Phillips Hong Kong Spring Sale 2019

Preview
23 – 25 May, 10 am – 6 pm
JW Marriot, Hong Kong

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For their annual Hong Kong Spring sales of 20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design this May, Phillips’ presented a compelling selection of works by a star studded roster of artists. Here is a review of some of the many highlights.

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Phillips Hong Kong returns this spring auction season with two sales featuring 20th century & contemporary art, and design. The evening sale of 20th century & Contemporary Art is to include works by the likes of Zao Wou-Ki, Zhang Xiaogang, Yoshitomo Nara, Stanley Whitney and Roy Lichtenstein. Artworks by George Condo, Eddie Martinez, Yayoi Kusama, KAWS, Banksy and Tomoo Gokita, amongst others feature in the day sale. There are also several pieces from Miles and Shirley Fiterman, the sale of whose formidable collection is being spread over London, New York and Hong Kong.

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Dana Schutz, 〈Boy with Bubble〉, 2015. oil on canvas, 101.9 x 127.3cm.

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Estimate HK$ 800,000 – 1,500,000 US$ 103,000 – 192,000

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Reflecting the immediacy of today’s art world and the changing tastes of collectors requires some new beginnings, new names, and a willingness to recognize and act on what the market is saying. Artists who are being represented for the first time at auction in Asia – include American Dana Schutz. The delicious dark humor in her works is synthesized with an adherence to painterly technique. Inhabiting a larger than life world, her works are characterized by vibrant hues, vivid backgrounds and imbue a sense of whimsy. The Phillips evening sale includes Boy with Bubble, which was exhibited in her first solo exhibition in Canada (a 14-year retrospective at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MACM)). Commenting on her work, the artist remarked: “I was interested in this distorted view of the world through the soap bubble and this sort of moment or instant where it could all disappear.” Her works harness this sense of transience and surreality in the service of highlighting our most human weaknesses, urges and desires: destructive or otherwise.

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Eddie Martinez, 〈Untitled〉, 2012. oil, enamel and spray paint on canvas, 182.9 x 152.4cm.

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Estimate HK$ 700,000 – 900,000, US$ 89,700 – 115,000

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There are a host of well-known names from the contemporary art world presented in the evening sale. Eddie Martinez, an artist who once described his style as “messy explosions of Picassos” is represented by Untitled from 2012. Martinez is an artist who shares Philip Guston’s willingness to break free of abstract expressionism whilst riffing on the fecund symbolism of the contemporary urban world, and comparisons with Jean-Michel Basquiat have been drawn.

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Antony Gormley, 〈OPEN CLASP〉, 2014. 4mm Corten steel, 191.5 x 43 x 29.5cm. Photo© Stephen White, London.

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Estimate HK$ 3,000,000 – 5,000,000, US$ 385,000 – 641,000

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Anthony Gormley’s 〈OPEN CLASP〉, a life-sized sculpture of corten steel which combines a lightly muscled monumentality with a rhythmic musicality, is another star of the evening sale. This is the first time that a work from the artist’s Open Blockworks series appears at auction. Structurally, the combination of evening and day sales is maintained. The day sale was instituted in November 2018, with an emphasis on “hot” and current artists. Results were robust: 92% sold by lot and 91% sold by value. The auction house continues its strong presentation in this year’s spring day sale.

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KAWS, 〈BORN TO BEND〉, 2013. painted bronze, 41.9 x 27.3 x 15.2 cm. (number 9 from an edition of 10)

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Estimate HK$ 800,000 – 1,200,000, US$ 103,000 – 154,000.

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Standing at 16 and a half inches, KAWS’ 〈BORN TO BEND〉 is a prime highlight. The work features the familiar “BENDY” character and is another edition from the same series that was chosen by the artist to grace the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in England for his first UK solo show in 2016. KAWS again joyfully re-contextualizes the role of mass culture in art. 〈BORN TO BEND〉 gives KAWS the impetus for a blissful soliloquy on the meaning of size – is this a sculpture or a toy? Suffice it to say, no matter if the work up for auction is interpreted as a toy or sculpture, the same thought process was involved in its conception.

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Tomoo Gokita, 〈A bathing beauty〉, 2015. bronze with white patina, 28 x 22 x 7cm.

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Estimate (each) HK$ 150,000 – 260,000 US$ 19,200 – 33,300

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Another artist who has been consistently supported by the auction house is Gokita, for whom Phillips holds the world auction record. There is a section dedicated to Gokita and to exploring his varied techniques and styles. There are seven works on offer across both sales, however the day sales will include Gokita’s sculptures, being offered for the first time ever at auction.

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Natee Utarit, 〈The Commitment (Illustration of the Crisis Series)〉, 2011. oil on linen, 140 x 170cm.

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Estimate HK$ 550,000 – 750,000, US$ 70,500 – 96,200

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Featuring another artist who has currently enjoyed much international success, the work of Thai artist Natee Utarit is another highlight of the day sale. His painting, 〈The Commitment (Illustration of the Crisis Series)〉 from 2011, presents a stone-white bull’s head lying stagnant on a ceramic platter. There is a physical and sentimental weight to it, as if it is the decapitated segment of a grand statue. It is a sense of weight one can attribute equally to the living and to the dead. Escalating from strength to strength, this year’s Spring Auction reflects Phillips at is best, showcasing a compelling selection of works by established and emerging artists.

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Click to Read the Full Article: https://www.cobosocial.com/dossiers/phillips-hong-kong-2019-spring-sales/

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※ This article was originally published in CoBo Social(https://www.cobosocial.com) on 21 MAY 2019 and reposted under authority of a partnership between KAMS and CoBo Social.

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