Christie's Hong Kong Inaugural Auction Yields Strong Results for Van Gogh and Monet

On September 26, 2024, Christie's held its first auction at its new Asian headquarters in The Henderson, Hong Kong, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. The 20th/21st Century Evening Sale achieved strong results, led by Vincent van Gogh's 'Les canots amarrés' (1887) which sold for HKD 250.625 million (€28.5 million), followed by Claude Monet's 'Nymphéas' (1897-1899) at HKD 233.375 million (€27 million). Other European masters like Magritte, Chagall, and Soulages fetched between HKD 16-36 million. Among Asian artists, Zao Wou-Ki's triptych '05.06.80 – Triptyque' (1980) achieved HKD 95.375 million (€11 million), while Kim Whan-Ki's '9-XII-71 #216' (1971) reached HKD 56.035 million (€6.45 million). Contemporary works saw fierce bidding, with Ronald Ventura's 'STATE OF BLOOM' (2021) soaring from a low estimate of HKD 1.8 million to HKD 36.675 million (€4 million), and Lucy Bull's '18:50' (2021) rising from HKD 5 million to HKD 18.525 million (€2 million). The sale marked a positive start to the autumn auction season, with attention now turning to London and Paris for October sales.