Two-sale day saw strong sale-through rates:
Southeast Asian Modern and Contemporary Art Sale: 88%
Modern and Contemporary Art Sale: 84%

Six new artist records:
Hilda Palafox, Tran Luu Hau, Nguyen Van Binh, Bagyi Aung Soe,
Kin Maung Yin and Paw Thame

Artist's auction debuts:
Mexican female artist Hilda Palafox's Luna I
Sells nearly three times its estimate
Setting her first artist record at auction

Japanese art 100% sold

Hong Kong – Bonhams Modern and Contemporary Art sale and Southeast Asian Modern and Contemporary Art sale, both held on 3 December (Saturday) in Hong Kong, saw strong results of 84% and 88% lots sold respectively. Leading the two-sale day is Yoshitomo Nara's Dream, which sold for HK$5,295,000, doubling its estimate (HK$2,500,000-3,500,000).

Further highlights from the Modern and Contemporary Art sale:

• Japanese art 100% sold, with Yoshitomo Nara's Dream being the top lot of the sale. Also by Nara are two acrylic works on paper which found buyers: An Weinachten Keine von Den Tannenbaume (At Christmas No Real Christmas Tree) sold for HK$444,000, doubling its estimate (HK$200,000-300,000); Untitled sold for HK$519,600.
• Abstract attracts: Chu Teh-Chun's Les collines du Sud (The Hills of South), an important work on canvas painted in 1976 projecting the artist's innermost sentiments towards nature via an abstract language, sold for HK$3,783,000. Georges Mathieu's Traité de paix du Duc de Bourgogne et de la Duchesse de Luxembourg sold for HK$1,893,000, nearing its high estimate (HK$1,500,000-2,000,000).
• Western art: Andy Warhol's Mrs. Buch and Yucca, the first silkscreen painting by Warhol to be offered at Bonhams Hong Kong, sold for HK$2,145,000. Mexican female artist Hilda Palafox made her auction debut with Luna I, which sold nearly three times its estimate for HK$114,750 (estimate: HK$40,000-80,000) and set her first artist record at auction. Also under the spotlight is French artist Thierry Noir's Back to The Eighties, which sold for HK$102,000, more than doubling its estimate (HK$ 40,000-70,000).

Held on the same day was Bonhams Southeast Asian Modern and Contemporary Art sale, which saw every one in three sold lots soaring above its high estimate. Highlights include:

• A new auction record set for Vietnamese artist Nguyen Van Binh. Bản Nậm Nà (Joy of Living) sold for HK$1,389,000, exceeding high estimate (estimate: HK$800,000-1,200,000) and is the top lot of the sale.
• A new auction record set for Vietnamese artist Tran Luu Hau. En Face sold for HK$ 481,800, more than five times its estimate (HK$90,000-120,000).
• Burmese art continues to be sought-after. Paw Thame made auction debut with Village, which sold for HK$16,575 and set a new artist record at auction. Bagyi Aung Soe and Kin Maung Yin both set a new artist record. Bagyi Aung Soe's Male Dancer sold for HK$102,000; Kin Maung Yin's Young Win Pe sold for HK$15,300. In total, Bonhams has set six auction records for Burmese artists this year, with the other three – Win Pe, Paw Oo Thet and Aung Khin – set in the Spring sale in May.
• Further works by Vietnamese modern masters exceeded expectations: Le Pho's Still Life sold for HK$1,111,800, more than tripling its estimate (HK$320,000-470,000). Vu Cao Dam's Untitled (Portrait) sold for HK$570,000, far exceeding the pre-sale high estimate (HK$300,000-400,000).
• Joseph Inguimberty's Landscape in the South of France sold for HK$191,250, nearly four times the estimate (HK$50,000 – 70,000).