- This event has passed.
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Phillips is delighted to present the highlights from its upcoming Editions auction, scheduled to take place on 25 November in Hong Kong. This carefully curated sale brings together an exceptional selection of prints and multiples by some of the most influential modern and contemporary artists. Featured names include Yoshitomo Nara, Yayoi Kusama, Rashid Johnson, Jeff Koons, Park Seo-Bo, Auguste Rodin, and Pablo Picasso, among others. Ahead of the auction, a preview will be held at Phillips’ Asia headquarters in West Kowloon Cultural District from 15-25 November. In addition to the live sale, Phillips will present Editions Online: No Reserve, open for bidding from 17-24 November. With no reserve prices, this online auction invites a broader audience to engage with the market and acquire works by leading artists at accessible entry points.
Given the strong demand and record-breaking prices that works by Yoshitomo Nara and Yayoi Kusama continue to achieve on the secondary market, prints and editions offer a more accessible entry point for collectors and enthusiasts seeking works by these blue-chip artists. As interest in contemporary Japanese art continues to grow globally, acquiring prints by Kusama and Nara presents a compelling opportunity to engage with their creative legacy at a more attainable price point.
Among the highlights of the Editions Hong Kong sale is Yoshitomo Nara’s Backwards Forwards, a compelling work that encapsulates the artist’s signature aesthetic and narrative style. Known for his deceptively simple yet emotionally charged imagery, Nara uses his iconic childlike figures to explore themes of innocence, defiance, and introspection. In Backwards Forwards, a seemingly sweet yet subtly rebellious child is paired with text elements that offer a quiet but poignant critique of the adult world, inviting viewers to reflect on societal norms and emotional vulnerability. Also featured in this season’s auction is My Little Treasure, another quintessential Nara print that showcases his melancholic protagonists—children whose expressions convey a curious blend of tenderness, solitude, and emotional complexity. Nara’s practice also pays homage to traditional Japanese art forms, particularly the ukiyo-e genre. By incorporating the classic woodblock printing techniques dating back to the 17th century, he infuses his contemporary aesthetic with historical depth.
Yayoi Kusama’s iconic pumpkin motif continues to captivate collectors worldwide, and its popularity is especially evident in the prints market. This season’s Editions sale in Hong Kong features two striking pumpkin-themed prints that exemplify Kusama’s bold visual language and her enduring fascination with repetition, form, and psychological symbolism. These works offer collectors an accessible way to engage with one of contemporary art’s most celebrated figures, whose pumpkins have become synonymous with her unique artistic identity.
Also featured in the auction is Rashid Johnson’s Untitled (Large Anxious Red), a powerful work from the series the artist began in response to the global pandemic in 2020. Building on his long-established Anxious Men series, Johnson reimagines his visual language by replacing his signature black wax with a striking blood-red medium—marking a dramatic shift that reflects the urgency and emotional intensity of a world in crisis. Equally iconic is Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dog, one of the most recognizable artworks of the 21st century. These sculptures have come to symbolize the transformation of contemporary art into a celebration of everyday objects. Departing from Koons’ earlier provocative themes, Balloon Dog centers on a subject often overlooked in today’s fast-paced world: joy.
Notable modern works include Park Seo-Bo’s Ecriture 9-8 from his best-known series, which has transitioned from neutral hues to tactile and colourful canvases over the years. Between 1959 and 1962, Pablo Picasso created around 40 works inspired by Édouard Manet’s Le déjeuner sur l’herbe, exploring the theme across various mediums. This series reflects Picasso’s lifelong dialogue with art history—reinterpreting masterpieces through his revolutionary styles, from academic realism to Cubism. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he revisited the works of the Old Masters who most influenced him, producing cycles that merged homage with innovation. Auguste Rodin’s Torse féminin assis sans tête, petit modèle exemplifies the sculptor’s enduring fascination with the expressive power of the human form. This intimate, headless seated female torso captures Rodin’s mastery in rendering movement, emotion, and sensuality through fragmented anatomy.
