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Auctions

Auctions
Reporting on the latest auctions of luxury goods, including watches, handbags, high jewellery and fine art
Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild is on its way to being sold for HK$92.1 million at Christie’s 20th/21st Century art evening sale in Hong Kong on March 27, 2026. Photo: Christie’s
Art

Sold-out auctions suggest Hong Kong’s art market is back. But is it?

‘White glove’ sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s March Hong Kong auctions are cause for optimism, but must be put into perspective.

Art Basel

Hong Kong’s live art auctions are thriving thanks to Picasso and Nara

Style Edit

Style Edit: Sotheby’s Hong Kong presents a history of abstract art

My Obsession

‘We didn’t play with toys, we played with jewels’: meet the man born for the rostrum

The newly appointed president of Christie’s Asia Pacific talks about his favourite part of life as a showman.

Christie’s auctioneer Rahul Kadakia and his billion-dollar gavel. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
United States

Triceratops skeleton ‘Trey’ to hit the auction block as dinosaur market soars

The 66-million-year-old fossil, for sale on musician Pharrell Williams’ auction platform Joopiter, is expected to fetch up to US$5.5 million.

Hong Kong society

‘H’ races to riches: car plate fetches HK$20 million at Hong Kong auction

Other high bids at Sunday’s Chinese New Year auction include plates ‘30’ at HK$4.55 million, ‘101’ at HK$1.01 million and ‘2288’ at HK$470,000.

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United States

Unique Pokemon card smashes world record with US$16.5 million sale

Previously bought by US YouTuber Logan Paul for US$5.28 million in 2021, the card sold for three times that amount at an auction on Monday.

The Pokemon card that fetched a record US$16.5 million at an auction in the US on Monday. Photo: Kyodo
Art

Big 3 auction houses report uptick in 2025 sales, but Asia still lagging

Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips report combined projected total revenue of US$14.1 billion for 2025 as the US leads the way.

Fame and celebrity

Amy Winehouse’s dad sues star’s friends for selling her clothes for US$970,000

Two women say the British singer had lent or given them dozens of items before she died.

Art

The ‘Mona Lisa’ of Faberge eggs sells for a record US$30.2 million

The Winter Egg, made of crystal and diamond, was crafted for Russia’s royal family before it was toppled by revolution.

The Winter Egg by Faberge is displayed at Christie’s auction rooms in London on Thursday. Photo: AP
Wealth: Alternative Investments

Vetting collectibles, such as whiskies and watches, is a serious business

The market is growing briskly, but vigilance is vital to ensure that assets are authenticated and carefully protected ahead of a sale.

Supported by
BNP Paribas Wealth Management
Fine art, like this triptych by Mark Bradford on display at Hong Kong’s Hauser & Wirth gallery, is just a more rarefied form of collectible. Photo: Handout
Architecture and design

Animal print interiors: expert tips on how to keep them classy

Long tied to glamour and excess, animal prints are back – here’s how to use them to add energy and character to modern homes.

Icons and Influencers

Legacy of Vogue Italia’s Franca Sozzani honoured at inaugural Franca Fund Gala

Co-hosted by Anna Wintour, the event included a fundraising auction and drew guests including Gisele Bündchen and Miuccia Prada.

Art

Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait breaks auction record for female artists

The sale at Sotheby’s in New York also topped Kahlo’s own auction record for a work by a Latin American artist.

Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s 1940 self-portrait “El sueno (La cama)“ sold on November 20 at Sotheby’s new home at the Breuer in New York for $54.7 million including fees. It became the top-selling work by any female artist at an auction. Photo: Julian Cassady/Alive Coverage
France

Christie’s suspends Paris sale of world’s ‘first calculator’ invented in 1642

Export ban halts the sale of inventor Blaise Pascal’s historic calculator, as scientists demand artefact receive ‘national treasure’ status.

La Pascaline, the first mechanical calculating machine is displayed at Christie’s auction house in Paris. Photo: AFP
Art

Solid gold toilet snapped up for US$12.1 million at New York auction

The fully functional 18-karat gold toilet was designed by provocative Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.

Jewellery

Hong Kong’s autumn high jewellery auctions: rare gems and record-breaking sales

The season climaxes this month at Christie’s, with strong demand at Sotheby’s for jewels by Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari.

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American cinema

Wicked Witch’s hat from The Wizard of Oz to go up for auction

The wool hat will be sold alongside Dorothy’s ruby slippers and a signed Wizard of Oz book at a major memorabilia sale in Dallas next month.

Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1949 film The Wizard of Oz. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Crime

UK seizes US$15 million in dinosaur bones from Chinese money-laundering suspect

The Chinese businessman was previously wanted for involvement in Singapore’s biggest money-laundering case but has since struck a deal.

Profile

She once tried med school. Now she sells multimillion-dollar art every day

The auctioneer tells of her journey from med school to the art world, and explains how she stays on top of everything the day artworks go under the hammer.

Art

Editorial | Hong Kong art scene still going strong despite closures

There are reasons to be optimistic about Hong Kong’s art trading hub ambitions despite two galleries announcing closures.

Chinese artist Yin Xiuzhen’s exhibition “Everywhere” at Pace Gallery Hong Kong. Photo: courtesy of Pace Gallery
Art

2 ‘mega galleries’ to close Hong Kong premises to find more suitable spaces

Pace Gallery and Perrotin have announced they will be closing their Hong Kong spaces, but say they plan to reopen in the city in the future.

An installation view of Cuban artist Alejandro Piñeiro Bello’s, Solo Quiero Soñar (I Just Want to Dream), the final exhibition at Pace Gallery Hong Kong before it closes. Photo: courtesy of Pace Gallery
Fashion

Gem-studded bags from Gucci and more promise sparkling nights out

At the Paris Haute Couture Week shows, luxury maisons gilded the lily by adding beautiful stones to statement accessories, bringing back the minaudière.

Hong Kong property

Hong Kong’s warehouses find support from demand to store metals and art

The city’s logistics sector receives a boost from LME’s inclusion and art storage demand, despite a cautious market and falling rents.

Art

Hong Kong’s latest art auctions see turnover lingering at 8-year low

Overall auction sales by Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips reflected art market downturn since 2016, despite the sale of Asia’s most expensive Picasso.

Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s incoming Asia-Pacific president, stands at the rostrum during the sale of Pablo Picasso’s Buste de femme (1944) on September 26, 2025. The painting, which sold for HK$197 million, set an auction record for a Picasso piece in Asia. Photo: Christie’s

Tony Hawk’s legendary skateboard just sold for a record-breaking US$1.15 million

Hawk used the board at the 1999 San Francisco X Games, where he landed the first 900 trick ever.

Tony Hawk holds the skateboard he used to land the first “900” at the 1999 X Games, a milestone that transformed skateboarding from subculture to global sport and made Hawk its defining icon. Photo: Reuters
Food and Drinks

Emperor Group’s Albert Yeung will auction his rare wine trove at Sotheby’s

The embattled Hong Kong tycoon is selling 426 prestigious wines, ranging from rare bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti to Petrus.

American cinema

What is Guillermo del Toro auctioning from his legendary horror collection?

The director is selling over 100 items from both his own classic films and other iconic works in a bid to protect his lifelong collection.

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