Editor’s Note
As Phillips celebrates a decade in Asia, its West Kowloon headquarters continues to redefine the auction calendar. This March, the house launches a thematic selling exhibition, “Picasso’s Animal Kingdom,” highlighting its commitment to dynamic, year-round programming.
West Kowloon Cultural District has become a significant cultural hub in recent years. The international auction house Phillips opened its Asia headquarters there in 2023, and since then, it has been hosting a continuous stream of exciting auctions and exhibitions year-round, breaking away from traditional auction schedules. This year marks Phillips’ tenth anniversary in Asia. In March, Phillips will host the “Picasso’s Animal Kingdom” selling exhibition, along with the “Important Jewels: Hong Kong,” “Limited Editions,” and “New Now: Modern & Contemporary Art & Design” auctions and previews, making it a major highlight of Hong Kong’s art scene in March.
The “Picasso’s Animal Kingdom” selling exhibition, curated by Phillips’ private sales department PhillipsX, focuses on Pablo Picasso’s lifelong passion and profound exploration of animal themes. It will run from March 13 to April 15.
Picasso’s diverse creations, from the deep melancholy of the Blue Period to the fracturing of Cubism, the lyricism of Neoclassicism, and the distortions of wartime portraiture, depict his artistic world through different techniques. Animals consistently appear in his works as subjects of depiction, muses of inspiration, and symbols or metaphors. The exhibition showcases works spanning 70 years, highlighting the artist’s fascination with the mysterious power of animals. It features whimsical and humorous associations with animal personalities as well as profound reflections on the relationship between humans and animals. Owls, ducks, pigeons, monkeys, dogs, and goats all become protagonists in different stories.
The exhibition features a collection of the artist’s ceramic works. One highlight is the 1951 piece “Vase Canard” (Duck Vase). The vessel’s shape evokes a duck but is combined with a woman’s face and hands, perfectly merging animal and human forms. The inspiration for the female face came from the artist’s partner at the time, Françoise Gilot. Picasso’s ceramic works, which flourished in the late 1940s and 1950s at the Madoura pottery studio in Vallauris, France, are diverse in style and predominantly feature animal motifs.
Beyond ceramics, Picasso’s oil paintings also reflect his exploration of animal themes, with even richer and more complex layers. The exhibition includes the 1906 oil painting “Jeune garçon nu à cheval” (Nude Boy on Horseback), a rare creation from the artist’s Rose Period.
Other notable works include the 1921 pencil drawing “Source, femme et chien” (Spring, Woman and Dog), which witnessed Picasso’s return to a classical style after World War I and was once in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. “Femme au singe” (Woman with Monkey), created in 1954, showcases Picasso’s masterful skill with ink and pigment on paper, depicting warm interaction between human and animal while embodying themes of playfulness, wisdom, and intimacy. The image of the bull blends classical mythology with the artist’s Spanish heritage. The 1957 bronze sculpture “Toro” (Bull), one of two editions, uses abstract and simplified lines to represent the powerful, masculine form of a bull through the shaping and reworking of raw material.
During Hong Kong Art Week in March, Phillips will host three major auctions: “Important Jewels: Hong Kong” on March 27, “Limited Editions” on March 28, and “New Now: Modern & Contemporary Art & Design” on March 29.
The “Important Jewels: Hong Kong” auction on March 27 features a variety of precious gemstones, led by jewelry featuring ‘Burmese’ natural rubies. Rubies symbolize power, wealth, and health and are considered auspicious in Asian cultures, with Burmese rubies long favored by collectors for their vivid ‘pigeon’s blood’ red color. Auction highlights include a ‘Burmese’ natural ruby and diamond bracelet with rubies totaling approximately 33.66 carats, unheated, with bright, transparent crystals and a vivid, rich color. Similarly, a ‘Burmese’ natural ruby and diamond necklace features rubies totaling approximately 38.80 carats, unheated, arranged in a unique geometric pattern where the pigeon’s blood red gems complement each other, showcasing distinctive artistry. A pair of ‘Burmese’ natural ruby and diamond earrings also demonstrates exceptional craftsmanship.
Beyond rubies, Myanmar is also an important source for top-quality sapphires. Known for their royal blue hue symbolizing nobility and elegance, highlights this season include a ‘Burmese’ natural 40.52-carat sapphire and diamond bracelet and a pair of fine ‘Burmese’ natural sapphire and diamond earrings with sapphires weighing 9.87 and 8.59 carats, also unheated.
Additionally, the jewelry department has specially sourced fine ‘Colombian’ natural emeralds, including a 13.65-carat ‘Colombian’ natural emerald and diamond ring and a ‘Colombian’ natural emerald and diamond bracelet with emeralds totaling 16.51 carats, untreated for clarity. Beyond these precious stones, a series of rare fancy-colored diamonds, top-quality jadeite, and signed jewelry from renowned brands will also be featured.
On March 28, Phillips will hold its first “Limited Editions” auction in Hong Kong. In recent years, global demand for limited-edition prints has continued to rise, representing a vibrant and evolving collecting field that provides access to artists from many eras, movements, and genres. An increasing number of discerning collectors are appreciating the exquisite quality and rarity of limited-edition prints.
Many contemporary renowned artists are engaged in creating limited editions, while printers and publishers continue to emerge, providing these artists with a range of innovative technical support. This category also interestingly witnesses how artists create on non-traditional mediums. As demand grows, so does the ambition and capability within limited editions, attracting more collectors. This auction will feature works by Damien Hirst, KAWS, Banksy, David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Yayoi Kusama, Yoshitomo Nara, and surrealist master Salvador Dalí, among others. The auction is led by Damien Hirst’s “Virtue (H9),” inspired by the Japanese samurai spirit. Hirst’s Mickey and Minnie Mouse works, with their bright colors and adorable forms, are also expected to be popular with younger collectors.
“New Now: Modern & Contemporary Art & Design” will conclude the month’s auctions on March 29. For a long time, Phillips’ “NEW NOW” auction series has been regarded as a market bellwether, providing a reference for collectors seeking works by emerging artists gaining international recognition. This Hong Kong auction also brings a series of sought-after works by renowned contemporary artists and emerging creators, including Ayako Rokkaku, Issy Wood, George Condo, Mel Bochner, Heidi Lee, and Jansson Stegner, alongside masterpieces by 20th-century and contemporary design masters.
Auction highlights include a triptych by Ayako Rokkaku depicting her iconic wide-eyed, innocent girls in her classic fantastical style, filled with vibrant colors and playful energy, showcasing the artist’s pioneering technique of applying paint by hand. The “Mexique” cabinet by pioneering 20th-century designer Charlotte Perriand evokes Piet Mondrian’s classic geometric forms and color combinations, perfectly blending art and functional furniture. This season, Phillips is honored to be the auction partner for the 2025 “SOVEREIGN Asian Art Prize” and will present works by 30 shortlisted Asian artists in the New Now auction. Proceeds will be donated to the “Make It Better Programme” established by the Sovereign Art Foundation, aimed at supporting underprivileged children in Hong Kong.
Prior to the auctions, Phillips will hold previews for all three sales at its Asia headquarters in the West Kowloon Cultural District starting March 21, making it a highlight project for Hong Kong art in March.
