On May 26 and 27, Christie’s Hong Kong is presenting an unprecedented offering of 20th and 21st Century Art masterpieces by esteemed and fast-rising international artists, across a span of genres, movements, eras, and geographies, in four highly anticipated auctions: 20th/21st Century Art Evening Sale, PARALLΞL UNIVΞRSΞ: NFT Evening Sale, 20th Century Art Day Sale, and 21st Century Art Day Sale.
On this occasion, LARRY’S LIST is joined by Jacky Ho, Vice President, Head of Evening Sale, Hong Kong, discussing the market of emerging artists. To one of the most asked questions, what is the latest trend in the art market? Ho observed that starting several years ago, figurative paintings emerged to gain the most popularity among collectors . “Now I think that is evolving as you can see a lot of semi-abstract works with a blend of landscapes or figuration, so this is no longer a pure figurative market at the moment,” Ho remarked.
Do art collectors follow these trends? He underlined the growing maturity among art collectors, who aren’t easily affected by trends but rather focus on the quality of the works. Art collectors would recognize the best-quality works in the market even if that is not something “trendy”.
Any advice to art collectors? Ho’s advice to art collectors is to collect what you believe in. As everyone comes into the market for different purposes, it is important to build your own character in your art collection. He elaborated, “What is popular right now may not fit what you believe in, while what you believe in may not be popular yet. Therefore, trust your own eyes and you can be different.” He noted, “The Asian market has come a long way; the kind of diversity we see in New York or London art markets is actually growing in Asia now. We now see art collectors in Asia having different beliefs, looking at various genres: from figurative to abstract, from female artists to young artists, or established but undervalued artists — there is no one trick or one piece of advice that can fit all.”
In addition, according to Ho, the upcoming auctions are fresh, unique and attractively priced, with the most excitement surrounding emerging artists in the auction. He also expected the upcoming sales to break auction records for some emerging artists. He explained, “When we add the works in the day or evening sale, we always keep in mind whether that piece is capable of transforming the market of the artist. I always tell art collectors that at Christie’s, there is no point for us to do an auction to get a market price; otherwise, we would just do a private sale. In auction, we aim to redefine the market for you.”
Last but not least, Jacky Ho and LARRY’S LIST have selected the following highlights among the lots offered in the upcoming Evening Sale and Day Sale on 26 and 27 May respectively.
AVERY SINGER (B. 1987)
Untitled, 2017
acrylic on canvas laid on wood panel
199 x 156 cm. (78 3/8 x 61 3/8 in.)
HK$10,000,000-15,000,000
US$1,300,000-1,900,000
New-York based painter Avery Singer is the new sensation that has captivated the American contemporary art scene and the youngest artist represented by Hauser & Wirth. Using SketchUp, a 3D modelling software, Singer virtually concocts composition for the underdrawings and projects them onto the canvas, to which she completes the work with intricate layers of airbrushed paint. This work exemplifies an encapsulation of Singer’s distinctive practice, by utilizing technology as the mode of intervention of traditional art.
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Wonder Under, 2016
oil, acrylic and dye on canvas
172.7 x 152.4 cm. (68 x 60 in.)
HK$3,000,000-5,000,000
US$390,000-640,000
Hughes’ freewheeling intuition and imagination lend its way to wild and mystical invented worlds. She once said, “Landscapes opened a whole new world for me, one that was awesome and exciting.” In a complex and fascinating marrying of emotion, observation, and intuition, “Wonder Under” glows with exuberance. With her unique approach to landscape paintings, Hughes rose to prominence after the 2017 Whitney Biennial. Since then, her work has found its place in collections, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
HILARY PECIS (B. 1979)
Big Boy, 2020
acrylic on canvas
173 x 137.5 cm. (68 1/8 x 54 1/8 in.)
HK$1,000,000-2,000,000
US$130,000-260,000
Based in Los Angeles, Hilary Pecis was influenced by Édouard Vuillard, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Roy de Forest, and David Hockney. Her most sought-after series is the interior landscape, which is abundant with saturated colours, layered details, and geometric patterning. The everyday life portrayed in her works are embedded with intertextual references and celebrated by collectors worldwide. Her work is in the collections of Yuz Museum, Nanjing Sifang Museum, and various others.
EWA JUSZKIEWICZ (B. 1984)
Słomkowy Kapelusz (wg Louise Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun), 2012
(Straw Hat (After Louise Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun))
oil on canvas
170 x 125 cm. (66 7/8 x 49 1/4 in.)
HK$6,200,000-8,200,000
US$800,000-1,000,000
Having began this series in 2011, Juszkiewicz expertly imitates the original’s technique and style but replaces the subject’s face with a surreal or grotesque distortion. It narrates a history of effacement and erasure that runs throughout the Western canon of female portraiture.
This work is modelled after French portrait painter Elizabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun’s “Self Portrait in a Straw Hat” (1782). Vigée Le Brun deliberately modelled her pose from Rubens’s “Portrait of Susanna Lunden” (1622), which was formerly known as “Le Chapeau de Paille (The Straw Hat)”.
FIRENZE LAI (B. 1984)
The Yellow Water, 2012
oil on canvas
46 x 61 cm. (18 1/8 x 24 in.)
HK$400,000-600,000
US$52,000-77,000
Hong Kong local artist Firenze Lai’s figurative works depict psychological landscape of anonymous figures which entangled with their surroundings in the intimate space of an urban life. Her paintings have been showcased in internationally, including the 10th Shanghai Biennale (2014), the 2015 New Museum Triennial, and the 57th Venice Biennale (2017), as well as different local venues, such as Para Site and Tai Kwun Contemporary.
HUANG YUXING (B. 1975)
Cherry Blossom Ravine, 2019
acrylic on canvas
160 x 120 cm. (63 x 47 1/4 in.)
HK$600,000-800,000
US$77,000-100,000
Chinese artist from the 70s generation, Huang Yuxing is widely recognized among his generation for his paintings that reflect and preserve their creative process—colors, brushstrokes, and traces of the artist’s hand being overlaid and blended on his canvases. This lot depicts and redefines landscape with the use of neon and vibrant palette. The visual represents the meld of the artist’s imaginary and the concept of Buddhism. The title refers to a place in Guangdong, China known for stunning cherry blossom sightseeing.
AMOAKO BOAFO (B. 1984)
The Artist with His Painting, 2019
oil on paper
165 x 136 cm. (65 x 53 1/2 in.)
HK$6,000,000-8,000,000
US$770,000-1,000,000
Aiming to “represent, document, celebrate, and show new ways to approach Blackness”, Boafo uses a finger-painting technique echoing Egon Schiele’s textured works, abstracting skin into a swirling mass of blue, beiges, reds, and browns. He is a highly sought-after African artist that is no stranger to art collectors. The depicted figures in this work are highly likely to be artist himself with Kehinde Wiley.
NICOLAS PARTY (B. 1980)
Still Life, 2014
soft pastel on canvas
116 x 89 cm. (45 5/8 x 35 in.)
HK$9,000,000-15,000,000
US$1,200,000-2,000,000
“Still Life” encapsulates the essence of the artist’s oeuvre—signature use of primary colours and a contemporary portrayal of the classical genre. Party gently massages the powdery pigment of soft pastel, his favored medium, with fingers to build intricate texture, creating a sensual feature. The artist remarked, “I guess the word “still life” (or “nature morte”) is a good example of what art tries to achieve: merging two opposite notions into one object. Life is not still and nature is not dead, but maybe a painting can be.”
NICOLAS PARTY (B. 1980)
Untitled, 2017
marble
240 x 105.7 cm. (94 1/2 x 41 6/8 in.)
HK$2,500,000-4,500,000
US$330,000-580,000
This rare sculptural work by Nicolas Party shows the all-rounded oeuvre of the Swiss artist. The incorporation of pietra dura (a stone-inlay technique) in this work is reminiscent of the fragments of ancient Greece and Rome.
JONAS WOOD (B. 1977)
Clipping H2, 2013
acrylic on canvas
177.7 x 180.3 cm. (70 x 71 in.)
HK$5,200,000-8,200,000
US$670,000-1,000,000
This work shows an abstracted, geometric representation of plant clippings is a hallmark of the artist’s inspirations he got from Matisse, Hockney, and Calder. Plants in Wood’s paintings are often painted in great scale to create an effect of the plant engulfing its viewer. The artist stated that “The thing that interests me is something that I can get close enough in order to paint it honestly. The painters whose work means the most to me – that’s what they were painting.”
ANDRÉ BUTZER (B. 1973)
Untitled, 2018
acrylic on canvas
182.8 x 121.8 cm. (72 x 48 in.)
HK$200,000-300,000
US$26,000-38,000
André Butzer is best known for his large-scale Neo-Expressionist works of colorful canvases covered with thickly-applied paint. “Science Fiction-Expressionism” is how the artist describes his style—fusing European Expressionism with American popular culture, like Walt Disney and Henry Ford. This work belongs to his newer “N Paintings” series that features the bright fictitious characters in his works.
JESSIE MAKINSON (B. 1985)
Like a Sensitive Shrub, 2020
oil and pigment on canvas
200 x 160 cm. (78 3/4 x 63 in.)
HK$100,000-200,000
US$13,000-26,000
This painting depicts human-animal hybrids, strange beasts, and liberated women in lush flora settings. Makinson’s paintings often demonstrate a strong sense of storytelling with her dynamic use of colours and figures that ignite the viewer’s imagination. A UK-based young artist on the rise, Makinson’s works are so demanded that all her works were sold out in one morning at the Armory Show in 2021.
Find out more:
20th/21st Century Art Evening Sale
21st Century Art Day Sale
20th Century Art Day Sale
Parallel Universe: NFT Evening Sale
