As Art Basel Hong Kong concluded on March 30, all eyes turned to the major auction houses, where both Christie’s and Sotheby’s had aligned their spring marquee sales with the fair for the first time. Would the fair’s energy and robust attendance—which was considered across the board as a bellwether for a recovering market—translate into bidding in the auction room? Do the back-to-back sales offer any insights about collector confidence across Greater China?

Hong Kong

Christie’s evening sale of 20th and 21st century art on March 28 in Hong Kong delivered generally positive signals about the Asian art market, bringing in HKD 560 million (USD 72 million) with fees. The house drew over 7,000 visitors to its pre-auction exhibitions amid the busy March art week.