This summer, Sotheby’s will stage its first-ever live spirits auction in Southeast Asia alongside a sale of Modern and Contemporary Art in Singapore. Highlights from these offerings will be available for public viewing in a preview exhibition from 5 to 9 June 2024 at Conrad Singapore Orchard, followed by the two live auctions on 9 June.
Sotheby’s will present a Modern and Contemporary Art Auction in Singapore featuring a selection of works that explore how art-making and artistic creation bring artists and viewers into an idyllic realm under the theme of Paradise. While the notion of ‘Paradise’ is often associated with a place or destination, it may also exist as a state of mind or reflection, achieved through the bliss of an artist’s practice. This auction also marks the first offerings by Sotheby’s in Asia under the implementation of the new fee structure, announced earlier this year. The new simplified commission structure aims to make it both easier to calculate fees and more accessible to buy in Sotheby’s auctions than at any other international auction house.
Jasmine Prasetio, Managing Director, of Sotheby’s Southeast Asia, said: “2024 marks an innovative year for Sotheby’s globally as the company celebrates its 280th Anniversary. With revolutionary and exciting initiatives around the world, from the implementation of the new fee structure to the opening of Hong Kong Maison this July, we continue our investment in Southeast Asia to curate another week-long showcase of our finest offerings starring two live auctions.”
Collections spotlight masterpieces by significant artists of cross-cultural backgrounds
Sotheby’s Singapore Modern and Contemporary Art Auction will feature 48 offerings by artists from Southeast Asia and beyond. This includes celebrated Singaporean pioneers such as Cheong Soo Pieng and Georgette Chen alongside iconic modernists from the region such as Affandi, Le Pho, Fernando Zóbel, Theo Meier, Pratuang Emjaroen and Tran Van Ha. Other modern highlights include significant works by Chinese masters Wu Guanzhong and Chu Teh-Chun. The auction will feature exciting works by international contemporary artists including Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama, Lee Bae, as well as Beatriz Milhazes. Works by Georgette Chen, Anita Magsaysay-Ho and Beatriz Milhazes are also now on view at the ongoing Venice Biennale.
Estimate Upon Request Emerging a decade after its auction debut, Catching Chickens is exemplary
of the artist’s dynamic painting style that has earned her status as one of the most admired female artists from Southeast Asia.
The auction is led by Paghuhuli Ng Mga Manok (Catching Chickens) by Anita Magsaysay-Ho, a pioneering female artist from the Philippines. Painted in 1962, Catching Chickens embodies the artist’s signature pastoral scenes that celebrate the joyful, communal spirit of women with a great sense of movement and colour. Held in an important private collection for a decade, the painting is impressive in its large scale, as works by artists over one metre in size from the 1960s rarely come to market.
Other key highlights include the auction debut of White Orchids (Phalaenopsis) by the Singapore artist Georgette Chen, whose delicate paintwork of elegant orchids juxtaposes the impressionistic floral rendition of Wu Guanzhong’s Field Chrysanthemums.
paintings are rarely seen and have only appeared four other times in the past three decades.
Asian artists in contemporary art history are loved for their peculiar and captivating forms of expression. The pumpkin is a symbol of triumph in her artistic iconography and life captured Kusama’s fascination at a young age as she grew up in Matsumoto in central
Japan with her family being affluent farm merchants who owned a seed farm. The motif was a source of spiritual solace and has now achieved a near-mythical status as her alter ego.
cm, 2002 Est: SG$80,000 – 160,000 / US$595,000 – 119,000. Born in 1956 in South Korea, Lee Bae is one of the most sought-after Korean artists today. The core of his
abstract practice takes root in the material he chose. Charcoal holds a unique meaning to Lee as it is the material of Chinese ink that is used in calligraphy, which the artist practised as a child. It is also regarded as a symbol of protection, cleanse, and sanitation in traditional Korean culture. By utilising this specific medium, Lee thus transforms his canvas into a spiritual journey that invites the viewer to contemplate on the cycle of life and the dimension of time. A solo presentation of Lee Bae’s works by the Hansol Cultural Foundation in collaboration with the Wilmotte Foundation has been unveiled at this year’s 60th Venice Biennale.
Est: SG$90,000 – 120,000 / US$67,000 – 895,000 Theo Meier’s magnificent Nyoman Lumbang with Offering is a masterwork by the Swiss artist that celebrates the beauty of Balinese women and landscape, the island was the artist’s paradise for 20 years. A keen admirer of Paul Gauguin’s artworks, who sought to emulate the Post Impressionist painter’s nomadic spirit as an artist-adventurer, Meier travelled
to the places that Gauguin had visited, and arrived in Bali in 1935.
Nyoman Lumbang with Offering is striking for the stature of the artist’s muse, Nyoman Lumbang, who dominates the picture plane as she carries a temple on
her head against a backdrop of Bali’s tropical lush greenery, towering volcanoes, and temple structures. Meier’s composition bears a striking similarity to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, as the sitter’s three-quarter profile is set against a tropical, semi-imagined landscape painted with immense detail.
Singapore’s first live spirits auction features collectable Japanese and Scotch whiskies
Singapore has become one of the most flourishing markets for spirits and wine. This growth was reflected in Sotheby’s inaugural spirits online sale last December, which saw 30% of the participating bidders new to the company. Catering to this increasing demand, and as part of our ongoing commitment to cultivate a growing collector community, Sotheby’s Fine and Rare Whisky Auction features 190 lots with a total combined estimate of SG$1.4M / US$1.04M. The sale shines a spotlight on a series of representative collectable whiskies from Japan, including the remarkable Karuizawa 1965 Japonisme for La Maison Du Whisky’s 60th anniversary and the Karuizawa 1965 Sherry Cask, whose names are etched in the annals of Japanese whisky history. As the oldest and most limited Hibiki ever crafted, the exquisite Hibiki 35-year-old Kutani Decanter is a key highlight. Each decanter is a masterpiece adorned with porcelain containers crafted by the renowned artisans of Arita and Kutani, celebrating 400 years of Japanese porcelain artistry.
Presented alongside an array of Japanese whiskies is a fine selection of Scotch whiskies, including the rarely seen set Bowmore Trilogy 1964 set, containing the Bowmore Black, White and Gold, a highly sought-after set released by the renowned distillery in 2007 and 2008.
Rarely seen in the market, this legendary set of Bowmore was released in 2007 and 2008, containing the Black Bowmore, White Bowmore and Gold Bowmore, all bearing the 1964 vintage. The Black Bowmore 1964 is the successor of the Black Bowmore Series released back in 1993, 1994 and 1995, all of which later on have become Scotch whisky icons. This oloroso sherry cask matured whisky is then accompanied by a bourbon cask matured White Bowmore 1964, and a bottle which is a mix between both bourbon and oloroso Sherry cask, the Gold Bowmore 1964, to complete the series.
Karuizawa 50 Year Old LMDW Sherry Cask #2372 62.3 abv 1965 (1 BT70) Est: SG$30,000 – 55,000 / US$22,200 – 40,700
In celebration of its 60th anniversary, La Maison du Whisky, one of the largest fine and rare whisky distributors in the world decided to create something truly special which would mark its place in the history of Japanese whisky. Holding one of the largest inventories of old Karuizawa casks, they generously selected 2 casks from the 1965 vintage, a bourbon and sherry, to create two 50-year-old bottlings of Karuizawa, the third oldest Karuizawa to have ever been bottled. To go one step further, they decided to take partial liquids within each cask to create a blend, resulting in a series very similar to the concept of the Bowmore Trilogy, i.e. a Sherry cask, a Bourbon cask, and a mix between the two.
This was truly an extremely bold concept to adopt on limited and valuable stocks from the renowned Japanese ghost distillery, knowing that it would never reappear. These two bottles not only showcase the highest quality liquid that Japan has to offer but also the art of blending, a quintessential technique that sits at the core of Japanese whisky making, hence, the essence of Japonisme.
George Lacy, Head of Wine, at Sotheby’s Asia, said: “We are pleased to host our first-ever live auction for Fine and Rare Whisky in Singapore, dedicated to presenting exceptional spirits, many of which are seldom seen in the market. In 2023, bidders in Asia led the spirits market at Sotheby’s, responsible for more than 50% of the value of all bids placed globally. This live auction in Singapore furthers our commitment to continue expanding our sales in the region, fostering closer connections to collectors across all of Asia’s key growth markets and allowing us to bring the finest bottles to our clients throughout the region.”
A spotlight on Sotheby’s auctions in Asia
Sotheby’s is committed to supporting Singapore’s thriving art and lifestyle ecosystem and has held live Modern and Contemporary Art auctions every year since its return in 2022. In other parts of Asia, Sotheby’s Hong Kong saw successful results in its Spring auction series. This season also saw a greater number of buyers compared to the past four seasons, with 75% of buyers from Asia, of which the top five transactions came from Greater China, the United States and Singapore.
