On a wall in the swanky Hong Kong office of Christie’s auction house hangs a triptych by Asia’s best-selling artist, Zao Wou-ki. Zao’s auction turnover figure comes just a shade under Monet’s $357 million and behind Picasso’s peerless $744 million. That’s why Zao is the most important and most influential artist in the Asian market,” she notes. China, including Hong Kong, accounted for 29% of the global art market in 2018, according to Artprice. Far from being an instant celebrity, Zao was among the earliest Asian artists to find success in the international art market.

Source: Forbes May 21, 2019 06:00 UTC