Christie’s Hong Kong To Offer Jean-Michel Basquiat's 'Ancient Scientist' at Fall Sales

The 1984 masterpiece leads the 20th and 21st Century Evening Sale with an estimate up to $9.7 million USD.

Summary

Christie's Hong Kong will present Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1984 painting Ancient Scientist as the headliner for its 20th and 21st Century Evening Sale on September 29

Estimated between $7.2 million and $9.7 million USD the artwork features Basquiat's signature skull-like motif drawn from diverse cultural sources

The Fall Sales will also highlight major works by Yayoi Kusama Yoshitomo Nara Zao Wou-Ki and Gerhard Richter across its Evening and Day auctions

Christie’s has announced that Jean-Michel Basquiat‘s 1984 canvas Ancient Scientist will lead its 20th and 21st Century Evening Sale in Hong Kong. Estimated to fetch between $7,200,000 and $9,700,000 USD, the lot serves as the headliner for the auction house’s Fall 2026 schedule.

Executed during a landmark year in Basquiat’s career marked by his first solo touring museum exhibition, Ancient Scientist centers on a monumental skull-like figure. The composition incorporates visual references spanning traditional African and Oceanic sculpture, mythology, Renaissance art, human anatomy, and music. The offering builds on Christie’s auction presence in Asia, following its 2021 sale of Basquiat’s Warrior, which realized $41.8 million USD.

Joining the Basquiat headliner in the September 29 Evening Sale is Yayoi Kusama’s A-Pumpkin (YHP), making its auction debut with an estimate of $6,200,000 to $8,700,000 USD. The evening catalog also features Zao Wou-Ki’s newly rediscovered 1957 oil painting Sans titre (Untitled), estimated at $2,900,000 to $4,500,000 USD, alongside pieces by Anita Magsaysay-Ho ($1,200,000 to $1,500,000 USD) and Christine Ay Tjoe ($900,000 to $1,300,000 USD). The subsequent Day Sale on September 30 will offer Yoshitomo Nara’s 1995 painting Q & A ($1,600,000 to $2,300,000 USD) alongside Gerhard Richter’s 1990 canvas Abstraktes Bild ($1,100,000 to $1,500,000 USD).

The 20th and 21st Century Evening Sale takes place on September 29, 2026, followed by the 20th and 21st Century Day Sales on September 30, 2026, at Christie’s Hong Kong.