HONG KONG is hosting a series of Picasso sales this autumn to tap a growing interest in modern art among China’s wealthy collectors looking to expand beyond their country’s artworks.

    Two of Hong Kong’s top galleries and auction house Sotheby’s are hosting exhibitions of the Spanish artist’s paintings, featuring works from different stages of his career.

    Sotheby’s Asia chairwoman Patti Wong said there was a growing appetite for modern art on the Chinese mainland.

    “We have been impressed with the interest in the field of impressionism and modern art from within China and across Asia in our recent auctions,” said Wong.

    “Asian collectors have... shown considerable interest in other Sotheby’s sale exhibitions of modern and contemporary sculpture.”

    The southern Chinese city of 7 million people has become the world’s third-largest auction hub after New York and London, thanks in large part to China’s growing political and economic prowess.

    Mainland Chinese are regular buyers of the top lots at sales of art, jewelry and wine, reflecting growing wealth and increasingly sophisticated tastes.

    “The most exciting and active growth in collecting today is occurring in China and other countries in Asia,” said David Norman, co-chairman of Sotheby’s impressionist and modern art department.

    “We wanted to bring great works of art directly and exclusively to that audience. The passion of collectors has been a key factor in the development of art and the art market,” he said.

    Earlier this month, an Asian buyer bought a 1965 Picasso, “Le Modele dans l’Atelier,” for HK$16 million (US$ 2.1 million) at an auction in Hong Kong by South Korea-based Seoul Auction.

    The Sotheby’s sale, which runs from Nov. 26 to 28, will feature seven of Picasso’s paintings from different phases of his career, including his Blue Period, Cubism and Neoclassicism from the 1920s, and his post-1960s Expressionist paintings.

    One of the key pieces of the sale is a striking portrait of Picasso’s love interest, Dora Maar, called “Jeune Fille aux Cheveux Noirs (Dora Maar)” which was completed in 1939.

    While the Picasso works are expected to attract the most interest, the sale will also feature works by Monet, Renoir, Chagall and Degas, with pieces expected to fetch between US$2 million and 25 million.

    The Sotheby’s sale coincides with an exhibition of 18 Picassos at Edouard Malingue’s gallery, which continues until Dec. 4. Malingue is the eldest son of top Parisian art dealer Daniel Malingue.

    The exhibition includes “Head of a Woman With a Hat,” a portrait of the artist’s second and last wife Jacqueline Roque completed by Picasso in 1962 when he was in his 80s.

    A further 15 Picassos from the 1960s and 1970s are on sale at the Ben Brown gallery between Nov. 22 and Jan. 28.

    (SD-Agencies)