Christie’s Hong Kong Bidder Sets New Record

Christie’s Hong Kong art auction seems to have made a new record, as one bidder reportedly spent more than $146 million this year, and dropped a huge sum of money at the art auction on Monday. Wang Wei, with her husband, investor Liu Yiqian, ranks 176th among the wealthiest in China, with a net worth of $740 million.

Wang Wei continued to wave her paddle aggressively, sometimes bidding at amounts over HK$1 million or keeping her paddle held high until all other bidders would quit.

At Sotheby’s Hong Kong in October, Wang’s husband shelled out $11 million for a Qing Dynasty imperial throne, complete with carved dragons. This month, he paid $25 million for a Ming Dynasty scroll by Wu Bin at Beijing’s Poly auction, the most money ever spent on a Chinese painting.

At Monday’s Christie’s sale, HK$126.7 million in art sold, and the house wouldn’t reveal how much of it went to Wang, but according to Bloomberg News, the combative millionaire simply stated, “I just bought those for fun.”

Via: Luxist