Rare Red Kusama Pumpkin Fetches HK$22 Million at Bonhams Hong Kong
On 28 March, Bonhams Hong Kong hosted a single-owner auction named MORE THAN RED, where a unique red Yayoi Kusama Pumpkin (2000) fetched HK$22,234,000. The entire collection, consisting of six pieces, was successfully sold. Marcello Kwan, who oversees Modern and Contemporary Art in Asia for Bonhams, remarked that this impressive outcome underscores the ongoing global demand for Kusama's work, attracting collectors from Asia, the United States, and Europe. Red variations of the pumpkin design are notably scarce, and the captivating piece sparked enthusiastic bidding. During her ascent in New York in the 1960s, Kusama pioneered color as a distinct visual language, with red being especially meaningful.
Key facts
- Yayoi Kusama's Pumpkin (2000) sold for HK$22,234,000 at Bonhams Hong Kong
- The sale was a white-glove single-owner collection titled MORE THAN RED
- All six works in the collection were sold on 28 March
- Marcello Kwan is Bonhams' Head of Modern and Contemporary Art, Asia
- Collectors from Asia, the United States, and Europe participated
- Red examples of Kusama's pumpkin motif are comparatively rare
- Kusama established color as an independent visual language in the 1960s
- The work drew spirited bidding in the saleroom
Entities
Artists
- Yayoi Kusama
Institutions
- Bonhams Hong Kong
- Bonhams
Locations
- Hong Kong
- New York
- Asia
- United States
- Europe