Sold by lot: 84%
Sale total: HK$1,040,390,000