LUGANO.- Opteres, an international fine art advisory that is quietly reshaping the way high-end collectors do business, is set to make some noise before the official start of Art Basel Hong Kong. On May 12th, a group of distinguished private guests, including many of Asia’s top art collectors, will gather for the unveiling of museum-quality works by two of the greatest artists of the 20th century.

The presentation, and subsequent sale the same evening, of two major works from each of the undisclosed masters will be hosted by Opteres and its event partner, Hong Kong Tatler. All paintings featured in the sale have belonged to private collections and have been off the market for at least thirty years.

Why all the mystery? Opteres, by definition, is a private network which provides its members with a restricted channel for trading rare works – from Old Masters to Modern and Contemporary Art – as well as privileged access to its proprietary listing of vetted buyers and sellers. “Opteres was born out of the need of great collectors around the world to exchange works, buy works and sell works, in total privacy,” says Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni, the advisory’s founder and chairman. “Strong demand for our unique portfolio of services has become very evident in Hong Kong, now one of the world’s great art hubs,” he adds.

Those who partake in the May 12th event will enjoy a stellar lineup of wines from Cossia Castiglioni’s prestigious Tuscan estate, Querciabella – as well as a spectacular culinary journey curated by celebrity chef Matthew Kenney. The evening will be punctuated by live performances by a London choir flown in exclusively for the occasion. Promising to be an unforgettable celebration of the senses, this by-invitation-only sale offers A-list collectors from around the region an entirely new cultural context to experience, and buy, extraordinary Western art in Asia.