Invader’s Hong Kong street art returns with a HK$1m price tag at Sotheby’s

Street art made of a mosaic of colourful tiles, which was trashed by the government earlier this year, is being resurrected with an estimated price tag of more than HK$1 million.

Named Alias HK_58, by French street artist Invader, the piece will be up for auction next month at a Sotheby's Hong Kong contemporary art sale.

It first appeared in Happy Valley at the start of this year as one of 75 street artworks that Invader created in the city during his "artistic invasion".

The version to be auctioned is made of ceramic tiles on a glass panel - a replica of the original street artwork - and is expected to fetch between HK$1 million and HK$1.5 million. The work embodies the image of Hong Kong Phooey, a kung fu-fighting dog from a 1970s American cartoon series of the same name.

Isaure de Viel Castel, head of mid-season sales at Sotheby's contemporary and modern fine arts department, said the work was a tribute to Bruce Lee and "specifically created for Hong Kong, which illustrates perfectly the city's dynamic … art scene".

But the work, along with many other Invader art pieces inspired by the 1970s arcade game Space Invaders, was removed by the Highways Department in February and March. The department said they were removed on safety grounds.