Asia’s Largest Collection of Tsuguharu Foujita Works Heads to Hong Kong

Sotheby’s presents The Foujita Lexicon beginning Tuesday, September 22.

On Monday, September 28, Sotheby’s will hold The Foujita Lexicon: Works from the Lewis Collection, Asia’s first single-artist auction dedicated exclusively to the work of Tsuguharu Foujita. An accompanying exhibition will be on view at Sotheby’s Maison in Hong Kong from Tuesday, September 22, through Tuesday, September 29.

Following the record-breaking success of Masterpieces from The Lewis Collection in London, the auction will offer 15 Foujita masterpieces from the renowned Lewis Collection. With a total estimate of HK$17.8 million to HK$26.5 million (approximately ¥350 million to ¥520 million), it is the most comprehensive collection of Foujita works ever presented at auction in Asia.

Foujita will mark the 140th anniversary of his birth in 2026. This collection traces nearly 60 years of his career, from his active years in 1920s Paris through his later life, spanning a range of regions and media. Rising to prominence in Montparnasse in the 1920s, Foujita worked within the same artistic community as Amedeo Modigliani and Pablo Picasso, while also cultivating relationships with Chaïm Soutine, Henri Matisse, and Fernand Léger. His singular style, which fused Japanese and European artistic traditions, established him as a defining figure of 20th-century art.

Often described as a “cultural bridge” between East and West, Foujita developed an instantly recognizable style and repertoire of motifs, including self-portraits, female nudes, cats, and scenes of everyday Parisian life. The Lewis Collection offers a broad survey of that artistic legacy.

One highlight is Mon portrait, painted in 1924. Created during Foujita’s Montparnasse years, when he was gaining renown in Paris, the self-portrait is estimated at HK$800,000 to HK$1.2 million. Seated at his desk, Foujita is surrounded by East Asian calligraphy tools and Western personal effects, a composition that reflects his Japanese and European backgrounds. Rendered on silk with delicate lines and spacious areas of blank ground, the work captures the image that came to define Foujita in 1920s Montparnasse: a bowl cut, round glasses, and a pipe.

Another major highlight is Le rêve (Hommage à La Fontaine), painted in New York in 1949 and estimated at HK$4 million to HK$6 million. Inspired by the fables of Jean de La Fontaine, it depicts a family of foxes sleeping peacefully in their den. The painting is one of four known fox works Foujita created during his stay in the United States from 1949 to 1950. Two are now held by museums in Japan, making a work remaining in private hands exceptionally rare. Above the family’s tranquil den, foxes struggle through a storm in a scene inspired by Jean-François Millet’s Gust of Wind, bringing themes of refuge, harmony, and renewal into focus.

The lineup also includes Chatte et chaton (1932; estimated at HK$2 million to HK$3 million), Madeleine endormie (1933; HK$300,000 to HK$500,000), and Nu assoupi sur la table (1927; HK$2 million to HK$3 million).

The Foujita Lexicon offers a multifaceted view of Tsuguharu Foujita’s career through the Lewis Collection, assembled over more than 30 years. As the 140th anniversary of his birth approaches, works by this artist who left an indelible mark on 20th-century art history will gather in Hong Kong.

The Foujita Lexicon: Works from the Lewis Collection
Venue: Sotheby’s Maison
Address: 1/F, Landmark Chater, 8 Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong
Dates: Tuesday, September 22–Tuesday, September 29 (auction held Monday, September 28)
Hours: Monday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sundays and public holidays, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. (until noon on September 29)