The Christie’s First|Open Hong Kong auction on 29 March offers a curated mix of contemporary Western and Asian art by internationally celebrated artists, including George Condo, Banksy, Yayoi Kusama, Wang Xingwei, Liu Xiaodong, KAWS, Liu Wei, Foujita and Richard Lin, at accessible price points.
The global cross-category approach of the sale reflects the dynamic cultural fusion of East and West in Hong Kong and its unique position in the market. ‘The breadth of the sale explores several engaging themes that are sure to appeal to collectors looking for a fresh perspective,’ says Dina Zhang, Head of Sale. Zhang explains that the sale is designed to attract buyers ‘in search of artworks across a range of mediums by international masters’.
Highlights include a curated collection of works by contemporary artists — including Banksy, Kusama and KAWS — whose instantly recognisable styles are widely referenced across mainstream fashion, pop culture and street art.
Three paintings by 20th-century artist Foujita will also be offered in the forthcoming sale. The Japanese master spent his formative years living and studying in Paris, drawing inspiration from works by Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.
Foujita is best known today for his ‘Milky White’ painting approach, blending Japanese ink shading with compositional traditions of Western nude portraiture. The artist's characteristic style, which captivated the Parisian art market in the 1920s, is exemplified in the three works offered in the sale.
A further highlight of the sale is a group of expressive works by leading Chinese contemporary artists, created between the 1980s and 2000s. These experimental artists — including Wang Xingwei, Zhou Chunya, Liu Xiaodong and Liu Wei — responded to the rapidly changing socio-political environment of the period by exploring themes of identity, globalisation and the place of modern-day China.
First Open|Hong Kong also presents six seminal works — dating from 1954 to 1958 — by mid-20th-century abstract artist Richard Lin. During this period Lin studied architecture in London, where he was influenced by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier.
Lin experimented with clean geometric compositions in these years, with level, parallel structures and rational, balanced brushstrokes that reflected his pursuit of purity and simplicity.
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These abstract works, which are rare to the market, mark a dramatic shift in his practice, mediating his transition from abstraction to minimalism, and, in particular, to his celebrated ‘white on white’ approach, evidenced in his ‘White Series’ of the 1960s.