Sotheby’s Auction of Chinese Paintings Set for Intense Bidding

Sotheby's Hong Kong will hold the spring sale of fine Chinese paintings on Saturday, offering paintings by important Chinese masters and pieces from a private collection.

The over 260 lots are expected to make around $13 million U.S. dollars.

[C.K. Cheung, Sotheby’s Head of Chinese Paintings]:
"The market of calligraphy and painting, or artworks, has better works and combined with other factors has improved massively. And accompanied by better economic conditions, I believe the market will prosper."

The star lot in the sale is Qi Baishi's tiger painted in 1950, also the year of the tiger. The position of the animal makes this painting unique.

[C.K. Cheung, Sotheby’s Head of Chinese Paintings]:
"He made the tiger with its back to the viewers, that we, the viewers, can only see its back instead of the face and the expressions. But by looking at the tiger's posture, we have a large space for imagination. We can imagine what expressions are on the tiger's face."

The painting is expected to fetch over $3.6 million U.S. dollars at auction.

Other highlights include Fu Baoshi's "Playing Flute in Dongshan" which is expected to make almost two million U.S. dollars and Landscape by Zhang Daqian.

The global art market has seen a surge in both growth and confidence particularly in Asia.