Stars of Asian art shine at NY auctions
September 14, 2008 NEW YORK (AFP) - Upcoming auctions in New York will put a multi-million-dollar stamp on Asia’s art explosion, a far cry from the recent past when treasures fell into tourists’ hands for a song.
Sales by rivals Christie’s and Sotheby’s both next week and in December feature everything from delicate and ancient Chinese vases to boundary-breaking, contemporary installations. And if Asian art is still emerging into the big time, the prices are already there.
Consider “Figures in a Landscape,” a diminutive 1964 oil painting by South Korea’s most famous modern artist Park Sookeun on sale at Christie’s this Thursday.
The evocative scene of four tiny figures under gaunt winter trees was bought for just 20 dollars (14 euros) by a US visitor to Seoul in the 1960s. Next week, Christie’s expects to get 400,000-500,000 dollars (283,000-353,000 euros) " or more.
“I think hopefully it will go for about 700,000 dollars (495,000 euros),” said Christie’s Korea specialist Heakyum Kim. “Korean art is not as well known as Japanese, Chinese or Indian, but it’s starting to get recognized.” Another work on sale Thursday and brimming with star power is “Reflective Love,” a print by revered 18th century Japanese artist Kitagawa Utamaro.
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