Phillips Hosts Landmark Hong Kong Auction To Celebrate 10 Years in Asia

Phillips Hosts Landmark Hong Kong Auction To Celebrate 10 Years in Asia Phillips may have locations around the world, but it was only last month that it finally celebrated a decade of work in Asia. To mark this anniversary, the auction house decided to do what it does best: host a landmark art sale. On September 27 and 28, Phillips presented a sprawling array of modern and […] READ: Phillips Hosts Landmark Hong Kong Auction To Celebrate 10 Years in Asia

Art Oct 16, 2025 0 9 Add to Reading List

Phillips Hosts Landmark Hong Kong Auction To Celebrate 10 Years in Asia

Installation view of the preview for the Phillips Modern & Contemporary Art Fall Auction in Hong Kong, held earlier this season.

Phillips may have locations around the world, but it was only last month that it finally celebrated a decade of work in Asia. To mark this anniversary, the auction house decided to do what it does best: host a landmark art sale. On September 27 and 28, Phillips presented a sprawling array of modern and contemporary art in Hong Kong, realizing $28 million in sales across its evening and day auctions.

The auction’s roster of artists were undoubtedly behind that success. The event gathered pieces from prominent international and Asian artists alike, ranging from Andy Warhol, Jonathan Gardner, and Georges Mathieu to Yayoi Kusama, Yoshitomo Nara, and Hao Liang. Headlining the sale was Nara’s 2000 acrylic painting Pinky, depicting an androgynous child with a mischievous expression set against a soft-pink background. Clocking in just slightly below its $7.6 million estimate, Pinky ultimately snagged $7.2 million at the auction block, the highest price during the sale.

Aside from Nara, Zao Wou-Ki stood as another major highlight, thanks in part to the inclusion of a rare work that had been preserved in a private collection for over 75 years and had never before been seen by the public. His featured canvases radiate with dynamic textures, soft colors, and abstract forms, which seemed to resonate with the auction’s attendees. After all, Wou-Ki’s 27.01.86 achieved a price of $3.83 million, the auction’s second highest lot. Tom Wesselman’s Smoker #17, from 1975, was also anticipated to perform well (it ended up selling for $1.8 million). The shaped canvas showcases a massive hand holding a cigarette, positioned above an open mouth. Surrounding the composition is a plume of smoke, creating a surreal yet playful silhouette typical of the American Pop Art movement.

Smoker #17 wasn’t the auction’s only example of pop art. Andy Warhol’s Hearts Pink, for instance, explored the artist’s fascination with recurring and universal symbols, such as skulls, dollar signs, and celebrities. Takashi Murakami also made an appearance with his intriguing painting I stare into your eye, which, as its title suggests, is shaped like an eye with a colorful, dilated pupil.

Notably, these artworks—and many more—were all on display during a public preview, held from September 22 to 28 in Phillips’ West Kowloon galleries. Visitors encountered Mai Trung Thứ’s vibrant 1971 canvas, in which a woman takes a walk through a garden with two young children; Loie Hollowell’s Hung (down), a captivating composition reminiscent of Georgia O’Keefe’s flower paintings; and Ruth Asawa’s hanging sculpture, incorporating woven oxidized copper wire.

“As we celebrate our 10-year anniversary in Asia, this season’s sales in Hong Kong hold special significance for us and for the collectors who have shared this remarkable journey over the past decade,” Danielle So and Rebecca Hu of Phillips jointly remarked.

To learn more about the auction house and its recent Hong Kong auction, visit the Phillips website.