HONG KONG.- Tonight, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Sale in Hong Kong achieved HK$595,186,500 / US$76,761,203, led by epic masterpieces by David Hockney and Liu Ye.

Yuki Terase, Head of Contemporary Art, Asia of Sotheby’s, said: “Tonight’s results were marked by tremendous successes, not least the second highest price for any Western artwork sold at auction in Asia. Every season our aim is to stage ground-breaking auctions that set new benchmarks for the international market. The strong prices we witnessed across the board for prominent Western and Asian artists, with many works surpassing their high estimates, not only demonstrates our extraordinary market leadership in contemporary art in Asia and the quality of our offerings, but also the thriving importance of Hong Kong as an international art hub. As we have seen time and again, keeping our finger on the pulse of the market, and staying one step ahead of what our clients want, is a winning formula.”

Three Artist Auction Records Set

• Firenze Lai’s Happily Ever After. Sale Price: HK$2,625,000 / US$338,546




• Hao Liang’s Poison Buddha 2. Sale Price: HK$16,975,000 / US$2,189,266

• MR.’s True to Myself, Poyo Mix, Append. Sale Price: HK$5,215,000 / US$672,579

Top Prices for Any Western Artworks Sold at Auction in Asia – All Sold by Sotheby’s

• KAWS’s THE KAWS ALBUM, sold for $116 million / US$14.8 million (April 2019)

• David Hockney’s 30 Sunflowers, sold for HK$114.8 million / US$14.8 million (July 2020)

• Andy Warhol’s Mao, sold for HK$98.5 million / US$12.6 million (April 2017)