On 9th July, Phillips Auction opened the sale of its collection of 20th Century & Contemporary Art. The lineup featured paintings, sculptures and design objects from all over the world, and here is our selection of the sold items that were particularly exciting.
This iteration of the Vogue Magazine features Daniel Arsham’s signature erosion effect. Accentuating the beauty of objects in their in-between states, he shares the prepossessing nature of ambiguity. In his eroded casting of living and nonliving figures, he reveals the present and the future colliding in majestic incompleteness. In describing this piece, he poses the question: “Crystals grow over millennia, so is the work falling apart, or growing together?” This sculpture carried an estimated value of $400,000 – $600,000 (Hong Kong Dollars) and was sold for $875,000 (Hong Kong Dollars).
Zhang Xiaogang gathers influence from both traditional Chinese oil painting and Western impressionism. Bloodline Series: Big Family No.3 portrays three people staring earnestly towards the audience but not at them directly. Their bland stares arouse a sense of isolation amongst themselves and from the audience. The faint nature of the bloodlines between the individuals poses a stark contrast between familiar connections and the remoteness between them. Big Family No.3 carried an estimated price of $10,000,000 – $15,000,000 (Hong Kong Dollars) and was sold for $8,790,000 (Hong Kong Dollars).
Tomoo Gokita is one of the most recognized Japanese contemporary artists. Gokita Specializes in grayscale paintings, in which he deconstructs the faces of his subjects while preserving expression through abstract and figurative elements. Tokyo Shyness Girl embodies this style in a captivating manner. The artist keeps her barely recognizable through her hairstyle and silhouettes, while the shyness is portrayed even without her facial characteristics, triggering uncanny, inexplicable empathy. Tokyo Shyness Girl carried an estimated price of $1,600,000 – $2,600,000 (Hong Kong Dollars) and was sold for $2,500,000 (Hong Kong Dollars). [images: courtesy of @phillipsauction ]