US$32.3m Pink Lotuses on Gold Screen becomes Zhang Daqian's
On
15/06/2023Reading time:
0 min
Summary:
One of the only six known examples of lotus on screen by the artist, the lot was hammered at HK$216.5 million against an opening bid of HK$150 million. With buyer's premium, the lot fetched HK$251.6 million (around US$32.3 million), becoming the artist's third most expensive painting to sell at auction.
Zhang Daqian | Pink Lotuses on Gold Screen
Wielding the gavel for the single-lot auction was Florence Ho, Head of Day and Online Sales, Contemporary Art.
As auctioneer opened bidding at HK$150 million, the price climbed steadily in HK$10 increments, until Nicolas Chow (Chairman of Sotheby's Asia) jumped in at HK$180 million and placed a bid HK$210 million – which could possibly be the irrevocable bid.
Following that was a 20-minute face-off between the bidders represented by Wendy Lin (Chairman of Asia) and Nicole Ching (Client Liaison & European Client Strategy, Global Business Development). In the end, Ching's client with paddle number L0003 won the lot with a final bid of HK$216.5 million.
A household name in China, Zhang Daqian is not only amongst the most popular Asian painters, but also one of the best-selling artists in the auction market, whose works command enormous prices internationally