HONG KONG.- In conjunction with the 20th anniversary of Christie's Hong Kong in 2006, the Asian Contemporary Art auction to be held on 26 November will bring together an array of superb works by some of the most celebrated and promising contemporary Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Indian artists.

Christie’s Hong Kong launched the Asian Contemporary Art sale in November 2005, the first of its kind in the world solely devoted to cutting-edge Chinese, Korean and Japanese art. The overwhelming enthusiasm from collectors worldwide for this sale has led an international audience to an understanding of the concepts and the diverse artistic ideals of Asian avant-garde art. In May 2006, The 20th Century Chinese Art and Asian Contemporary Art Spring sales realized a combined total of HK$301,359,200, the highest total ever achieved anywhere in the world. The forthcoming autumn auction series will offer yet another exceptional and exciting selection of art which is expected to draw tremendous interest from collectors worldwide.

Zhang Xiaogang (Born in 1958) - Taking the centre-stage is Tiananmen Square (estimate: HK$2,000,000-3,000,000/ US$256,400-384,600) by Zhang Xiaogang, a rare early masterwork and of great significance. Zhang is currently known to have only produced only a few works that take on the theme of the Tiananmen. The current work is the one which is most deeply conceived and fully realized in terms of composition and artistic implication.

Tiananmen Square manifests the power of this symbolic landmark at the heart of China’s political structure, and the blood-links between the country, the nation and the people hinted at by the red lines painted in the foreground. It was produced in 1993, a defining year during which Zhang came to realize the need for a more personalized artistic stance in the wake of the swelling movement of political Pop Art and ‘Cynical Realism’ in China. Tiananmen Square brilliantly exemplifies Zhang’s belief that art should not be a mere pre-conceived expression, but a vital visual means for the artist to reveal his personal thoughts on contemporary life, culture and people. This important work became a cornerstone for the artist’s future career and is expected to trigger furious bidding in the saleroom.

Cai Guoqiang (Born in 1957) - Cai Guoqiang is always committed to expanding the boundaries of contemporary art through both his traditional works and outdoor projects. Ascending Dragon: Project for Extraterrestrials No.2 (estimate: HK$2,000,000-3,000,000/ US$256,400-384,600) is a preliminary sketch for a large-scale blast project carried out in 1989 for a French exhibition. It is a rare and valuable example of the sketches produced by Cai for his huge gunpowder blast projects.

Fireworks, invented by ancient China, produce visual excitement that suggests the elusive power of the universe. The concept behind The Ascending Dragon: Project for Extraterrestrials No.2 derives from dragons, in Chinese culture, representing the power of Mother Nature and speaking metaphorically of man’s desire to fly free from the earth. Through setting off a few fleeting seconds of fire and explosions, Cai sends a enraged dragon into the sky to carry the aspiration for contact between mankind and minds from the beyond.

Yue Minjun (Born in 1962) - The most startling aspect of Yue’s work is the use of classical aesthetic elements - such as beauty, nobility, and poetic sentiments - in critiquing and reflecting upon modern society. By meticulously altering and rearranging the original scene depicted, Yue succeeds in creating art that reveals the sense of helplessness about the current social environment that he feels deep in his heart. Kites (estimate: HK$1,500,000-2,000,000/ US$192,300-256,400), painted in 1993, is one of many excellent examples.

Wang Guangyi (Born in 1957) - Wang is the chief icon of the Political Pop movement in China that emerged during the late 80s and early 90s. His Great Criticism series juxtaposes two antagonistic sets of symbols –propaganda images from the Cultural Revolution’s and commercial logos of Western consumer products. While sharing some common ground with the Political Pop artists from the West, Wang has created his own language by focusing on the clashes between Western culture and Socialist ideology in China. The work Coca-Cola on offer is at the heart of this concept of the ideological conflict (estimate: HK$700,000-900,000/ US$89,700-115,400).