Xuzhen Supermarket by Xu Zhen (Photo: Xu Liuliu/GT)
Installation work Xuzhen Supermarket by Chinese conceptual artist Xu Zhen will go under the hammer in Hong Kong on September 30 for an estimated price of $115,000-$190,000.
This marks the first time Sotheby's will auction off a conceptual work.
A faux supermarket that operated for a month in Shanghai's downtown area in 2016, customers could enter the store and pay for items just like at any other convenience store but the containers for the sodas, snacks and other items on display were all empty.
Xuzhen Supermarket is currently on display in Beijing as part of a Sotheby's preview exhibition and is set to open in Hong Kong from September 28 to 30.
The preview event also includes Red No.3 from Chinese artist Liu Ye.
The 2003 work by one of China's most expensive painters is expected to grab about $1 million at the September 30 auction.
Rembrandt's Study of The Head of A Young Man is also on display at the preview event in Beijing. The piece is set to go under the hammer in London on December 5. Its estimated price is $8 million.
When it comes to antique art, the highlight of the upcoming Hong Kong auction is the Imperial Alchemy, a rare falangcai enamel bowl made for the personal use of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Kangxi Emperor. The bowl is estimated to reach a high price of HK$200 million ($25.5 million).
