Blossoming Plum Tree by Wang Chaogang was one of the surprise highlights of Blue and Yellow: Swift Transitions of Self, a sale of Chinese contemporary art held at the Mall Galleries in London by Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions.
The oil over acrylic painting outpaced its £18,000 ($37,161) high estimate to make £37,200 ($58,292) at the auction on September 7 - an increase in value of 106%. Chaogang is an established Chinese artist and deputy director of oil painting at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute.
 Blossoming Plum Tree dates from 2012 |
Other high performing lots included Zang Chunji's collection of four works: Quingyuan Temple, River Pool, Golden Lotus and Golden Willows. The collection also outstripped its £18,000 ($28,161) high estimate to achieve £37,200 ($58,292).
The auction also included Fang Zunru's Unseen Scenery I and IV, which sold for £16,120 ($25,271) and £17,980 ($28,189), respectively. Her Invisible Landscape series has gained wide recognition in her homeland.
This was the first time many of the artists featured had exhibited outside of China, and provided an excellent opportunity for Western collectors to gauge demand for the work of emergent Chinese artists.
John Deston, gallery manager of the Mall Galleries, commented prior to the sale: "These works show a level of dedication to technique and draughtsmanship that the Federation of British Artists is thrilled to see."
The collection performed impressively, with the vast majority of pieces selling above estimate. China has one of the world's largest contemporary art markets, and this sale indicates that interest among collectors is high.
We have this autographed postcard of an original drawing of a shark by Damien Hirst for sale at £3,950 ($6,189).
Recent and related articles
$128,100 Yuan dynasty bowl leads $2.1m Asian art auction | 30 March 2012
'$3' Chinese bowl auctions for $2.2m at Asia Week | 20 March 2013
'$30,000' Tibetan bronze Manjushri coming to Cowan's | 1 September 2013
Your collecting
View our stock items for sale | Portfolios for sale
Guides and analysis
Investing in Art | 10 reasons to invest in collectibles | Which asset is right for you?
www.paulfrasercollectibles.com
Images: Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions
