ARTICLES
Ronald Ventura Sets New Auction Record in Hong Kong
2024.10.04
ARTIST NEWS
Ronald Ventura at artist’s atelier, photo by Whitestone Gallery
Ronald Ventura has achieved a new auction record at Christie’s Hong Kong. His painting “State of Bloom” (2021) sold for HK$36.6 million (US$4.7 million), including fees.
The auction took place on 26 September at Christie’s new Hong Kong headquarters. “State of Bloom” was estimated to sell for between HK$1.8 million and HK$2.8 million, but the final price exceeded the lowest estimate by almost 20 times. This sale also nearly doubled Ventura’s previous auction record of HK$19.4 million, set in 2021.
Ronald Ventura, "State of Bloom", 2021
This sale solidifies Ventura’s standing as a prominent figure in contemporary Southeast Asian art, while also reflecting the growing international appreciation for Filipino art and the rising value of his work.
Ventura’s new auction record marks an important achievement in both his career and the Southeast Asian art market. Whitestone Gallery is honored to represent Ronald Ventura and celebrate his ongoing success.
Discover more about his works and career by visiting Ventura’s artist page and reading our exclusive interview.
ARTIST
Ventura’s work features a complex layering of images and styles, ranging from hyperrealism, cartoons and graffiti. He views this layering process as a metaphor for the multifaceted national identity of the Philippines. Over the centuries, the country has been influenced by various occupying powers such as Spain, Japan, and the United States, alongside its underlying indigenous culture, resulting in a complex and sometimes uneasy sense of identity. Ventura explores this phenomenon through a visual dialogue of images, seamlessly blending Eastern and Western aesthetics, high and low art, as well as references to Old Master paintings and Japanese and American cartoons. In addition, he draws attention to the ‘second skin’ of cultural signifiers that each individual carries, often subconsciously. For Ventura, skin serves as an expressive surface, adorned with tattoos, concealed under layers of imagery, or exploding outward to reveal an inner world of fantasy and conflict.
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