The countdown is on for Phillips' 20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Evening Sale, which is taking place at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong on May 27. Works by leading Chinese artists Zhang Xiaogang, Fang Lijun and Yue Mingjun are on the block, as are a sculpture by KAWS, a painting by Jonas Wood and more. Here, we introduce some of the highlights—and reveal how much these works are expected to sell for.
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Above Photo: Courtesy of Phillips

“Serioes 2 No. 10” by Fang Lijun 

Fang Lijun’s paintings use a mixture of pop imagery and techniques from traditional Chinese art to explore contemporary culture in China. This painting—which features the bald-headed men that often appear in Fang’s works—is called “Series 2 No. 10”

Estimated sale price: HK$6 million—9 million

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Courtesy of Phillips

“Untitled (Grid Pot)” by Jonas Wood

Potted plants are the main focus of Jonas Wood’s densely-patterned paintings. Many of the pots that appear in his images are made by his wife, ceramicist Shio Kusaka. This work, “Untitled (Grid Pot)”,

Estimated sale price: HK$500,000—800,000

See also: Japanese Artist Hiroshi Mori Turns Fine Art Masterpieces Into Anime

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Courtesy of Phillips

“Le Chien Rôdeur” by Jean Dubuffet

This painting by French artist Jean Dubuffet, titled “Le Chien Rôdeur”, has been exhibited at some of the world’s top art museums, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

Estimated sale price: HK$7 million—9 million.

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Courtesy of Phillips

“Untitled” by Kazuo Shiraga

Kazuo Shiraga is most famous for painting with his feet. Holding on to a rope suspended from the ceiling of his studio, Shiraga would cover his feet in paint and swing himself over the canvas. This painting, “Untitled”, was made using that technique. 

Estimated sale price: HK$3.5 million—5.5 million

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Courtesy of Phillips

“Companion” by Kaws 

American artist Kaws has designed Kanye West album covers, collaborated with fashion brands and won fans around the world with his vinyl figurines of his distinctive cartoon characters. This 2.1-metre-tall sculpture is of Kaws’ iconic character, “Companion”.

Estimated sale price: HK$3 million—5 million

See also: KAWS: From Graffiti To Galerie Perrotin

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“Purple Air D1” by Liu Wei

Liu Wei’s colourful, abstract paintings explore urbanisation in China. In this particular work, originally owned by a prominent European collector, the artist has meticulously regenerated various segments of Beijing into digitalised geometrical structures of bright progressive hues of pinks, yellows, blues and greens.

Estimated sale price: HK$1.5 million—2 million

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Courtesy of Phillips

“Women in Crime” bt Tomoo Gokita

Japanese artist Tomoo Gokita transforms portraits—often of pin-up girls—by erasing their faces with broad brushstrokes of paint.

Estimated sale price: HK$700,000—1 million

See also: Bernard Chan: Hong Kong Palace Museum Open To International Exhibitions

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Courtesy of Phillips

“Nude” by Sanyu 

Sanyu is sometimes hailed as China’s Matisse and is famed for using Chinese ink to paint Western-style nudes and still lifes. This work cuts to the chase and is simply titled “Nude”.

Estimated sale price: HK$200,000—300,000

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Courtesy of Phillips

“Penguin” by Yue Minjun

Yue Minjun’s paintings are all self-portraits and often feature him manically smiling or laughing in surreal situations, such as here, where he’s hugging a penguin. Hence the title of this whimsical piece: “Penguin”. 

Estimated sale price: HK$1.5 million—2 million

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Courtesy of Phillips

“Bloodline: Big Family No. 9” by Zhang Xiogang

Zhang Xiaogang’s dark, moody portraits are inspired by family photos taken during the Cultural Revolution. This particular work is especially significant, as the iconic three-member family portrait has been described as being modelled after a photograph of the artist's brother as an infant and his parents. 

Estimated sale price: The estimate of this painting is available upon request

See also: How Yuri Yasuda Took Her "Yureeka" Moment And Ran With It

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