Hong Kong – Reported by Elite Traveler, the Private Jet Lifestyle Magazine
Christie’s Southeast Asian Modern and Contemporary Art Spring Auction is due to take place on May 30 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, presenting highlights from some of the most vibrant and invigorating voices within Southeast Asia’s art scene. Showcasing 115 works spanning the region, the sale brings together undisputed modern masterpieces and some of the most sought-after contemporary art. The estimated value is in the range of $3.8 million.
Highlights from the modern section include:
A rare genre scene by Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur de Merprès, depicting early 20th-century Bali at the height of its tropical charm. Temple Festival in Bali (Lot 1799, estimate: $243,600 to $333,300) ranks among Le Mayeur’s finest works, offering a comprehensive portrayal of the festive marketplace in front of the village temple, with graceful dancers, lively musicians and villagers in celebration.
Pioneering female artist Anita Magsaysay-Ho’s The Water Carriers (Lot 1765, estimate: $44,900 to $64,100) was painted in America in 1950. It reveals the strong influence of her teacher from that period, the formidable Kenneth Hayes Miller who also mentored Edward Hopper and was instrumental in shaping her compositional awareness and lifelong technique of using interlocking shades of light and dark.
An exceedingly rare and important work, Nativité (The Nativity) by Le Pho (Lot 1782, estimate: $192,300 to $256,400). This early work by the most acclaimed modern Vietnamese artist of his generation is a graceful portrayal of the birth of Christ as depicted the New Testament.
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Other modern highlights include important works by well-recognized names such as S. Sudjojono, Lee Man Fong, Hendra Gunawan, Theo Meier, Walter Spies and Srihadi Sudarsono.
The modern selection will be complemented by outstanding contemporary artists of today, such as Ronald Ventura, Geraldine Javier, Agus Suwage, Rudi Mantofani, Christine Ay Tjoe, Eko Nugroho, J. Ariadhitya Pramuhendra, Samsul Arifin and Indieguerillas, among others. Their visually and intellectually provocative works lead viewers into an exploration of Southeast Asia’s current society and existential concerns through powerfully painted formats and textured materials.
Highlights from the contemporary section include:
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Rainbow Punch by Ronald Ventura (Lot 1738, estimate: $64,100 to $102,600), packing a dual punch in presenting an impactful painted canvas paired with a brilliantly created sculpture-installation. The rare combination of these two mediums, Ventura’s established and acclaimed format of oil on canvas together with his love for sculptural creation, gives collectors the chance to acquire a unique edition by this prominent young artist.
A stunning and immaculate work by Geraldine Javier captivates visual attention immediately. Javier’s artistic language is that of oblique references, subtle emotions, and a textured realism paired with whimsical elements. In Chopsticks on a Saturday Fun Machine Morning (Lot 1741, estimate: $23,100 to $32,000) Javier recreates the scene of a young girl practicing her scales, likening the staccato rhythm to the tempo of a sewing machine.
As forerunners of the Generation Y collective, the artistic duo Indieguerillas create and manipulate a bizarre hallucinogenic universe within Awake is the New Sleep (Lot 1708, estimate: $7,700 to $10,300), which pulses with effervescent life.
