New York – Christie’s announces Asian Art Week New York achieved a total of $54,490,000 with 81% sold by lot and 145% hammer above low estimate. There was global participation with bidders from 41 countries across five continents. Additionally, unique visitors from over 117 countries visited the online sale pages leading into the week. During the week five records were achieved and nine lots exceeded $1M across all categories of Asian art.
The top lot of Asian Art Week New York was The Luboshez Gong, an exceptional and highly important bronze ritual wine vessel and cover from the late Shang dynasty, 13th-12th century BC from Shang: Early Chinese Ritual Bronzes from the Daniel Shapiro Collection which sold for $8,604,000. Other notable results included a woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai, “The Great Wave,” which achieved $1,590,000 and set the auction record for artist; a magnificent 3rd to 4th-century gray schist figure of Buddha Shakyamuni that sold for $1,950,000; Francis Newton Souza’s Family, 1946, that sold for $822,000 and set a new record price for a work on paper by the artist; an exceptionally rare huanghuali incense stand from The Yunwai Lou Collection which achieved $2,550,000; and a rare huanghuali kang table, 18th-19th century, that sold for $1,614,000 against a low estimate of $40,000 and set the record for a kang table.
Tina Zonars, Co-Chairman of Asian Art, Christie’s, comments: “The strong sell-through rates and prices realized demonstrate the strength of the market and Christie’s Asian art specialists' expertise in curating sales. Exceptional prices were achieved throughout the week for Chinese bronzes and jades, wood sculpture, classical Chinese furniture, and Japanese and Korean works of art. The overall success of the week is a testament to Christie’s international teamwork and innovation.”
Deepanjana Klein, International Head of Classical and Contemporary Indian and South Asian Art, remarks: “We are pleased with the results this season with our classical and contemporary categories achieving over $11M in combined sales totals. The diverse selection offered in the Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art sale proved to be a successful strategy as top prices spanned important Gandharan sculptures from a Japanese Private Collection, Indian bronzes, and paintings. South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art witnessed two records and an online sale that performed with exceptional sell-through rates and greatly exceeded initial estimates. The specialist teams have yet again proven their skill in pulling together auctions that speak to current market demands.”
Digital Innovations: Christie’s continues to leverage digital tools to extend access to key bidding areas and provide global audiences with opportunities to view and transact in auctions. In addition to enhanced digital content, interactive catalogues, and increased access to online bidding, the March 2021 season included live streaming of Chinese works of art sales on WeChat; AR technology; and virtual walkthroughs of Christie’s galleries.
Press images can be downloaded here.
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Founded in 1766, Christie’s is a world-leading art and luxury business. Renowned and trusted for its expert live and online auctions, as well as its bespoke private sales, Christie’s offers a full portfolio of global services to its clients, including art appraisal, art financing, international real estate and education. Christie’s has a physical presence in 46 countries, throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific, with flagship international sales hubs in New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris and Geneva. It also is the only international auction house authorized to hold sales in mainland China (Shanghai).
Christie’s auctions span more than 80 art and luxury categories, at price points ranging from $200 to over $100 million. Christie’s has sold 8 of the 10 most important single-owner collections in history, including the Paul G. Allen Collection—the most valuable collection ever offered at auction (November 2022). In recent years, Christie’s has achieved the world record price for an artwork at auction (Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, 2017), for a 20th century artwork (Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, 2022) and for a work by a living artist (Jeff Koons’ Rabbit, 2019).
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Recent innovations at Christie’s include the groundbreaking sale of the first NFT for a digital work of art ever offered at a major auction house (Beeple’s Everydays, March 2021), with the unprecedented acceptance of cryptocurrency as a means of payment. As an industry leader in digital innovation, Christie’s also continues to pioneer new technologies that are redefining the business of art, including use of hologram technology to tour life-size 3D objects around the world, and the creation of viewing and bidding experiences that integrate augmented reality, global livestreaming, buy-now channels, and hybrid sales formats.
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