Christie’s inaugural auction in Hong Kong on 26 September, which will mark the opening of the new Asia-Pacific headquarters in the Henderson Building, will be headlined by a work by Claude Monet. Nymphs Painting. The water lily painting, created 125 years ago, is being offered at auction for the first time and was one of the artist’s earliest depictions of this subject, which was to become his muse.
This work remained in the possession of the Monet family for many years before it was transferred to a private collection. Four other paintings from the eight-part Nymphs The series are owned by the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Kagoshima City Museum of Art and the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome. The work for sale in Hong Kong is expected to fetch between HK$200 million and HK$280 million (US$25 million to US$35 million).
“As one of the few remaining rare works from Monet’s groundbreaking first Water lilies “This painting is a true, one-of-a-kind treasure that remains in a private collection, while the rest can be found in museums around the world,” said Cristian Albu, vice chairman and head of 20th/21st Century Art at Christie’s Asia Pacific in a statement. “We are honored to be able to present this groundbreaking painting to our discerning collectors in Asia, meeting the increasing demand for iconic Western artworks of the highest caliber.”
Christie’s will open its new 4,600-square-metre regional headquarters to the public on September 20, ahead of auctions on the 26th and 27th of the same month. The new salesroom, offices, galleries and client centre will occupy the 6th to 9th floors of the Henderson, a new office tower in central Hong Kong designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. With high ceilings and a column-free floor plan, the new galleries are designed to be easily reconfigured for events ranging from exhibitions to private sales and educational programmes.
