Hong Kong autumn auctions 2026: more than HK$2 billion, a Basquiat on top and a first test for Kusama
Between 28 and 30 September 2026 Christie's, Sotheby's and Phillips sold more than HK$2 billion of art in Hong Kong. Results, top lots and the first market test for Kusama after her death.
Christie's, Sotheby's and Phillips sold more than 2 billion Hong Kong dollars of art in Hong Kong between 28 and 30 September 2026, according to the South China Morning Post. Artnet News put the season at about 255 million US dollars, against roughly 165 million in the spring.
Christie's 20th/21st Century Evening Sale on 29 September made HK$726.4 million, about 92.6 million dollars, according to lot results compiled by IntelArt. Two lots were withdrawn before the sale; the other 50 all sold. Jean-Michel Basquiat's Ancient Scientist, 1984, estimated at HK$56 to 76 million, made HK$76.98 million, about 9.81 million dollars. Zao Wou-Ki's Voie lactée, 1956, followed at HK$58.85 million.
Sotheby's opened the week on 28 September. Its Modern and Contemporary Evening Auction made HK$671.3 million, about 85.6 million dollars, with 46 of 55 lots sold and three withdrawn, a Rothko among them. Yoshitomo Nara's Present, 1994, led at HK$71.66 million. Across the whole series Sotheby's sold HK$956 million, 35% more than in March, with 91% of lots sold, the SCMP reported. The same day a sale devoted to Tsuguharu Foujita, from the Lewis collection, sold all 15 lots for 8.57 million dollars, according to HENI.
Then Kusama. Yayoi Kusama died in Tokyo on 14 August 2026, aged 97; her studio announced it on 27 August. An artist's death often lifts prices. Not this time, or not yet. The SCMP described a cool reception for her work in September, even though two Pumpkins still made HK$60.68 million at Sotheby's and HK$58.24 million at Christie's.
Hong Kong grows from a lower base than London. In the first half of 2026 sales there rose almost 30% to 764 million dollars, according to ArtTactic, yet its share of the big houses' total fell.
The next Kusama test is in New York: Sotheby's offers her No. 3P.B. on 16 November 2026, estimated at 10 to 15 million dollars.
Unicorn Art Watch tracks auction prices for Basquiat, Kusama and Zao Wou-Ki among its 100 masters. Unicorn Art Club, explained in the guide among the sources, pools members' capital to buy one work per artist.
Investing involves the risk of losing capital.
Sources
- South China Morning Post, Hong Kong autumn 2026 art auctions top HK$2 billion as Kusama works get a cool reception, October 2026
- Artnet News, Hong Kong's fall auctions top $255M, October 2026
- IntelArt, 2026 fall Hong Kong auctions, lot results 28 to 30 September 2026 (preliminary compilation)
- The Art Newspaper, Blue-chip names headline Christie's Hong Kong sales, 18 September 2026
- HENI, Sotheby's The Foujita Lexicon: Works from the Lewis Collection totals $8.57m, 28 September 2026
- The National, Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama dies aged 97, 27 August 2026
- The Art Newspaper, Auction houses made significant recoveries in 2026, ArtTactic report finds, 10 July 2026
- Sotheby's, The New York Sales, November 2026 (Kusama, No. 3P.B., estimate)
- Unicorn Art Club, guide: how to invest in blue-chip art through Unicorn Art Club