Newcomer seeks a niche in crowded Hong Kong auction market
Dragon 8’s founder says it will sell never-before-seen items, and wine and dine auction-goers, while charging industry-low commission on sales
Works by artists including Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, sought-after jewels and rare whisky and wine will go under the hammer at the first auction held by Hong Kong auctioneers Dragon 8 on November 20 and 21 at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Wan Chai. We had an email exchange with Dragon 8’s founder, Gil Lempert-Schwarz, ahead of the debut sale.
Dragon 8 Auctions. What is it all about?
It is all about doing very high-end auctions with some never-before-seen items, but more cutting edge in presentation and social media. Dragon 8 is for serious collectors of diamonds, fine art, rare wine and whisky. We’ll also be a bit irreverent, such as by starting bidding for our Chateau Latour 2000 lot at HK$10 with no reserve.
Dragon 8 combines all these categories into smaller and much more palatable sales where serious collectors can come and bid while eating amazing food and drinking legendary wines, which sets us apart from houses like Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Poly to name but a few.
Some would say the auction market is saturated. What’s your take?