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HomeNewsAuction Report: CNY¥175 Million Lot Of Zao Wou-Ki Became The Most Expensive Single Piece. Chinese Modern And Contemporary Art Received Nearly 700 Million On December 4th

Auction Report: CNY¥175 Million Lot Of Zao Wou-Ki Became The Most Expensive Single Piece. Chinese Modern And Contemporary Art Received Nearly 700 Million On December 4th

Entering December, the activities of various auction houses have been arranged intensively, hammering one after another. Following by of the autumn auctions in Hong Kong, auctions in Mainland China have also begun. On December 4, 「Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale」 and 「International Pop Art」 of Yongle Auction in Beijing have ended. Chinese modern and contemporary art sector received total CNY¥697,361,725 on that day, with 249 lots sold. Together, ArtPro will review the excellency of the day with you.

Auction Scene

「Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale」

A total of 119 modern and contemporary art works were presented in this auction, 115 of them were sold, with a sold-by-lot rate of 96.6% and a total CNY ¥679,393,550. Among them, Zao Wou-Ki’s most expensive single piece was born. Artists such as Wu Guanzhong and Zeng Fanzhi have performed strongly, and they deserved to be the mainstays who have been in the auction for many years; the emerging artists such as Huang Yuxing and Jia Aili also performed outstandingly and achieved good results, that adds style to the session.

Top1 Priced Lot:

04.01.79 of Zao Wou-Ki’s was auctioned at an estimated price to be inquired. Soon after started, the competition were fierce. Then it entered a seesaw between two collectors through telephones. In about 50 round bids, it was hammering at CNY¥152 million with a commission fee of CNY¥175 million, received by No.9834 collector in one fell swoop.

It is reported that this work is the largest single-framed work of Zao Wou-Ki. It was once own by two private collectors from Asia. The artistic value should not be underestimated. The transaction price of 04.01.79 is even higher than Goldfish of San Yu that was sold at the Hong Kong autumn auction with HKD $170 million in this season. It has become the most expensive single work of Zao Wou-Ki, and has also broke the artist's personal Top2.

《04.01.79》

Top2 Priced Lot:

Liu Xiaodong named his battlefield sketches "Eighteen Arhats", each portrait forms a deep gaze to life in varying degrees, closely connecting the reality of the individual with the absurdity of the era. Battlefield Sketching-new Eighteen Arhats was sold for CNY ¥80.5 million, which became the second highest price in the auction and broke the artist's personal auction record.

Top3 Priced Lot:

This evening sale presented a number of artworks of Wu Guanzhong, that representing his creative styles in different periods and each with its own unique feature. Colorful Faces was created in 1998. The painting depicts a bunch wild flowers growing in the water. The flowers are drawn with trivial and thick brushstrokes. The dots and lines are carefully laid out to show the reflection of light and shadow, it is rare in Wu Guanzhong's works. This painting was auctioned at an estimated price to be inquired, and was finally sold for CNY ¥69 million after an on-site competition.

New Auction Records:

In addition to Liu Xiaodong who broke his Top1 record and becoming the third runner-up in this field, Yan Peiming's Shanghai Children, Zhao Shou's Lost Direction, and Kao Yu's Evil Ways all set personal records. Shanghai Children shows the portraits of forty-two children in black and white, that evoke deep thoughts of times to the viewers. This work was hammering at CNY ¥37 million and sold for CNY ¥42.55 million. It was obtained by No.8175 collector. Zhao Shou has also had exceptional performance in this session and his potential should not be underestimated.

Other Impressive Lots:

Kilimanjaro Snow Mountain of Wu Guanzhong ranked as top 4 with a price of CNY ¥43.7 million. Zeng Fanzhi’s painting of Tiger has a length and width of 4 meters, this square size belongs to a special category of his works. The lot in auction debut for the first time, and it is indeed a rare masterpiece. It was finally sold for CNY ¥40.25 million and was obtained by No. 9880 collector. This work also set the Top 5 of artist's personal record; Melt Flow of Huang Yuxing was estimated at 5- 8 million, and finally hammering at CNY ¥7015 that broke his personal Top2.


Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale
Yongle Auction Beijing
4 Dec 2020, 19:00
No. 48 Liangmaqiao Road, Sanyuan Bridge, Chaoyang District Four Seasons Beijing Beijing

「International Pop Art」

「International Pop Art」 brought together of many pop artworks from both Eastern and Western artists. A total of 134 lot with 188 of them were sold, a sold-by-lot ate of 71.3%, and generated CNY ¥17,968,175 in total, which brought icing on cake.

Top1 Priced Lot:

The highest sale in this auction was CNY ¥5.17 million. This lot was once a model piano on display in the famous Steinway Hall in Manhattan, New York. It is also the only piano signed by Henry E. Steinway himself, with hardcover collection certificate signed by Henry E. Steinway attached. It is a unique out-of-print collection.

Other Impressive Lots:

In addition to the Top1 lot, works from artists such as Jeff Koons, Zhou Chunya, Damien Hirst have also achieved good results.


International Pop Art
Yongle Auction Beijing
4 Dec 2020, 14:00
No. 48 Liangmaqiao Road, Sanyuan Bridge, Chaoyang District Four Seasons Beijing Beijing


ArtPro will continue to track global auction information and bring you more market trends, please stay tuned.


Coming Soon


20th Century & Contemporary Art
China Guardian Beijing
5 Dec 2020, 14:00
No.1 Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District Guardian Art Center B1F Beijing
Modern And Contemporary Art
Holly's International Beijing
5 Dec 2020, 17:00
57 Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing Renaissance Beijing Jinmao Hotel 1、3 / F Beijing
20th Century Art Evening Sale
China Guardian Beijing
5 Dec 2020, 19:00
No.1 Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District Guardian Art Center B1F Beijing
Contemporary Art Evening Sale
China Guardian Beijing
5 Dec 2020, 20:00
No.1 Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District Guardian Art Center B1F Beijing
Contemporary Art Evening Sale ( II )
China Guardian Beijing
5 Dec 2020, 21:00
No.1 Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District Guardian Art Center B1F Beijing


Source: ArtPro Author: Zhang Naiwen