Blue-chip artists headline Christie’s Modern and Contemporary art sales in Hong Kong

Christie’s will present a selection of Modern and contemporary art at its 20th- and 21st-century marquee auctions in Hong Kong on 29 and 30 September. The sales will be led by major works from Jean-Michel Basquiat, Yayoi Kusama, and Zao Wou-Ki, each representing significant moments in their respective careers.

One of the highlights is a mixed-media work by Jean-Michel Basquiat. This piece combines acrylic, oilstick, and Xerox paper collage on canvas. It features one of Basquiat’s most enduring motifs: a human skull. The use of these materials and the motif exemplifies Basquiat’s approach to both technique and subject matter.

Yayoi Kusama’s contribution to the auction is a large-scale canvas. The painting features one of her signature pumpkins, rendered in yellow with black polka dots. The pumpkin is set against a prismatic Infinity Net backdrop, a hallmark of Kusama’s visual language. Kusama, who passed away in August at age 97, created pumpkins throughout her career, both on canvas and as large-scale sculptures. She praised pumpkins for their “generous unpretentiousness.”

Zao Wou-Ki’s painting in the sale comes from his celebrated ‘Oracle Bone’ period. During this time, Zao was inspired by ancient Chinese scripts, transforming them into abstract compositions. The title of the painting refers to the Milky Way, and the abstract forms meld elements of calligraphy and astronomy, reflecting Zao’s interest in blending cultural and visual references.

A notable aspect of Zao’s painting is that it is the only snow scene from his Snow Landscape series to use an autumnal colour palette. The work features a flowing configuration of aqueous yellows, saturated reds, and faded greens, making it seasonally appropriate for a late-September auction.

Most of the two-metre-wide composition is taken up by an expansive, deep-blue area. This section is evocative of abstract masters like Yves Klein and Mark Rothko, even as the painting is framed by figurative details. The interplay between abstraction and figuration is a distinctive feature of Zao’s work from this period.

The Christie’s Hong Kong auctions will bring together these significant works, offering collectors the opportunity to acquire pieces that showcase the diverse approaches and enduring motifs of Basquiat, Kusama, and Zao Wou-Ki. Each work reflects the artist’s unique vision and contribution to Modern and contemporary art.