Huang Yan, Self Portrait, Archival Inkjet Print with Pochoir, Ed200, 2008, 31.75 x 23.5 inches
Huang Yan, Self Portrait, Archival Inkjet Print with Pochoir, Ed200, 2008, 31.75 x 23.5 inches

As the gallery’s current exhibition enters its final month two of its artists set international sales records for Contemporary Chinese works and the show was recognized in both national and regional art magazines.

“Portal” drew positive reviews in the April issues of Art News and Art Districts magazines. Writing in ArtNews, Margery Gordon calls it “this compelling show.” In her review in ArtDistricts Florida, Sophie Annie Videment refers to “this extremely rich exhibition.”

In Sotheby’s April 3rd Hong Kong auction two of the artists in “Portal” set international sales records: a triptych by Zhang Xiaogang set an all-time record price for Chinese contemporary art, fetching $10.1 million, and Wang Guangyi’s “Mao Zedong P2” brought $2.5 million, a record for his work.

Huang Yan, Pinaster- Landscape1, 2007, 44 x 36.75 inches, Chromogenic Prints, diptych, Ed8
Huang Yan, Pinaster- Landscape1, 2007, 44 x 36.75 inches, Chromogenic Prints, diptych, Ed8

The auction of works from the renowned Ullens Collection, tracing the birth of Chinese contemporary art from the 1980s, raised $54.9 million, more than three times its estimate of $16.7 million. The Zhang hammer price was more than double its estimate. According to Sotheby’s Head of Contemporary Asian Art, Evelyn Lin, “buying was from all corners of the world” with “extended bidding battles among prospective buyers in the room and over the phone.”

“The Chinese contemporary art market has moved into first place in terms of market confidence,” notes Art Radar Asia. “Confidence in the Chinese contemporary market has been on a rapid path of recovery since February 2009, with 75% of the experts surveyed believing the market will go up in the coming six months.”

Wang Guangyi, No Gillette, Lithograph, 2002, 29.25 x 23.5 inches, Ed 199
Wang Guangyi, No Gillette, Lithograph, 2002, 29.25 x 23.5 inches, Ed 199

A photo by Huang Yan, one of the first Chinese photographers whose works were acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York for its permanent collection, is currently being exhibited in the museum’s “Staging Action: Performance in Photography since 1960,” on display until May 9th.

In view of the extraordinary response to this exhibition it has been extended to the end of May.

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