Art Basel Hong Kong has wrapped its 2026 edition with solid commercial results and a notably international crowd, drawing 91,500 visitors over the week and cementing the city’s position as the primary meeting point for the art world in Asia.
Sales held up well beyond the opening VIP days, with galleries reporting sustained activity across all price points and market segments. Demand for artists from the Asia-Pacific region was particularly strong, spanning both established names and emerging artists, while international artists continued to find buyers among regional collectors. Cross-media and technologically engaged practices gained considerable ground, reflecting both the collector base in the region and a growing institutional appetite for these forms.
A notable development this year was the full integration of Zero 10, a curatorial initiative focused on digital and technology-driven art, which made its Asian debut following its launch at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2025. The sector established a serious market and critical context for these practices within the fair, responding to what organisers described as a highly engaged regional collecting environment. A second new sector, Echoes, offered tightly focused presentations of recent work and was designed to support mid-market galleries. Both additions generated consistent interest from collectors and institutional visitors throughout the week.
The Encounters sector, presenting site-responsive and ambitious large-scale works, was led this year by a new curatorial team including Mami Kataoka, Isabella Tam, Alia Swastika, and Hirokazu Tokuyama, with the programming reflecting increased engagement from museum audiences across the Asia-Pacific.
Institutional attendance was a defining feature of the fair. Representatives from more than 170 museums and foundations across 27 countries and territories attended, among them the Centre Pompidou, Tate, MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, SFMOMA, Fondation Beyeler, Louvre Abu Dhabi, M+, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Palace Museum, the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul, UCCA Beijing, the Singapore Art Museum, and the Gwangju Biennale, among many others.
Galleries noted a rise in cross-generational collector engagement and a meaningful increase in first-time buyers entering the market. The fair’s revitalised VIP programme played a role in this, as did the launch of Friends of Art Basel Hong Kong, developed in collaboration with the He Art Museum and Rockbund Art Museum. One participating gallery commented that the trend in Hong Kong “continues,” adding that opening-day sales were strong and that a new generation was visibly entering the Asian art market.
The week also saw Art Basel announce a new five-year collaboration with Hong Kong’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, a partnership intended to strengthen the city’s standing as an international cultural hub over the longer term. Cross-disciplinary programming extended into the wider city, with partner institutions including Tai Kwun Contemporary, Videotage, and Hong Kong Ballet all contributing to what was a busy cultural moment across Hong Kong during the fair’s run.
What The Dealers Said:
“We are happy to report that the art world trend for Hong Kong continues. Sales on opening day were strong, and even more importantly, we saw a high number of new collectors. A new generation is entering the Asian art market.”
David Zwirner, Founder, David Zwirner (Paris, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York)
“I’m thrilled with the opening day at the fair. We’ve reconnected with existing clients and started relationships with new ones. The response to our presentation in the booth and the show in the gallery has surpassed all expectations.”
Nick Simunovic, Senior Director in Asia, Gagosian (Hong Kong, Paris, Athens, Rome, Basel, Gstaad, Le Bourget, London, Beverly Hills, New York)
“So many of our friends, curators, artists and collectors from the region are in Hong Kong this week, and this has translated into great conversations and a wonderful energy. As a result, on day one, we placed works by Louise Bourgeois, George Condo, Rashid Johnson, Lee Bul, Cindy Sherman, Avery Singer, Qiu Xiaofei, and Flora Yukhnovich with highly respected collections and institutions across Asia and beyond.”
Marc Payot, President, Hauser & Wirth (Paris, Hong Kong, Monaco, Menorca, Basel, Gstaad, Saint Moritz, Zurich, London, Somerset, Los Angeles, New York, West Hollywood)
“With approximately £5 million in total sales and around 20 works placed to date, the enthusiastic response to works by Antony Gormley and Tracey Emin, alongside important acquisitions of pieces by Etel Adnan, Mona Hatoum, Howardena Pindell and Shao Fan, reinforces the strength and relevance of our programme in the region.”
Wendy Xu, Managing Director, Asia, White Cube (Hong Kong, Paris, Seoul, London, New York)
“A lot of top-end, quality collectors are here.”
Henrietta Tsui-Leung, Founder, Ora-Ora (Hong Kong)
“Hong Kong is back. We were excited to place significant works by Suki Seokyeong Kang, Lee ShinJa and Jennifer Tee with major Asian institutions and foundations. Many collectors travelled from across the region, notably more visitors from Mainland China.”
Tina Kim, Founder, Tina Kim Gallery (New York)
“It has been extremely busy since the fair opened to VIPs, with visitors from all corners of Asia and beyond. I’ve had interesting conversations with curators from Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney, Vancouver, Jakarta and Dakar. The reach of the fair, and the growing art ecosystem in and around Hong Kong, is impressive.”
Dr Nina Levent, Founding Director, Sapar Contemporary (Almaty, New York)
“During this edition, we had the opportunity to meet a diverse range of international collectors, including US-based collectors.”
“We are very pleased with the number of new collectors engaged across Asia. Singapore, Thailand, Korea, mainland China and Japan remain strongholds, and we are in active discussions with collectors in Europe and the US.”
Jaewoo Choi, President, Johyun Gallery (Busan, Seoul)
“Wonderful to return to Zero 10 for its Asia debut. We met new, geo-specific collectors, including institutions and foundations excited about supporting digital art.”
Frederic Arnal, Co-founder, Fellowship (Los Angeles) / Zero 10
“We were thrilled to see Emi Kusano’s Magical Compact sell immediately after the doors opened. Presenting digital works alongside more traditional, physical artworks proved highly rewarding, allowing us to engage both collectors familiar with digital art and those who typically focus on physical works.”
Aniko Berman, Director, AOTM (New York) / Zero 10
What Sold:
A defining feature of the week was the depth of demand at the highest price points, alongside continued confidence in both historical material and major contemporary names.
David Zwirner (Paris, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York)
Liu Ye, 2006 painting — USD 3.8M
Marlene Dumas, 2002 painting — USD 3.5M
Michaël Borremans, 2019 painting — USD 1.1M
Bastian (Berlin)
Pablo Picasso, Le peintre et son modèle (1964) — ~EUR 3.5M
Hauser & Wirth
Louise Bourgeois, À Baudelaire (#1) (2008) — USD 2.95M
George Condo, Prismatic Head (2021) — USD 2.3M
Louise Bourgeois, Couple (2002) — USD 2.2M (to Asian foundation)
Waddington Custot (Paris, Dubai, London)
Zao Wou-Ki — USD 2.8M (asking)
Chu Teh-Chun — USD 1.3M and USD 1.2M (asking)
Cardi Gallery (Milan, London)
Fernand Léger, Deux Papillons sur un Vase Bleu (1948) — USD 1.8M
Giorgio de Chirico, La Torre (1966) — USD 800K
Gladstone
Keith Haring, Untitled (1983) — USD 1.4M
Alex Katz, Flowers 1 (2011) — USD 1.3M
Alex Katz, Flowers 2 (2010) — USD 900K
White Cube
Tracey Emin, Take Me to Heaven (2024) — GBP 1.2M
Broad Market Activity (Mid-Market to Emerging)
Beyond headline sales, the fair saw consistent activity across the mid-market and emerging segments, with transactions spanning five-figure to mid-six-figure levels.
Berry Campbell (New York)
Lynne Drexler, Multipile Moons (1973) — USD 425K
Alice Baber, The Mountain Ladder to the Sea (1974) — USD 275K
Elaine de Kooning, Basketball #5 (1981) — USD 100K
Additional works — USD 25K–40K
MASSIMODECARLO
Yan Pei-Ming — EUR 250K–350K
Danh Vo — EUR 200K–300K
Taka Ishii Gallery (Tokyo, Kyoto)
Antony Gormley, Plane (2025) — GBP 500K
Jade Fadojutimi, That day she grieved… (2026) — ~GBP 350K
White Cube
Mona Hatoum, Still Life (medical cabinet) IV (2024) — GBP 225K
Gladstone
Robert Rauschenberg, Horse Silk (Waterworks) (1992) — USD 110K
Robert Rauschenberg, Silk Slip (Waterworks) (1992) — USD 110K
P•P•O•W (New York)
Seven works by Martin Wong, Dinh Q. Lê, Erin M. Riley, Kyle Dunn — USD 600K–650K total
SCAI The Bathhouse (Tokyo)
Natsuyuki Nakanishi — USD 200K
Sprüth Magers
Salvo — USD 135K
David Salle — USD 42K
Jessica Silverman (San Francisco)
Atsushi Kaga — USD 125K
gdm (Hong Kong, Taipei)
Lam Tung Pang — USD 75K
Hakgojae (Seoul)
Joung Young-Ju — USD 66K
Jiang Heng — USD 55K
Sullivan + Strumpf
Dawn Ng — USD 55K
Gemma Smith — USD 22K
Strong Demand for Asia-Pacific Artists
Demand for artists from the region remained a key driver across the fair.
Lehmann Maupin
15+ works sold (USD 20K–400K), including Lee Bul, Do Ho Suh, Mandy El-Sayegh
Tina Kim Gallery
Suki Seokyeong Kang — USD 200K
Ha Chong Hyun — USD 180K each
Pacita Abad — USD 250K–300K
Kim Tschang-Yeul — USD 40K
Richard Koh Fine Art
Eight works by Natee Utarit — USD 58K–280K
Institutional Placements
Institutional acquisitions remained a defining feature.
Anne Imhof — EUR 220K (Asian institution)
Martha Jungwirth — EUR 460K (Chinese institution)
Dinh Q. Lê — USD 150K–200K (Vietnam foundation)
Lee Bul — USD 275K (Asian museum)
Sector Highlights
Encounters
Suki Seokyeong Kang — USD 80K–96K
Kong Kee — USD 50K–100K
Kabinett
Maria Taniguchi — USD 280K
Judy Chicago — USD 165K
Echoes
Cian Dayrit — EUR 10K
Terrence Musekiwa — USD 10K–20K
Discoveries
Li Tangting — USD 5K–10K
Betty Bee — EUR 3K–7.5K
Digital (Zero 10)
Digital and hybrid practices gained traction:
Kim Asendorf — USD 235K (sold out)
Kevin Abosch — USD 10K–58K
Petra Cortright — USD 1.8K–24K
Laurie Simmons NFTs — up to USD 12K
Art Blocks kiosks — HKD 1K
Additional Highlights
Gagosian
Sales across Louise Bonnet, Takashi Murakami, Ed Ruscha, and Stanley Whitney
Perrotin
~70% of booths sold on Day 1
Takashi Murakami — USD 600K–800K
Uffner & Liu
Six works — USD 100K–120K total
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