2 023 marks the 50th anniversary of Sotheby’s in Asia, where we were the first international company to hold auctions in Hong Kong and establish a permanent presence in the region with the opening of our office. Today, Sotheby’s is much more than an auction house. Sotheby’s is destination for cultural expertise and appreciation. It is a hub for the most discerning collectors and lovers of fine arts and luxury in Asia as well as a gateway for the rest of the world to discover the cultural heritage and creativity of Asia.
To commemorate this momentous occasion, our anniversary year is overflowing with extraordinary events, exhibitions, and landmark auctions set to take place throughout the region. It is a celebration of a legacy that we have created hand in hand with our community of collectors here in Asia, and alongside the region’s great museums and institutions.
Sotheby’s 50 Years New in Asia honours both the important achievements and milestones of the past and visions of the future. As we celebrate the legacy of five decades, we also embark on the journey in the next era of Sotheby’s Asia, and the next 50 years to come.
Hong Kong Autumn Sales
Stories & Videos
50 Years in Asia
- 1973
- 1975
- 1980-81
- 1985
- 1986-87
- 1988
- 1992
- 1996
- 1998
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1973The first international auction house to operate in Asia, Sotheby & Co.'s inaugural Hong Kong auction achieves a record US$ 2.3m for a fluted Xuande mark and period bowl, a then-record for porcelain -
1975Sotheby Park Bernet mounts its first ever auction of Important Jewels in Asia -
1980-81The record-breaking auctions of the collection of legendary ceramics dealer and connoisseur Edward T. Chow represent the first of Sotheby's Hong Kong's famous single-owner sales -
1985Sotheby's phenomenally successful first jadeite sale in Hong Kong features a necklace, ring and earclips set from the Imperial Collection of the Empress Dowager Cixi, which fetches HK$ 2.86 million -
1986-87The fabled T.Y. Chao collection goes under the hammer, setting several records including HK$ 2.3 million for a pair of blue-ground Imperial birthday bowls
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1988Sotheby's becomes the first international auction house to secure an auction licence in mainland China, and holds the country's first ever international charity auction, The Return of Marco Polo, in Beijing's Forbidden City -
1992Sotheby's Hong Kong sold Zhang Daqian's Grand View of the Blue Mountains (1962) for a then-world record of HK$ 7.48 million -
1996Sotheby's holds its first auction in Singapore, which is followed by its first auction in Indonesia just a year later -
1998Sotheby's establishes a watch department in Asia
- 2004
- 2009
- 2014
- 2014
- 2022
- 2022
- 2022
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2004Sotheby's mounts its inaugural sale of Chinese contemporary art, which brings in HK$ 22.96 million -
2009Sotheby's Asia achieves a white-glove inaugural wine auction, with 750 lots fetching a combined HK$ 49.9 million, and goes on to achieve an extraordinary run of 16 consecutive white-glove auctions -
2014The Hutton-Mdivani necklace, one of the world's most significant pieces of jadeite jewellery, sets a new global auction record for jadeite jewellery and for Cartier at US$ 27.44 million -
2014A palm-sized Ming dynasty 'chicken cup' from the celebrated Meiyintang collection sells for US $36 million, a new auction record for Chinese porcelain -
To celebrate the Asia expansion of Buy Now – Sotheby’s premier digital destination for art and luxury – a two-week exhibition titled “Sotheby’s En Route” was hosted at Pacific House in Central, Hong Kong’s luxury district. The exhibition showcased more than 40 rare and exceptional handbags Hermès handbags, Chanel’s CC In Love Heart Belt Bag, Louis Vuitton Artycapucine, and more. Catering to a new cross-collecting era, the expansion of Sotheby’s Buy Now in Asia responds to the increasingly sophisticated purchasing habits and tastes of collectors in the region, of which account for 40% of the global spend at Sotheby’s core luxury auctions, demonstrative that collectors from Asia continue to be a strong force in Sotheby’s global business. 2022Sotheby's En Route , an exhibition of 40 rare Hermès handbags, marks the Asian launch of Sotheby's Buy Now, a new digital platform for extraordinary objects -
2022Continuing its mission to foster a cross-cultural dialogue around the world, Sotheby's presents its first-ever exhibition in Vietnam, Timeless Souls: Beyond the Voyage – Hồn Xưa Bến Lạ -
2022Zhang Daqian's Landscape after Wang Ximeng soars to HK$370 million, shattering the artist's auction record and becoming the highest amount achieved for a Chinese painting and calligraphy work at Sotheby's
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