Art Basel Hong Kong has returned with strong momentum, drawing collectors, curators, and institutions from across Asia-Pacific and beyond. Sales have spanned the full market range with Asia-Pacific artists at the heart of much of the action. Adding to the energy is the Hong Kong debut of Zero 10, Art Basel’s global initiative dedicated to art of the digital era, which drew a crowd from the opening hours.

Blue-chip highlights

Several blue-chip galleries reported early standouts. David Zwirner got the seven-figure sales rolling with Liu Ye’s 2006 painting Snow White selling for USD 3.8 million, and a ghostly 2002 portrait by Marlene Dumas finding a buyer for USD 3.5 million.

Hauser & Wirth matched that energy with the sale of two noteworthy works by Louise Bourgeois: À Baudelaire (#1) (2008) – a four-panel mixed-media work – sold for USD 2.95 million, and a fabric sculpture Couple (2002), went to an Asian foundation for USD 2.2 million. George Condo’s vivid portrait Prismatic Head (2021) added another USD 2.3 million to the gallery’s tally.

The appetite for postwar and contemporary masters was clear across the fair. At Waddington Custot, works by two Chinese-French maestros of lyrical abstraction caught collectors’ eyes. A painting by Zao Wou-Ki sold for USD 2.8 million, while another by Chu Teh-Chun went for USD 1.3 million.

Over at Gladstone Gallery, Alex Katz’s large-scale oil painting Flowers 1 (2011) found a buyer at USD 1.3 million. At White Cube’s booth, Tracey Emin’s large acrylic nude Take me to Heaven (2024) sold for USD 1.6 million, while two monumental cast-iron sculptures by Antony Gormley – PLATEAU (2018) and Plane (2025) – sold for USD 400,000 and USD 670,000 respectively.

Across the aisle, Bastian’s booth drew its own crowd when Pablo Picasso’s Le peintre et son modèle (1964) – a late-career meditation on the charged dynamic between painter and muse – sold to a private collection for just over USD 4 million.

Depth of market

The market was active across all levels. Perrotin stayed busy from the moment the doors opened, racking up six-figure sales and reporting 70% of the booth sold by the end of the first day. Works by Takashi Murakami led the charge, selling in the range of USD 600,000–800,000 each.

Berry Campbell also saw notable six-figure results for works by female Abstract Expressionists Elaine de Kooning and Alice Baber. The gallery’s cofounder Christine Berry pointed to a broader trend behind the success: Regional buyers are increasingly building their collections around historically important works, making the fair, in her words, ‘a vital stage for spotlighting historically under-recognized artists.’

Entry-level collectors were also well served across different sectors: Ink Studio placed Wang Shaoqiang’s RETURN TO THE REAL (2026) for USD 7,500, and Galerie Allen sold Natsuko Uchino’s delicate glazed stoneware Flaque (2026) for USD 6,300.

Asia-Pacific in focus

Demand for works by Asia-Pacific artists spanned generations, media, and price points. Tina Kim Gallery sold a Lee ShinJa textile to an Asian museum for USD 150,000–200,000, while Johyun Gallery reported selling 37 works – by artists including Park Seo-Bo, Kim Taek Sang, and Lee Bae – for prices between USD 9,000–180,000.

At Lehmann Maupin’s booth, two wood sculptures by Kim Yun Shin sold for between USD 100,000–150,000 each, and several works by Do Ho Suh found collectors across Asia and America. The gallery also placed two works by Lee Bul with private collections in Europe and Asia for a combined USD 200,000–300,000. 

Lee is having her moment: at Hauser & Wirth’s booth, the artist’s 2026 mixed-media with LED wall work was sold to a private museum in Asia for USD 275,000. Fairgoers wanting to see even more of the artist need only take a red taxi across town to Lee’s retrospective currently on view at M+ in West Kowloon. 

Chinese and Taiwanese artists drew equally strong interest. Massimodecarlo sold a new oil painting by Yan Pei-Ming in the USD 300,000–400,000 range, and a canvas by Bodu Yang for USD 40,000. Eslite Gallery sold two metal sculptures by Zhan Wang and Hsiung Ping-Ming with six-figure price tags, while Pearl Lam Galleries sold works by Su Xiaobai and Qiu Anxiong for prices ranging from USD 20,000–250,000.

Traditional Asian mediums also proved compelling. Xu Jiong’s ink works attracted buyers from across the Greater China region at Each Modern’s booth, where they sold for between USD 14,000– 65,000 each. The medium also drew interest at Ink Studio, where Li Huasheng’s 1371 (2013) was sold to a Singaporean collector.

Southeast Asian artists rounded out a strong regional showing: works by Yunizar and Rodel Tapaya were among the eight pieces sold through Gajah Gallery in a range of USD 30,000–100,000, and Teo Eng Seng’s Untitled (Living the Life)(2002–2003) found a buyer through Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery.

Digital debut

The Asian debut of Zero 10 was one of the fair’s most closely watched moments, and early sales of digital works didn’t disappoint. Plan X sold ThankYouX’s acrylic and LED panel Quiet Balance (2026) for USD 50,000, while Asprey Studio sold works by Qu Leilei and Tim Yip for USD 45,000 and USD 35,000 respectively. Art Blocks sold 30 collector-curated kiosks for the enticingly accessible price of USD 125, and a print by Harvey Rayner for USD 12,500. 

Not all transactions were made in hard currency – AOTM sold multiple editions of DeeKay’s I WANNA RUN (2026) for 6 ETH each – the approximate equivalent of USD 13,000. AOTM’s director Aniko Berman remarked on enthusiasm throughout the new sector, saying ‘I’m very pleased to meet so many new collectors, all of whom seem very excited about digital art.’

Gallery feedback throughout the fair reflected the mood on the floor: energized, cross-generational, and engaged. ‘Within the first days of the fair, we experienced many curators and institutions who visited and experienced the work – which is very encouraging,’ said Anahita Taneja, Director of Shrine Empire. ‘These are the reasons we come to Art Basel Hong Kong – to meet with such a high number of different institutions from around the world.’