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Aidyn Fitzpatrick

Hong Kong’s Art Month calendar is crowded, but every so often a show cuts through the noise. This spring, that role falls to “Beyond the Abstract”, a landmark exhibition at Sotheby’s Maison in Chater House that attempts something unusually ambitious: a survey of abstraction across cultures and spanning 3,000 years.

Running until March 27, the exhibition brings together painting, sculpture, works on paper and historic objects that trace a dialogue across the centuries, from ancient artefacts to the titans of 20th‑century art.

It is billed as the most comprehensive survey of abstract art ever mounted in Greater China, and the roll-call of talent backs up that claim: Joan Mitchell, Mark Rothko, Cy Twombly, Sanyu, Zao Wou‑Ki, Lucio Fontana and Alexander Calder are just some of the names on show.

At ground level, the space is anchored by a single, towering work: Mitchell’s La Grande Vallée VII, a 1983 diptych. Of the five diptychs and one triptych in the series – considered the American painter’s most personal – four now belong to institutions, making this canvas an exceptionally rare masterpiece to come to market. It headlines Sotheby’s Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction on March 29, with expectations at the time of writing in excess of HK$110 million.

Mitchell’s painting is flanked, conceptually and literally, by other heavyweights. These include Rothko’s No. 10 – painted in 1949 at a pivotal moment for American abstraction – which appears alongside Zao’s gestural Nuage and a newly discovered Sanyu, Beijing Circus. Also on show is Frank Stella’s monumental Sight Gag, Fontana’s record‑breaking Concetto Spaziale, La Fine di Dio, and works by Calder and Bridget Riley.

Yet “Beyond the Abstract” is not only about blue‑chip canvases. Drawing on Zen and Taoist metaphysics, the exhibition interleaves African and ancient sculptures shaped by erosion, as well as literati objects and manuscripts. In one room, a Twombly New York canvas is shown alongside an Egyptian votive cubit rod in green schist, plus scriptures and writing collectibles, nudging viewers to consider early forms of abstraction in script and ritual object as part of the same continuum.

“Our cross‑category curated shows have been a fixture of our biannual marquee season since the maison opened,” notes Nicolas Chow, Sotheby’s Asia chairman. “They remain central to our philosophy – broadening our audience’s horizons and elevating the art experience in the heart of the city.”

Highlights from the Modern & Contemporary sales are on view until March 30, with evening and day auctions held on March 29 and 30.


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Style Edit: Sotheby’s maps 3,000 years of abstraction in landmark Hong Kong show

Beijing Circus by Sanyu is among the highlights of “Beyond the Abstract”, an exhibition at Sotheby’s Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

“Beyond the Abstract” is being shown alongside Modern & Contemporary Auction highlights at Sotheby’s Maison in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

Nuage by Zao Wou-Ki. Photo: Handout

No.10 by Mark Rothko. Photo: Handout

Joan Mitchell’s La Grande Vallée VII. Photo: Handout

Sight Gag by Frank Stella. Photo: Handout

Brown and Blacks in Reds by Mark Rothko. Photo: Handout

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From ancient artefacts to Joan Mitchell and Mark Rothko, “Beyond the Abstract” is the most sweeping survey of abstract art ever shown in Greater China


From ancient artefacts to Joan Mitchell and Mark Rothko, “Beyond the Abstract” is the most sweeping survey of abstract art ever shown in Greater China.


Style Edit: Sotheby’s maps 3,000 years of abstraction in landmark Hong Kong show

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From ancient artefacts to Joan Mitchell and Mark Rothko, “Beyond the Abstract” is the most sweeping survey of abstract art ever shown in Greater China

From ancient artefacts to Joan Mitchell and Mark Rothko, “Beyond the Abstract” is the most sweeping survey of abstract art ever shown in Greater China