Figures
1 Diagram illustrating the curator network from the exhibition China/Avant Garde, Beijing, 1989 38
2 Front cover, New York Times Magazine, December 19, 1993, illustrating Fang Lijun Series II, No. 2 (detail), 1992 as headline feature for article written by Andrew Solomon 43
3 Catalogue front cover, Christie’s Asian Avant-Garde, 12 October 1998, London 51
4 Catalogue front cover and back cover of Christie’s Contemporary, October 1998 53
5 Internal pages, Christie’s Asian Avant-Garde, featuring Lot 8, Yue Minjun Immortal Cranes, 1998, and Lot 9, Yue Minjun Ostriches, 1998 54
6 Internal page, Christie’s Asian Avant-Garde, featuring Lot 133, Zhang Xiaogang Blood Lines Series No. 54, 1996 and Blood Lines Series No. 55, 1996 55
7 Internal pages featuring ‘Artists’ Biographies & Catalogue Notes’ at back of Christie’s Asian Avant-Garde catalogue, 108–9 56
8 Diagram illustrating collector activity and their acquaintance network, 1998–2004 79
9 Fold-out front cover, Larasati Pictures of Asia Fine Art Auction 5 April 2003, Singapore, illustrating Lot 66, Hendra Gunawan Puppet Seller, and Lot 50, Yue Minjun Looking Straight, 1993 94
10 Internal pages, Larasati Pictures of Asia Fine Art Auction 7 December 2003, Singapore, featuring Lot 61, Zhang Xiaogang Blood Line No. 3, 2001 and Blood Line No. 7, 2001, and Lot 65, Fang Lijun 2002.10.1, 2002 95
11 Catalogue front cover, Sotheby’s Chinese Contemporary Art, 31 October 2004, Hong Kong, illustrating Lot 326, Zhao Wuji (Zao Wou-ki) Engulfed Town 105
12 Catalogue back cover, Sotheby’s Chinese Contemporary Art, 31 October 2004, Hong Kong, illustrating Lot 304, Zhang Huan Family Tree (detail) 106
13 Internal pages, Sotheby’s Chinese Contemporary Art, 31 October 2004 featuring Lot 304, Zhang Huan Family Tree 108
14 Front cover, Art in America June/July 2004 illustrating Zhang Huan Peace, 2001, and internal page featuring Zhang Huan Family Tree (details), 128 109
15 Internal pages, Sotheby’s Chinese Contemporary Art, 31 October 2004 illustrating Lot 313, Yue Minjun Sunflowers (detail), 2003 110
16 Internal pages, Sotheby’s Chinese Contemporary Art, 31 October 2004, featuring Lot 345, Zhang Xiaogang The Sleepless Martyr, 1989, and the bilingual essay ‘The Youthful Generation of the 70s’ 113
17 Internal pages, Sotheby’s Chinese Contemporary Art, 31 October 2004 featuring Lot 311, Zhang Xiaogang Big Family – Brother and Sister, 2002 117
18 Internal pages, Sotheby’s Chinese Contemporary Art, 31 October 2004 featuring Lot 313, Yue Minjun Sunflowers, 2003 118
19 Internal page, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Asia, 31 March 2006 featuring Lot 7, Xue Song Mao – Standard Portrait, 2000 132
20 Wrapped catalogue cover, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Asia, 31 March 2006, New York, illustrating detail of Lot 150, Xu Bing The Living Word, 2001 144
21 Catalogue soft front cover, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Asia, 31 March 2006, New York, illustrating detail of Lot 150, Xu Bing The Living Word, 2001 144
22 Inside back cover, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Asia, 31 March 2006 illustrating Lot 136, Yan Lei Super Lights – Congo, 2005 145
23 Internal pages, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Asia, 31 March 2006 featuring ‘Index of Works’ (Mandarin) and ‘Artist Biographies’ (English), 258–9 146
24 Internal page, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Asia, 31 March 2006 featuring ‘Suggested Reading’ (English), 252 148
25 Internal fold-out pages, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Asia, 31 March 2006 featuring Lot 25, Yue Minjun Lions, 1998 1149
26 Internal pages, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Asia, 31 March 2006 featuring Lot 76, Zhang Huan Peace, 2001, first double page spread 150
27 Internal pages, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Asia, 31 March 2006 featuring Lot 76, Zhang Huan Peace, 2001, second double page spread 151
28 Internal pages, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Asia, 31 March 2006 featuring Lot 150, Xu Bing The Living Word, 2001 152
29 Cover of individual catalogue for Lot 5 Yue Minjun Execution as part of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction, 12 October 2007, London 182
30 Internal pages of individual catalogue for Lot 5 Yue Minjun Execution, 1995 as part of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction, 12 October 2007 featuring lot and image details 183
31 Internal pages of individual catalogue for Lot 5 Yue Minjun Execution as part of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction, 12 October 2007 illustrating Pablo Picasso Massacre in Korea, 1951, alongside Yue Minjun, Execution, 1995 184
32 Christie’s Hong Kong marketing brochure The Art of Selling, Autumn 2007. Caption notes “Christie’s makes history in Asia surpassing the HK$2billion mark in our 2007 Autumn sales”, 2–3 188
33 Sotheby’s marketing brochure Hong Kong Spring 2008. Caption notes “Auction Record for a Contemporary Chinese Art Sale at Sotheby’s” 189
34 Sotheby’s marketing brochure Hong Kong Spring 2008. Caption notes “Sotheby’s reaffirms its position as the undisputed leader in the field” 190
35 Christie’s Asian Contemporary Art Fall Review marketing brochure, Autumn 2007. Caption quotes Bloomberg “Christie’s International quadrupled its top sale target at a Hong Kong auction …”, 54–55 191
36 Internal pages, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction, 12 October 2007 featuring Lot 8, Zeng Fanzhi Mask No. 14, 1997 and Edvard Munch The Scream, 1893 192
37 Front cover, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction, 12 October 2007, London, illustrating Lot 26, Andy Warhol Jackie, 1964 194
38 Back cover, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction, 12 October 2007, London, illustrating Lot 15, Damien Hirst Adenosine (detail), 1992 194
39 Publication front cover China Onward. The Estella Collection. Chinese Contemporary Art, 1966–2006, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark, 2007, featuring detail of Zhang Xiaogang Bloodline: The Big Family, No. 3, 1995 215
40 Internal pages of China Onward. The Estella Collection. Chinese Contemporary Art, 1966–2006, featuring Sui Jianguo entry and Legacy Mantle, 1997, 266–7 216
41 Internal pages of Mahjong: Contemporary Chinese Art from the Sigg Collection catalogue, 2005, featuring Sui Jianguo Legacy Mantle (Mao Jacket), 1998, 134–5 217
42 Front cover of Made in China catalogue, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark, 2007 featuring Liu Xiaodong Men and Women, 2006 218
43 Sotheby’s press release for The Estella Collection auction, March 2008 223
44 Front cover, Sotheby’s The Estella Collection, 9 April 2008, Hong Kong illustrating Lot 1172, Lin Tianmiao Initiator (detail), 2004 227
45 Internal pages, Sotheby’s The Estella Collection, 9 April 2008 featuring Lot 1138, Ma Liuming Baby No. 2, 2003, 92–3 228
46 Internal pages of China Onward. The Estella Collection. Chinese Contemporary Art, 1966–2006 publication featuring Ma Liuming entry and Baby, 2000, 204–5 229
47 Internal page, Sotheby’s The Estella Collection, 9 April 2008, ‘Guide for Prospective Buyers’ featuring Premium Lot Symbol explanation 230
48 Internal page, Sotheby’s The Estella Collection, 9 April 2008, featuring Premium Lot symbol alongside description of Lot 1115, Zhang Xiaogang Bloodline: The Big Family No. 3 231
49 Sotheby’s 2011 promotional brochure illustrating the viewing halls at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre of The Ullens Collection auction with didactic wall texts 256
50 Front cover, Sotheby’s The Ullens Collection – The Nascence of Avant-Garde China, 3 April 2011, Hong Kong, illustrating Lot 810, Wang Guangyi Mao Zedong: P2, 1988 259
51 Internal pages, Sotheby’s The Ullens Collection – The Nascence of Avant-Garde China, 3 April 2011, featuring essay ‘A Home for Chinese Contemporary Art – Guy Ullens interviewed by Jerome Sans’ in English and in Mandarin, 8–9 260
52 Internal pages, Sotheby’s The Ullens Collection – The Nascence of Avant-Garde China, 3 April 2011, featuring essay ‘The Rise and Development of Rational Painting’ in English and in Mandarin, 11–12 262
53 Internal pages, Sotheby’s The Ullens Collection – The Nascence of Avant-Garde China, 3 April 2011, Hong Kong, featuring background information on artist Zhang Xiaogang, an image of the artist with Forever Lasting Love (triptych) and Esquisse for the triptych, 38 263
54 Internal pages, Sotheby’s The Ullens Collection – The Nascence of Avant-Garde China, 3 April 2011, featuring Lot 808, Zhang Xiaogang Forever Lasting Love (triptych) 266
55 Sotheby’s 2011 post-sale brochure highlighting the record results of The Ullens Collection April auction 268
56 Front cover, Sotheby’s The Ullens Collection – Experimentation and Evolution, 2 October 2011, Hong Kong, illustrating Lot 135, Chen Zhen Divine Judgement (Nine Panels) (detail), 1992 271
57 Internal pages, Sotheby’s The Ullens Collection – Experimentation and Evolution featuring ‘Important Notice to Buyers – Pre-Registration’ detailing Premium Lot information, 2–3 272
58 Internal pages, Sotheby’s The Ullens Collection – Experimentation and Evolution, 2 October 2011, featuring Lot 119, Zeng Fanzhi Mask Series 1998 No. 26 which sold for HKD20.2 million 274
Tables
1 Commercial gallery provenance for Chinese lots in Christie’s Asian Avant-Garde Auction, 12 October 1998, London 57
2 Chinese artists in Christie’s Asian Avant-Garde Auction, 12 October 1998, London: inclusion in key 1990s exhibitions in the West 69
3 Chinese Contemporary Art Award winners, jury and directors 1998–2016 82
4 Larasati auction sales of Chinese art, Singapore 2003 96
5 Edition numbers of photographic lots, Sotheby’s Chinese Contemporary Art, 31 October 2004, Hong Kong 111
6 Auction price records achieved in Contemporary Art auctions, 2005–2006 136
7 Sotheby’s and Christie’s auction house media release headlines, 2005–2006 138
8 Historical analysis of top seven artwork sale results 156
9 Growth in turnover at Christie’s New York Post War and Contemporary Art Evening auctions, 2005–2007 164
10 Consecutive auction price records at global auctions from October 2006 to September 2007 165
11 Hong Kong Chinese Contemporary Art sales, total breakdown by season in USD 166
12 Yue Minjun record prices achieved November 2005 to October 2007 181
13 Date of production of artworks included in the Estella Collection 203
14 Timeline of acquisition and sale of the Estella Collection 220
15 Range of dates of production of lots in Sotheby’s The Ullens Collection – The Nascence of Avant-Garde China, 3 April 2011, Hong Kong 258
16 Volume of media of lots in Sotheby’s The Ullens Collection – The Nascence of Avant-Garde China, 3 April 2011, Hong Kong 261
17 Provenance of lots in Sotheby’s The Ullens Collection – The Nascence of Avant-Garde China, 3 April 2011, Hong Kong 262
18 Comparison of volume of media in Sotheby’s The Ullens Collection – The Nascence of Avant-Garde China, 3 April 2011, Hong Kong and Sotheby’s The Ullens Collection – Experimentation and Evolution, 2 October 2011, Hong Kong 269
19 Summary of top hammer price results achieved by Chinese Contemporary artists between 2012 and 2020 276