From September 27 to 28, 2025, Phillips’ Hong Kong Modern and Contemporary Art “Day Sale” and “Evening Sale” were held as scheduled in Hong Kong, with a total transaction volume of HK$217,721,163.Yoshitomo Nara's "Pink" sold for HK$56.645 million, becoming the top transaction in this session.

September 27, 2025, 7:00 PM, Modern and Contemporary Art Evening Sale20 lots, total transaction amount reached HK$159,961,800, with a total transaction rate of 100%.

September 28, 2025, 2:00 PM, Modern and Contemporary Art Day Sale121 lots were auctioned, with a total transaction amount of HK$57,656,200 and a total transaction rate of 79%.

Phillips Hong Kong Auction Director Su Wanting and Phillips Hong Kong Modern and Contemporary Art Sales Director Hu Di jointly stated“Innovation is deeply rooted in Phillips’ DNA. We continually seek breakthroughs in our business development. This season, we are introducing a first-of-its-kind ‘pre-bid’ incentive, encouraging buyers to participate early and enjoy lower commission rates.”

The results of this innovation are exciting.Of the 116 lots sold in the just-concluded Hong Kong Autumn Auction of Modern and Contemporary Art, 54% benefited from this pre-bid mechanism.

Continuing the enthusiastic response to yesterday evening’s sale of 20th-century masters, today’s day sale saw exceptional performances by artists including Zao Wou-Ki, Chu Teh-Chun, Sanyu, Mei Chung-Shu, Ju Ming, and Li Chen, all of whom achieved prices far exceeding their pre-sale estimates.

Furthermore, Phillips has established itself as one of the leading auction platforms for Yoshitomo Nara's works in recent years. Following last night's evening sale, which featured the lead piece "Pink," several works by Nara were also sold at high prices in today's day sale, further demonstrating the market's continued favor and recognition of his art."

Phillips Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale

At 2:00 pm on September 28, 2025, Phillips' "Modern and Contemporary Art Day Sale" was held as scheduled in Hong Kong.The auction had 121 lots, with a total transaction amount of HK$57,759,363 and a total transaction rate of 79%, of which 34% of the lots were sold above the estimated price and 39% of the lots were sold within the estimated price.Zao Wou-Ki's "Untitled" was sold for HK$2,838,000, becoming the highest-priced work in the auction.A total of 16 million-level auction items were produced,

New Record:
Tetsutarou Kamaya sets a new artist record;
Long Jiasheng sets a new record for the third highest price paid to an artist;
 

TOP1 transaction in this session:

Zao Wou-Ki's "Untitled" was sold for HK$2.2 million, plus commission of HK$2.838 million.

This work, created in France in 1948, will be accompanied by a certificate of guarantee from the Zao Wou-Ki Foundation. This work is included in the archive of the Zao Wou-Ki Foundation. (Information provided by the Zao Wou-Ki Foundation.)

TOP2 transactions in this session:

Chu Teh-Chun's "Veiled Transparency" was sold for HK$2 million, plus commission of HK$2.58 million.

TOP3 transactions in this session:

Li Chen's "Twisting Flowers" was sold for HK$1.7 million, plus commission of HK$2.193 million.

This work was created in Taiwan in 2010. It is the fifth of an edition of eight and comes with a certificate of authenticity from the Asia Art Center in Taipei.

Several artists set new auction records

Other lots sold:

In addition to the three most expensive lots, the auction also included numerous masterpieces by Chinese and Western artists, including Mei Zhongshu, Takashi Murakami & Virgil Abelach, Yoshitomo Nara, Yayoi Kusama, and Chen Yifei.

Please continue to follow ArtPro for more latest developments in the global art market.

For more details on the auction items, please click on the special session

Phillips Modern and Contemporary Art Evening Sale

At 19:00 on September 27, 2025, Phillips’ “Modern and Contemporary Art Evening Sale” was held as scheduled in Hong Kong.The total transaction amount of 20 lots in this auction reached HK$159,961,800, with a total transaction rate of 100%.Among them, 25% of the lots were sold above the estimated price, and 50% of the lots were sold within the estimated price.Yoshitomo Nara's "Pink" sold for HK$56.645 million, becoming the top transaction in this session.

Meiling Lee, Head of Modern and Contemporary Art, Asia, Phillips, said: “In today’s cautious market environment, we remain focused and flexible – delivering robust results for our clients through carefully planned auctions, ultimately achieving a 100% sell-through rate tonight.

Nearly two-thirds of the works in this evening auction are being auctioned for the first time, underscoring our commitment to presenting rare and exceptional works of art of the highest quality. Leading the evening sale was Yoshitomo Nara’s Pink, created in 2000, a pivotal year in his artistic career, which sold for over HK$56.64 million.

There is particularly strong demand for works by female artists.Among them, Yayoi Kusama's "Infinity Net (SFOOUY)" sold for over HK$12.7 million. Ruth Asawa, making her Hong Kong auction debut, sold "Untitled S.013 (Suspended Single Petal, Five Continuous Nested Forms)" for over HK$4.12 million, 1.87 times the pre-sale estimate. Works by Miriam Kahn and Lai Ching-yin also attracted fierce bidding, both selling for prices far exceeding their high estimates.

20th-century masterpieces continue to be in high demandAmong them, a major, internationally renowned Zao Wou-Ki painting sold for over HK$29.8 million, while Pablo Picasso's Nude Reclining achieved 1.5 times its high estimate.

New Record:
Jean-Michel Othoniel sets a new record for the artist;
 

A total of 6 auction items worth tens of millions of yuan were producedAmong them, Zao Wou-Ki's "27.01.86" was sold for HK$29,805,000, Tom Weselman's "Smoker #17" was sold for HK$13.945 million, Yayoi Kusama's "Infinity Net (SFOOUY)" was sold for HK$12.725 million, Yoshitomo Nara's "Untitled" was sold for HK$11.505 million, and Zeng Fanzhi's "Mask Series 1999 No. 2" was sold for HK$10.285 million.

A total of 11 million-level auction items were producedAmong them, Ruth Asawa's "Untitled S.013 (Suspended Single Petal, Five Layers of Continuous Nested Forms)" was sold for HK$4.128 million, Lucas Arruda's "Untitled" was sold for HK$3.096 million, and Hao Liang's "Yucheng Butterfly" was sold for HK$2.838 million.

TOP1 transaction in this session:

TOP2 transactions in this session:

TOP3 transactions in this session:

Tom Wilhelm's "Smoker #17" was sold for HK$11 million, plus premium of HK$13,945,000.

Several artists set new auction records

Other lots sold:

In addition to the top three most expensive lots, the auction also included many excellent works by Chinese and Western artists, including Zeng Fanzhi, Ruth Asawa, Lucas Arruda, Hao Liang, Andy Warhol, Izumi Kato, and Pablo Picasso.

Please continue to follow ArtPro for more latest developments in the global art market.

For more details on the auction items, please click on the special session