With baschia's "Leader", Chagall's "Lilac Flowers", Zao Wou-Ki's "Palace Hotel Night" and other works of art sold in Shanghai last night – a total of 222 million yuan of transactions is Christie's report card handed over in the tenth year of the shanghai auction in Chinese mainland.
There is also the fact that Picasso's "Sleeping Woman" in the 1930s went unnoticed and was directly streamed.
Ten years, ten auctions, after the "three moves" auction venue, the coach of Siyi China, the epidemic layoffs, the auction suspension, Christie's Shanghai in the current complex international situation, into the global auction, although it seems to break through the total number of transactions dilemma. However, in the context of policy support, how to continue to find a way out is still a problem facing foreign auction houses: especially the emergence of Western artists, while the allocation of local Chinese artists has not expanded, but has been further narrowed.
Christie's "Art of the 20th and 21st Centuries: Shanghai Evening Sale" on March 1, 2022
On March 1, 2022, in Shanghai, Christie's completed its 10th and 10th auction in China, with 222 million yuan.
In the past ten years, the century-old store has experienced "three relocations" of auction venues in Shanghai, four replacements of the general manager of China, the layoffs of the new crown epidemic and the suspension of auctions for two years, and the long-awaited qualification for cultural relics auctions. This year, Christie's Shanghai moved to the new art gallery On the Bund No. 1 in Shanghai, using the global linkage created after the epidemic to unite four auctions in Shanghai, London, Hong Kong and New York, and finally restarted local auctions.
Ten years ago, some people used the phrase "wolf is coming" to describe the landing of this auction giant in Shanghai, but looking back ten years, they found that the "giant" was just looking for a way out.
In 2013, it entered the first auction in Shanghai, with 171 million yuan, which is a ceiling that cannot be broken in 9 years. Since then, it has gone all the way down, and the lowest point appeared in 2015 and 2016, only about 70 million yuan. In 2017, Zao Wou-Ki's works became "strong needles", slightly pulling the total volume of transactions, but until 2019, Hu Weimu, then general manager of Christie's China, still described the role of Shanghai Christie's as a "small auction", "test field" and "incubator".
The epidemic has become a double-edged sword, on the one hand, the Shanghai auction was suspended for two years, on the other hand, Christie's and Sotheby's also found countermeasures, using video and the Internet to connect global buyers and sellers, Shanghai, Hong Kong, New York, London, Paris, in this way, integrated into an auction, not only the integration of form, but also the penetration of the content of the lot.
Shan · Michel Baschia "The Leader"
Thus, at last night's "Art of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries: Shanghai Evening Sale", there was a popular name, Jean Micciard Baschia. His work "Leader" sold for 94.16 million yuan (including commission), almost half of the total amount of the whole market. This is Baschia's first appearance at Chinese mainland auction house. According to the statistics of the surging news reporter, the work was successfully bid by the Hong Kong auction.
However, Baschia's "Leader", the previous most undervalued price is 80 million yuan, and the price of the hammer on the scene is exactly this number. Many people in the industry used the word "cold" to describe the cold price, but also the cold of buying gas, two or three rounds of hurried transactions. The same cold feeling is also reflected in the rapid sale of Chagall's "Lilacs", 18.96 million yuan. In the past, Zao Wou-Ki, the "strong needle", obtained a transaction price of 33.6 million yuan and 56.4 million yuan in Shanghai, and last night's Zao Wou-Ki's "Palace Hotel Night" sold for 24.36 million yuan.
Mark Chagall, "Lilacs"
As early as ten years ago, many people in the art world expected Christie's to settle in Shanghai, which could accelerate the acquisition of cultural relics auction qualifications by foreign auction houses and maximize the advantages of resources. Waiting for ten years, it is delayed to usher in the "test of the water". Last night, two works from before 1949 can be said to have landmark significance. Unfortunately, Picasso's "Sleeping Woman" in the 1930s went unnoticed and was directly streamed.
Some art historians have even directly questioned the artistic value of Picasso's lots. Western modernist Keith van Donggen's 1908 "Woman with a Necklace" was bought by London for 23.16 million. The relaxation of the policy, which was originally a "breakthrough and a heavy positive", shows the posture of "Shanghai advancing into the international art trading center", but in fact, it has not been able to exchange famous first-line and top-quality works into Shanghai, which is worth reflecting on.
Keith van Dongen, "The Woman with the Necklace"
Over the past decade, Christie's has consistently implemented the strategic layout of introducing Western art works into Chinese mainland. On the flowing water seats, Dali, Picasso, Morandi, Andy Warhol, Chagall, Bernard Buffy, KAWS, etc. took turns to serve, and Japanese "regulars" Yayoi Kusama and Yoshitomo Nara also used them as side dishes from time to time, while the configuration of local Chinese artists was not expanded, but further narrowed. At last night's latest "banquet", young Western artists were forcefully imported Chinese mainland, according to Official Christie's data, Three artists born in 1986 Emmanuel Taku, 1974 born Joel Mesler and 1972 born Genieve Figgis set a new world auction record, and one of them will also be held in Shanghai.
Picasso's "Sleeping Woman" from the 1930s was streamed
According to the observation of the surging news reporter, in the context of the simultaneous efforts of the four auctions last night, the final transaction mainly occurred in the Shanghai and Hong Kong auctions, almost equally divided, the London auction was successfully auctioned no less than 3 pieces, and the New York auction participated in several bidding. This also reflects the advantages of the innovative model of joint auctions of several major auctions after the epidemic, and Shanghai, which participated for the first time, is also exploring new ways to integrate "small auctions", "test fields" and "incubators" into a larger market context. After the shooting, Yang Yuancao, Chairman of Christie's China, said: "Looking to the future, we will continue to work hard to continue to actively expand the Chinese market, get closer to collectors, and provide customers with purchase opportunities through a variety of platforms." ”
Following the "Art of the 20th and 21st Centuries: Shanghai Evening Sale", the "Art of the 21st and 21st Centuries: London Evening Sale" was followed by the "Art of the Twentieth and 21st Centuries: London Evening Sale", with a total turnover of £182 million (about RMB1.536 billion) and the "Surrealist Art Evening Sale" of £39.88 million (about RMB335 million). The three auctions sold a total of about 2.1 billion yuan.
Franz Malck, The Fox
At the London Evening Sale, the cover work, German Expressionist artist Franz Marck's "The Fox," sold for about 360 million yuan, setting a new artist's auction record. Frances Bacon, Lucian Although Freud's works were sold, in terms of performance, they were also considered by the industry to be "not high to buy gas".
In July 2020, Christie's "ONE: Modern and Contemporary Global Joint Night Auction" held for the first time in Christie's history was about RMB2.95 billion.