Pendawa Dadu by Hendra Gunawan Sold for US$ 3.39 Million

Sotheby’s concluded the first two days of its four-day series of spring 2015 sales yesterday.

The Modern and Contemporary Asian Art evening sale on April 4 fetched a total of HK$603.7 million (US$77.4 million), headlined by Wu Guanzhong’s “Plum Blossoms,” which went under the hammer for HK$66.8 million (US$8.6 million). Nine world auction records for artists were set, including Hendra Gunawan’s “Pandawa Dadu (The Dice Game from the Mahabharata Epic)” (1971), which sold for HK$26.48 million (US$3.39 million).

Meanwhile, six paintings from the specially curated “Nature Through the Eyes of Wu Guanzhong” section more than doubled their pre-sale estimate with a total of HK$157 million (US$20.1 million).

On April 4 and 5, the three categories of sales — Modern and Contemporary Asian Art (evening sale), Modern Asian Art (day sale), and Contemporary Asian Art (day sale) and Modern & Contemporary Southeast Asian Art (day sale) — achieved a combined total of HK$863.5 million (US$110.7 million).

Leading the Contemporary Asian Art day sale was Zeng Fanzhi’s oil on canvas “Portrait” (2005), which fetched HK$4.88 million (US$625,641). Also performing well was Chinese artist Liu Wei, whose “Purple Air” (2007) and “Revolutionary Family Series” (1991) sold for HK$3.68 million (US$471,795) and HK$3.08 million (US$394,872) respectively.

At the Modern Asian Art day sale, four of the top ten lots were by Zao Wou-Ki, whose “16.05.59” (1959) topped the list at a hammer price of HK$12.08 million (US$1,548,718). The surprise lot, however, was Jiang Guofang’s triptych “Dream of Spring in March” (2008), which more than tripled its high pre-sale estimate of HK$2.2 million with a hammer price of HK$7.28 million (US$933,333).

Meanwhile, the Modern & Contemporary Southeast Asian Art day sale was headlined by Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur de Merprès’ “Tahitiennes au Bord de la Rivière (Tahitian Women at the Riverfront)” (1932), which more than doubled its high pre-sale estimate of HK$2.2 million with a final price of HK$4.64 million (US$594,872). Second on the list was Lee Man Fong’s oil on masonite board “Boy with Flute on a Buffalo” (1951), which fetched HK$4.16 million (US$533,333), nearly seven times its high pre-sale estimate of HK$600,000.