Chinese Paintings Hong Kong July auctions sees stellar prices for rare and exceptional works

On 8 July, Christie's Hong Kong held two live auctions - Fine Chinese Classical Paintings and Calligraphy and Fine Chinese Modern and Contemporary Ink Paintings - which achieved a total of HK$224,622,500 / US$29,114,704.

Fine Chinese Classical Paintings and Calligraphy surpassed its pre-auction high estimate. The top lot of the sale was Endless Streams and Mountains Wang Hui (1632-1717), which sold for HK$28,925,000 / US$3,749,147. The sale saw exceptional results for works by classical Chinese masters including Wang Hui (1632-1717), Huang Daozhou (1585-1646), Dong Qichang (1555-1636), Wang Duo (1592-1652) and Zha Shibiao (1615-1698), which fetched multiple times their high estimates.

Strong prices were also achieved in the Fine Chinese Modern and Contemporary Ink Paintings, which had a sell through rate of 86%, for works by artists such as Pu Ru (1896-1963), Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), Jiang Zhaohe (1904-1986), Lin Fengmin (1900-1991), Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010), Li Huayi (B. 1948). Album of Paintings and Calligraphy by Pu Ru (1896-1963) achieved over four times its high estimate at HK$21,275,000 / US$2,815,911, to set a record for the artist at an international auction house.

This season, Christie's also expanded its line-up of Asian Art online sales. Exquisite Eye: Chinese Paintings Online, presented for the first time as a standalone auction in May, saw 29% of lots sold above the pre-sale high estimate. Cultivating Delight: Collecting Chinese Art, jointly curated by our Chinese Paintings and Chinese Works of Art departments, ran parallel to our series of July live auctions to offer a unique selection of exquisite Chinese artworks. The Chinese Paintings offered in the cross-category auction sold 78% by lot, achieving 217% of the total pre-sale low estimate.

These exceptional results reaffirms Christie's expertise in offering renowned private collections, masterpieces, and presenting fresh and coveted works to the market.

Following the success of these sales, we are now inviting consignment for our upcoming Chinese Paintings auctions. If you are interested in selling with Christie’s or exploring the market, please contact us for a complimentary and confidential valuation.

Consign
Hong Kong
Kim Yu
+852 2978 6723
chinesepaintings@christies.com

New York
Amy Riggs & Sophia Zhou
+1 212 641 5760
nychinesepaintings@christies.com