Sotheby’s Hong Kong is proud to announce that its Spring Sales 2008 will be held at the Grand Hall of the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre from 8th to 11th April 2008. In addition to the long-established sales of Chinese classical, modern and contemporary paintings, Chinese works of art, jewellery as well as watches, Sotheby’s will, for the first time, hold the Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings sale in Hong Kong. Over 1,400 lots with an estimated value in excess of HK$1.3 billion will be showcased during travelling exhibitions in Asia and New York in March, followed by a public exhibition held in Hong Kong from 5th to 7th April 2008. Mr. Kevin Ching, Chief Executive Officer, Sotheby’s Asia, said, “Following on from Sotheby’s Hong Kong’s remarkable record-breaking performance in 2007, we shall be offering in the forthcoming April Spring sales a strong and exceptional line-up of objects which are extraordinary in terms of both their freshness to the market as well as their superb craftsmanship.” Mr. Ching continued, “In addition, for the first time, Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings will also be sold in Hong Kong in April as a new category after its relocation from Singapore. This is consistent with our worldwide strategy of ‘sourcing globally and selling centrally’, thereby ensuring even greater international exposure and success for Southeast Asian Paintings.”Following the successful achievement of the new sale record in autumn 2007 in Hong Kong, the forthcoming Sale of Contemporary Chinese Art will again bring to the market important works by many of the renowned Chinese contemporary artists in the field. The total pre-sale estimate for the series over 270 total lots stands at HK$250 million. The sale is highlighted by the exceptional Battlefield Realism: The Eighteen Arhats by Liu Xiaodong (b. 1963) (estimate upon request), one of the most prominent neo-realist Chinese contemporary artists. This large-scale work consists of nine pairs of 200 by 100 cm paintings each juxtaposing which pair a Taiwanese soldier with a soldier from mainland China. This monumental group of paintings represents the artist’s profound response to a sensitive issue: China’s relations across the Taiwan Strait.