Written by Ken NG
In recent years, multinational auction houses have witnessed a number of new artists breaking new sales records in contemporary art auctions around the world. Their works are valued far more than blue-chip artworks, often attracting more collectors to bid.
Auction houses often arrange the works of the most sought-after new artists in the market to raise the hammer at the opening of the special session to heat up the atmosphere. Christie's Hong Kong 20/21st Century Art Evening Sale is just around the corner, and The Value selects two new Western painters, André Butzer and Hilary Pecis, to see if their creations can be successful in Hong Kong.
Lot 2
André Butzer (b. 1973) "Untitled"
Acrylic canvas
Created in: 2020
Size: 175.4 x 287.2 cm
Source:
- Gió Marconi Gallery, Milan
- Private collections
- The current collectors purchased it from the above sources
Estimate: HK$500,000 - 800,000
Butzer's works mostly present cartoonish and exaggerated characters, the pictures are always colorful, carnival-like feeling, and the style is somewhere between abstraction and figuration. Born in 1973 in Stuttgart, Germany, Butzer began his painting career in the extreme environment of 20th-century art and politics, a blend of European Expressionism and American pop culture, and recently moved to California.
Butzer describes: "I believe that painting is the source of life. Life is not presented through painting, but the painting itself ignites life and emits light." He called his creation "sci-fi expressionism" and created a virtual universe called NASAHEIM.
The name "NASAHEIM" is derived from the NASA abbreviation, and the second half of "HEIM" means "home" in German. Butzer once described NASAHEIM as a home for NASA, with colors that last forever.
Andre Butzer
In this virtual universe, Butzer created different characters such as Peace-Siemens, Wanderer Wanderer, shamed Shame-Human, etc., making them the protagonists of the painting. If the art market has set off an NFT meta-universe boom now, Butzer can be said to be leading the market, and the virtual universe in his mind has long been presented through the canvas.
Butzer's work is now in the collection of major art institutions such as the Stuttgart Museum of Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). In recent years, Butzer has held solo exhibitions in Beijing and Shanghai, including the solo exhibition "Light, Color and Hope" at the Yuz Museum of Art in Shanghai, which showcased Butzer's artistic creations over the past 25 years. I believe that many mainland art lovers have left an impression on his cartoon-filled works.
Looking at the auction market, Butzer's paintings are also highly sought after by collectors, with personal auction records exceeding HK$4 million. In 2021, Boozer's 4.4-metre-large painting Potato Chips, Pepsi, Medicine (Happiness), auctioned at Phillips in London, was estimated at £70,000 to 90,000, and changed hands for a much higher than the estimated value of £400,000 (about HK$4.3 million), writing an auction record.
This time, Christie's late auction of "Untitled", the size of 175.4 x 287.2 cm, the painting depicts four protagonists, estimated at HK$500,000 - 800,000, the price is relatively appropriate, I believe it can attract many collectors to compete.
Butzer solo exhibition "Light, Color and Hope" at The Yuz Museum, Shanghai
Lot 154
André Butzer (b. 1973) "Untitled"
Acrylic canvas
Created in: 2018
Size: 182.8 x 121.8 cm
Source:
- Spurs Gallery, Beijing
- Private collections
- The current collectors purchased it from the above sources
Estimate: HK$200,000 - 300,000
Incidentally, at the 21st Century Art Day Sale held the following day, another André Butzer painting "Untitled" was auctioned, with a size of 182.8 x 121.8 cm, and the protagonists in the painting were reduced from four to one, with an estimated value of HK$200,000 - 300,000.
Lot 3
Hilary Pecis (b. 1979) "Big Boys"
Acrylic canvas
Created in: 2020
Size: 173 x 137.5 cm
Source:
- Spurs Gallery, Beijing
- The current collectors purchased it from the above-mentioned gallery
Estimate: HK$1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Hilary Pecis is also highly sought after by collectors. Born in sunny California, the American female artist graduated from the California Institute of the Arts. Her still life paintings often depict scenes encountered in daily life, recording her life like photos, allowing the viewer to feel as if the distance with the artist is closer, adding a sense of intimacy.
However, in Pecis's works, there are no portraits, but through the depiction of the details of the scene, the viewer thinks and imagines the characters behind them. For example, in the evening painting "Big Boy", which is auctioned with a mallet, a black cat sits in a chair and stares at the viewer.
Pecis does not simply paint what he sees on canvas, but focuses on some details that can evoke memories, presenting the artist's unique perspective. She said to herself: "In my still life works, I just arrange what already exists into a composition that suits me... Honestly, I like to draw anything I want and try not to set limits."
Hilary Pecis
Pecis' work is highly sought after by collectors, with auction records forcing the HK$10 million mark. In March, the 2019 painting Fish and Birds was sold at Sotheby's London for a record £100,000-150,000, far exceeding the estimate for £940,000 (about HK$9.7 million).
The auctioned Big Boys is estimated at HK$1 million to $2 million, which is 84% larger than Fish and Birds. According to the above transaction records, it is believed that it is not difficult to trade at the price of the valuation multiple.
(Editor's note: Fish and Birds is 127 x 101.6 cm; Big Boys is 173 x 137.5 cm)
Lot 118
Hilary Pecis (b. 1979) "Dinner"
Acrylic canvas
Created in: 2019
Size: 101.6 x 91.4 cm
Source:
- The Pit Gallery in Los Angeles
- Los Angeles Private Collection
- The current collectors purchased it from the above sources
Estimate: HK$1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Another of Pecis' works, Dinner, will be held at the daytime auction the following day, with a size of 101.6 x 91.4 cm, which is smaller than "Big Boys", but the estimated value is also HK$1 million - 2 million. And see which one is the higher in the end.
Auction details
Auction house: Christie's Hong Kong
Special Session: 20th and 21st Century Art Evening Sale Date: 2022/5/26|7:30pm
Auction venue: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Special Session: 21st Century Art Day Auction Auction Date: 2022/5/27| 10:30am
Auction venue: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre