Christie's Hong Kong–New York auction totals HK$920 million with records for Shara Hughes, Amoako Boafo, Nicolas Party

Christie's held its hybrid 20th Century: Hong Kong to New York auction on December 2, 2020, linking the two art hubs in a single sale. The auction achieved a total of HK$ 920,350,057 (€98.8 million) with 90% of lots sold. Starting in Hong Kong with 18 works, new auction records were set for Shara Hughes, Amoako Boafo, Nicolas Party, and Dana Schutz. Hughes' High Waters (2016) soared from HK$ 800,000 to HK$ 4,125,000. Boafo's Baba Diop (2019) sold for a record HK$ 8,890,000. Party's Still Life (2014) fetched HK$ 10,450,000, a new record. Schutz's Elevator (2017) achieved HK$ 50,050,000. Among Asian artists, Yayoi Kusama's A-PUMPKIN-SPW (2014) sold for HK$ 38,650,000 and Yoshitomo Nara's Agent Orange (In the Milky Lake) (2009) for HK$ 65,975,000. In New York, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's Pierreuse (1889) from the Henry Ford II collection sold for $9,062,000, and Claude Monet's Champ de tulipes près de Leyde (1886) for $3,990,000. Contemporary highlights included Jean Arp's Évocation d'une forme humaine lunaire spectrale (1950/57) at $2,430,000 and a record for Matson Jones (Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns) with Untitled (1950) at $750,000. Joan Mitchell's Trees (1990/91) fell short of its low estimate, selling for $4,230,000. The Asian market showed strong demand for contemporary works by artists under 45, while New York focused on modern masters.