Blue-Chip Artists Lead Christie's Hong Kong Auctions

On September 29 and 30, 2026, Christie’s will present its 20th- and 21st-century marquee auctions in Hong Kong, offering a selection of modern and contemporary art. The auction is set to feature major works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Yayoi Kusama, and Zao Wou-Ki, each representing significant moments in their respective artistic careers.

A highlight of the sale is a mixed-media work by Jean-Michel Basquiat. This piece combines acrylic, oilstick, and Xerox paper collage on canvas. It prominently features a human skull, one of Basquiat’s most enduring motifs, reflecting his distinctive approach to contemporary art and his recurring exploration of human anatomy and symbolism.

Yayoi Kusama’s work in the auction is a large-scale canvas from her iconic pumpkin series. The painting depicts a yellow pumpkin adorned with black polka dots, set against a prismatic Infinity Net backdrop. This motif is a signature element in Kusama’s oeuvre, and the interplay of color and pattern exemplifies her unique visual language.

Kusama, who passed away in August 2026 at the age of 97, created pumpkins throughout her career, both as paintings and as large-scale sculptures. She praised pumpkins for their “generous unpretentiousness,” a sentiment that informed her repeated return to this subject matter across decades of artistic production.

The auction also includes a significant painting by Zao Wou-Ki from his celebrated ‘Oracle Bone’ period. During this time, Zao was inspired by ancient Chinese scripts, transforming them into abstract compositions that meld elements of calligraphy and astronomy. The painting’s title refers to the Milky Way, and its abstract forms blend these influences.

Another notable work by Zao Wou-Ki in the sale is the only snow scene from his Snow Landscape series to feature an autumnal color palette. The painting’s flowing configuration of aqueous yellows, saturated reds, and faded greens makes it seasonally appropriate for a late-September auction.

Most of the two-metre-wide composition is dominated by an expansive, deep-blue area, evocative of abstract masters such as Yves Klein and Mark Rothko. This area is framed by figurative details, creating a dynamic interplay between abstraction and representation within the work.