Late last year, the record was set for a work by Zao Wou-ki when a large work from the early 1960s sold for nearly $26m. Now Phillips has announced that it has another large work from the artist from a later period. Phillips hasn’t announced an estimate but says they expect this one to set a record for a “work from the same period.” Does that mean they’re hoping to beat the $11m paid for a 1982 work five years ago? Sounds like it.
Here’s what the auction house has to say about the picture:
Phillips is proud to present Zao Wou-Ki’s rare and large-scale work, 04.01.79, as a leading highlight of the 20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Evening Sale in Hong Kong on 27 May 2018. This seminal work, measuring a monumental 250 x 260 cm, was executed in 1979 and embodies the pivotal stylistic transition from the artist’s middle to late period of abstract works. The largest painting from the 1970s by Zao Wou-Ki and among the top 10 largest by the artist to ever come to auction, 04.01.79 has never before been publicly offered. This masterwork will be unveiled in the lobby of Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong from 26 March to 1 April.