Zao Wou-Ki’s 17.3.63 will lead Christie’s 20th/21st Century Evening Sale on 26 September in Hong Kong, the auction house announced on today (13 August). The auction will be staged live at Christie’s new Asia-Pacific headquarters in The Henderson.
Painted during Zao’s sought-after “Hurricane Period,” the work is distinguished by a rare, incandescent red palette and carries an estimate of HK$70–90 million (US$9–12 million). It is appearing at auction for the first time.
Zao Wou-ki (Zhao Wuji, 1920-2013) | 17.3.63, oil on canvas
Painted in 1963
130 x 97.2 cm
Estimate: HK$70,000,000 – 90,000,000 (US$9,000,000 – 12,000,000)
Auction House: Christie's Hong Kong
Sale: 20th/21st Century Evening Sale
Date: 26 September 2025
One of the most important figures in the Asian art market, Zao Wou-Ki was a trailblazer in merging Eastern heritage with Western modernism. He was among the few Chinese painters to gain international recognition during his lifetime, with demand for his work in Europe and the United States dating back to the 1950s – just a few years after he left China for Paris.
The early 1960s marked Zao’s ascent to global fame. His works were exhibited at Kootz Gallery in New York, Galerie de France in Paris, and the 1961 Tokyo Biennale. Around the same time, he moved into a larger, glass-ceilinged studio in Paris, while enjoying a fulfilling domestic life with his second wife, May Chan.
During this period, Zao approached large-scale canvases with bold ambition, as though battling against an oppositional force. He filled the surfaces with bursts of explosive energy – wild, vigorous cursive lines and vivid colours surging toward a central axis.
Zao Wou-ki and his second wife, May Chan
17.3.63 is a quintessential example from this "Hurricane Period." Dominated by a rare and fiery red palette, the painting features fast-moving, calligraphic brushstrokes that rise from bottom to top, conveying a sense of power and showcasing the artist’s creative passion and confidence at the peak of his career. The work masterfully captures light and shadow – a hallmark of this period, shaped in part by the abundant natural light in his Paris studio.
According to Christie's Zao created 19 blazing red paintings of a comparable size or larger in the 1960s. Only 8, including this one, have never appeared at auction. Notably, this work was included in the artist’s first major retrospective at Museum Folkwang in Essen, held in 1965.
A comparable example, 24.01.63, also painted in 1963 and slightly smaller in size, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong in 2021 for HK$76.28 million.
24.01.63 (1963) | 115 x 88 cm | Sold: HK$76,280,000, Christie's Hong Kong, 2021
The present lot
In recent years, Zao’s work has been the focus of major exhibitions in both mainland China and Hong Kong. In 2024, the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou hosted The Way is Infinite: Centennial Retrospective Exhibition of Zao Wou-Ki, showcasing representative works from each of the artist’s stylistic periods to great acclaim.
This year, Hong Kong’s M+ Museum will host Zao Wou-Ki: Master Printmaker, an exhibition that explores the artist’s creative journey and his prints.
Whether 17.3.63 will surpass expectations will be revealed next month.
Other announced highlights:
Yayoi Kusama | PUMPKIN [TWAQN], acrylic on canvas
Painted in 2015
112 x 145.5 cm
Estimate: HK$22,000,000 – 32,000,000 (US$2,900,000 – 4,100,000)
Walter Spies (1895-1942) | Pagodenlandschaft (Landscape with a Pagoda by a Lake), oil on canvas
Painted in 1929
91.2 x 106.7 cm
Estimate: HK$20,000,000 – 30,000,000 (US$2,600,000 – 3,800,000)
Zeng Fanzhi (b. 1964) | Untitled 09-1-5, oil on canvas (diptych)
Painted in 2008
Each: 180 x 280 cm | Overall: 180 x 560 cm
Estimate: HK$3,000,000 – 5,000,000 (US$390,000 – 640,000)