CHRISTIE’S HONG KONG

AUTUMN AUCTIONS 2013

INTRODUCING AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS AND ART PROGRAMMES

│ Asia Tour: October 19 – November 16 │ Christie’s Art Forum: November│

│ Hong Kong Public Previews: November 21 – 26 │ Fall Auctions: November 23 – 27 │

Hong Kong – Christie’s Hong Kong will hold its 2013 Hong Kong Autumn Auctions from November 23 to 27 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. Starting from October, activities and events will be presented throughout the auction season. Highlights from the auctions will tour seven cities in Asia and two private sales, featuring contemporary Chinese ink paintings and Impressionist & Modern paintings, will also be organized. In addition, Christie’s Art Forum will return following its debut last year and two short courses on Modern European Art and Chinese Ceramics will be available through Christie’s Education Hong Kong.

AUTUMN AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS

Building on the success of the “East Meets West” concept from the last two seasons, the Asian 20^th Century & Contemporary Art sale will feature the theme of “The Era of Asia, The Art of Asia”, showcasing a broad range of distinctive work, from Asian modernist masters through to avant-garde and cutting-edge contemporary talent. Of particular note is the Evening Sale, which will be presenting the theme of “The Golden Era of Asian 20^th Century and Contemporary Art” and includes a series of masterpieces from the 1950s and 1960s, created by masters such as Zao Wou-Ki, Chu Teh-Chun, Sanyu among others.  The sales will also bring Southeast Asian art into the spotlight, presenting a collection of Indo-European paintings from artists Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur De Merprès, Rudolf Bonnet, Willem Hofker and Theo Meier. These artists were four major figures in the development of Indo-European art, which not only looks at “East Meets West” from Asian artists’ perspective, but also examines a “West Meets East” concept from western artists’ perspective. Important private collections are also highlights of the sale: an important New York collection presenting 22 Chinese & Korean contemporary paintings as well as a selection of seven works by Lin Fengmian from the family of a British sea captain. Responding to market demands, around 300 Asian 20^th Century & Contemporary works on paper will be presented as a special sale this season, after the successful launch of this category in Spring 2013.

The Chinese Classical & Modern Paintings sale will comprise works from many epochs and with wide-ranging estimates. Highlights of this season will be the continuing sale of important Chinese paintings, which once belonged to Dr. K. S. Lo Collection (Dr Lo was the founder of Vitasoy). The collection offers over 150 rare and important paintings and includes masterpieces from Zhang Daqian, Qi Baishi, Fu Baoshi among others, and is a further testament to Dr. K. S. Lo’s passion for Chinese paintings and his support of young artists. Also, for the single owner collection Su Zhu An Collection of Chinese Paintings and Inkstones, 25 lots of Chinese Classical Paintings and Calligraphy sale will be presented on November 25; while 19 Chinese inkstones will be auctioned in Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on November 27. In addition, Christie’s will present an exhibition of The Feng Wen Tang Collection of Paintings By Qi Baishi, displaying 56 paintings by the artist and showcasing a diverse range of subjects, from landscapes to figures and from flowers and birds to calligraphic works, which span the artist’s career.

The Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art sale this season will feature two important single owner collections, followed by the Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art sale. The first collection comprises 24 pieces from The Raymond F.A. Riesco Collection of Important Chinese Ceramics, which are predominantly from the Ming dynasty, but from the Qing dynasty as well and also monochromes from earlier period. The collection comes fresh to the market with impeccable provenance. (Click here to view the press release of The Raymond F.A. Riesco Collection of Important Chinese Ceramics). The second sale is Imperial Chinese Porcelain: Treasures from a Distinguished American Collection. It features 14 pieces of exquisite Imperial porcelain spanning the early Ming to the mid-Qing period, which represent some of the best monochromes as well as doucai, famille roseand iron-red decorated polychrome wares produced during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Also of note is our Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Sale: one of the highlights is a very important and rare blue and white ‘Wan Shou’ vase from the Kangxi period. It is inscribed with ten thousand characters conveying the wish for longevity and is one of the only six known extant pieces in the world.

The Jewellery auction will feature a pair of significantly sized emerald and diamond ear pendants, as well as a sensational array of scintillating diamonds, coloured stones, luminous natural pearls, jadeite jewellery, as well as important pieces from international design houses.

The Watch auction this season will feature a superb array of watches of the finest caliber. Christie’s will curate an auction that presents the finest minute repeating, perpetual calendar, tourbillon and split seconds wristwatches from the world’s leading blue chip brands to the cutting edge creations of the globe’s foremost independent makers. A number of notable pocket watches featuring tourbillon and automata mechanisms highlight the auction together with some of the most lavishly jeweled watches ever manufactured.

With Dr Ku’s Apothecary Collection auction drawn to a close, Christie’s Wine specialist team has prepared a selection of fine and rare wines for the fall auction. Vinous highlights include 6 bottles of Château Suduiraut 2009 signed by Chinese contemporary artist Jiao Xingtao, Edition N°1 of Jiao Xingtao’s sculpture, The Golden Wine, and The Legendary Collection – three centuries of Château Latour.

CHRISTIE’S PRIVATE SALES 

As a response to market demands, Christie’s Private Sales have been providing buyers and sellers with a confidential and flexible approach to their sales and purchases. This season, two categories will be presented in Asia through this channel. A group of Chinese contemporary ink paintings will be available during the fall auction period. This follows a non-selling exhibition in Hong Kong and private sale exhibitions in New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai, which contributed significantly to Christie’s presence in this rapidly evolving market. To meet Asian collectors’ growing interest in this collecting area, Christie’s Hong Kong will continue private sale exhibitions of Impressionist & Modern Paintings this season.

CHRISTIE’S ART FORUM

Christie’s Art Forum was launched last October with the goal of stimulating industry discussion and of promoting art appreciation in an interactive setting. This autumn, the initiative will be taken further with panel discussions on various art categories, featuring views from artists and experts in the relevant fields.

CHRISTIE’S EDUCATION

Christie’s Education Hong Kong will present two short courses in November, during the week of Christie’s Hong Kong Fall Auctions 2013. Titled “Impressionism to Cubism: Modern European Art and its Market” and “Chinese Ceramics in the Ming and Qing Dynasties: History, Collecting, its Market” respectively, these hands-on learning courses, will be given by Christie’s specialists and guest speakers in both English and Putonghua. These education programmes are part of Christie’s continuing effort to promote art appreciation and provide the general public with access to art education. (Click here to know more about Christie’s Education Hong Kong Short Courses Fall 2013)

CHRISTIE’S PARTNERSHIP WITH ASIA ART ARCHIVE

Partnering with Christie's this year, Asia Art Archive (AAA) presents the Preview of its Annual Fundraiser Auction from November 22-24 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, with 75 generously donated works. Highlight lots include works by LIU Guosong (LIU Kuo-sung), LIN Xue, LEUNG Kui-Ting,  and Aya TAKANO.  Online bidding will be available from November 8-29 via Paddle 8, phone bids only will be accepted during the live auction to be held on November 30.