Bidding for Yoshitomo Nara's 'I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight' Hits $95 Million in Hong Kong

A personal favorite of the artist, Yoshitomo Nara's 'I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight' brought $95,959,000 HKD / $12,254,396 USD at auction during the Hong Kong Sales, presented in partnership with Celine. Bidding began at $65,00,000 HKD and quickly rose from there.
Painted in 2017, the work was selected as the principle image of two of the artist’s most recent surveys; the first being Nara’s first international retrospective - held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, before traveling to the YUZ Museum in Shanghai, the Guggenheim Bilbao and the Kunsthall Rotterdam - and the second held at the Aomori Museum of Art in Nara’s hometown.
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[@bonwatcher]

If that bidder came back at $81.5HKD I would've screamed considering the auctioneer asked him/her for an even $81MM from them and they declined. Nobody is as cheap as real rich people, it's how they got to be real rich people. 🤑

[@toddlevin]

So there were actually only two bidders. There first real bid was HKD$80MM hammer (the low reserve which was the guarantee), and then one additional bid at HKD$80.5MM, and one more to the original first bidder at HKD$81MM. And that was that. It just squeaked by...

[@meg5179]

Thank you Todd for all your educating comments, I find this whole process fascinating. I would love to know more about how to get into this business and the interests of collectors

[@lindamon5101]

W❤W

[@KomosejamaB]

10$ the most.....😁✌️

[@NickS-vu2jk]

Wasn't it 81m?

[@ethompson6694]

plus buyer’s premium

[@MarkT1700]

+ fees and taxes

[@nathanielalgernon975]

Modern art hype.

[@gatessutherland8227]

why isnt he talking fast?

[@bonwatcher]

Because they're not auctioning off cattle in Texas or cars in Arizona, it's multi-million dollar art pieces we can only dream of having a portion of what they're spending. 🤣

[@MarkT1700]

That only happens at poor people auctions lol

[@falldog9]

Ridiculous.

[@roywolfgang3167]

scam?

[@gmalda]

Are they covering their mouth because they are coughing ??

[@dianestofle7800]

they are talking to the bidders and dont want anyone to read their lips as to what they are saying

[@MarkT1700]

People could read their lips