Property from the Collection of Sir David Tang Will Go Under the Hammer at Christie’s London

Sir David Tang, Hong Kong entrepreneur and socialite, died in August last year. Best known for founding the Shanghai Tang fashion chain, Tang was also hailed as a discerning art collector for his impeccable taste.

Following his death, Christie’s will hold the sale of the Collection of Sir David and Lady Tang during its London Interiors sale on January 31. 74 lots ranging from furniture, watches, art decoration, paintings and luggage epitomize the exquisite taste of Tang. Among all 74 lots, carrying the highest estimate is Jean-Michael Basquiat’s Untitled. Estimated at £30,000 - 50,000 (US$41,000 - 67,000), this painting is a gift to Lady Tang from Sir David.

Basquiat is the highest-grossing American artist

Referred to as “London’s best-connected man", Sir David Tang was a prominent figure in the in the celebrity world and the high society in the UK. One of the highlights of the sale is a gilt embossed and black leather covered minister’s parliamentary dispatch box, with the cypher for H.M. Queen Elizabeth II and “UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE”. It is estimated at an attractive price point at £500–800 (US$680–1,100).

Items up for sale also include celebrity-themed artworks, such as a photograph of Kate Moss Backward Glance by Mike Figgs (estimate: £600–1,000) and a sketch of David Bowie by Adrian George (estimate: £3,000–5,000), as well as a bronze portrait bust of Sir David Tang (estimate: £500–800).

The sale aims to raise at least £120,000, with some of the lots carrying a reserve price as low as £500. This sale is possibly a prelude to more sales of Sir David Tang collection in the future as the art world is expecting more “big names” coming from his property.

To acquire works of art from Sir David Tang collection, it only costs several hundred pounds. However, Tang’s extraordinary taste is not something one can acquire with money.

 

Auction details

Auction house: Christie's London
Sale: Interiors
Lots offered: 291 (Lots 1-74 are property from the collection of Sir David Tang)
Previewing:
2018/1/15-19, 22-26|9am - 4:30pm
2018/1/27-28|12pm - 5pm
2018/1/29|9am - 8pm
2018/1/30|9am - 4:30pm
Auction: 2018/1/31|10am