Estella Collection of Chinese Contemporary Art
Published March 10th, 2008
Sotheby’s is to present the Estella Collection, the largest and most important collection of Chinese Contemporary Art ever to appear at auction. This remarkable group of Chinese Contemporary Art documents social trends that arose out of the recent pivotal moments in Chinese history through the eyes of some of the most instantly recognizable names in a field which has attracted worldwide interest. The Collection, comprising over 200 works, includes seminal pieces by prominent artists such as Ai Weiwei, Zhang Xiaogang, Cai Guo-Qiang and Xu Bing, alongside those by emerging artists. The Estella Collection is significant for its unique embrace of the artistic medium ranging from the more traditional works on paper and paintings, to video installation, sculpture and photography. It has featured prominently in two acclaimed exhibitions at leading international museums and was published in the catalogue, China Onward: The Estella Collection – Chinese Contemporary Art, 1966-2006.
The sale of the Estella Collection will be held in two parts: approximately 110 works will be offered this April in Hong Kong during Sotheby’s spring sales; there will be a further offering at Sotheby’s in New York this autumn. The sale in Hong Kong is expected to achieve HK$65 -95 million (US$8-12 million).
Evelyn Lin, Head of the Contemporary Chinese Art Department, Sotheby’s China and Southeast Asia, said, “The Estella Collection’s content, size and value establish it as amongst the best collections of Chinese contemporary Art. This is an unparalleled opportunity for collectors, both new and established, to acquire works from a collection whose encyclopaedic presentation of artists has helped to reinterpret the history of Chinese contemporary art.”
