Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou (周杰倫) is to curate Sotheby’s first “Contemporary Curated: Asia” auction, to take place in Hong Kong next month, the international auction company said yesterday.
The auction series, titled “Jay Chou x Sotheby’s,” is to feature “exceptional works by blue-chip artists and rising stars handpicked by Jay to be offered in a highly anticipated evening sale on June 18” and an online day sale, the company said in a statement.
Sotheby’s described Chou as an avid art collector who is well known for incorporating elements of fine art, poetry and classical styles into his work.
Photo: Kuan Chen, Taipei Times
The 42-year-old Taiwanese, who has sold more than 30 million records and is known as the “King of Mandopop,” has established a growing reputation as an art collector over the past few years, the statement said.
“I have always believed in the power of art — a medium of expression that sees no boundary or limitation. It isn’t something you need to try to get close to — by nature, it envelops our life each and every day,” Chou said.
Florence Ho (何詩慧), who is a specialist/cataloguer in Sotheby’s contemporary art department, praised Chou for his vision in music and art, saying that this groundbreaking auction would definitely show the power of Asian art to the world.
The “Jay Chou x Sotheby’s” auction event is also to have an online day sale from June 10 to June 22, the statement said.
The evening sale is to be led by Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Untitled, an iconic work from 1985 that was featured on the cover of the New York Times Magazine that year.
Chou has also selected three stage costumes from his 2016-2018 “The Invincible” world tour to be sold during the auction event to benefit charity, the statement added.
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