Christie’s breaks own Asia sale record as ‘Picasso’ diamond goes for HK$250 million
Auction company’s week-long autumn sales saw strong demand in Asian modern and contemporary art category
Christie’s on Tuesday sold a 14.93-carat pink diamond it dubbed a “Picasso of the diamond world” for HK$249.9 million (US$32 million), the most expensive jewellery it has ever sold in Asia as the Hong Kong auction market continues to benefit from a long bull run in the stock and property markets.
Another highlight was Chinese ink artist Fu Baoshi’s The Song of the Pipa Player (1945), which sold for HK$204.9 million (US$26.3 billion) including commissions. That was more than double its previous price, when it sold in November 2010 for US$9 million.
Christie’s week-long autumn sales, which end tomorrow, saw strong demand in the Asian modern and contemporary art category.
On Saturday, Zao Wou-Ki's 29.01.64 (1964) sold for HK$202.6 million, a new world record for an Asian oil painting and smashing the previous record for the artist – HK$152.9 million – that was set in May. Taiwanese collector Robert Tsao sold a Ming-dynasty wucai “Fish” jar and cover for HK$213.9 million, compared with a pre-sale estimate of HK$150 million before fees.
A special sale of paintings and objects that used to be owned by Claude Monet also saw enthusiastic bidding earlier in the week, with a pair of glasses that could have been worn by the French artist that had an estimate of HK$8,000-HK$12,000 and sold for HK$400,000.