Liu Xiadong – Disobeying the Rules.
There were nine auction records at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Contemporary Asian Art evening sale which achieved US$78.91 million. The top lot was Liu Xiadong’s Disobeying the Rules which made US$8.49 million, a world auction record for the artist. Altogether nine world records were established.
Kevin Ching, Chief Executive Officer of Sotheby’s Asia, said: “Tonight’s Modern and Contemporary Asian Art – Evening Sale was a vibrant success, achieving well in excess of the high estimate. Sotheby’s worldwide network had sourced appealing works from private European, American and Asian collections, many appearing on the market for the first time, and collectors responded with extraordinary enthusiasm. Our highly-anticipated offering of works showcasing the rich diversity of Asian art across different periods and regions attracted hundreds of participants, many new to our business, not only in our very crowded saleroom and on the phones, but also online and via absentee bids, which resulted in numerous artist’s records in all categories offered this evening. Among the many thrilling moments were the bidding wars for Zao Wou-Ki’s Debut d’Octobre (Beginning of October), which had been off the market for nearly 50 years, and for Fang Lijun’s Series 2 No. 4 from the collection of Guy and Myriam Ullens de Schooten, both of which nearly doubled their high estimates”.
Zao Wou-Ki’s Debut d’Octobre sold for US$7.6 million and Lee Man Fong’s Bali Life made US$4.32 million.