Sotheby's Modern and Contemporary Evening Auction in Hong Kong on 28 September achieved HK$335 million (US$43.1 million), with a 95% sell-through rate. The top lot was Yoshitomo Nara's 2012 painting *Can't Wait 'til the Night Comes*, which sold for HK$79.9 million (US$10.3 million) to a private Asian collector. A group of five works by Roy Lichtenstein, from the artist's personal collection and making their auction debut, brought in a combined HK$46.4 million (US$5.9 million).
The sale underscores the enduring strength of the Asian art market, particularly for blue-chip Japanese contemporary artists like Nara, whose emotionally charged portraits of wide-eyed girls command top prices. The Lichtenstein consignment signals growing appetite for Western Pop art in Asia. The article also provides rare insight into Nara's creative process after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, revealing how the disaster transformed his palette and subject matter, adding deeper cultural and historical resonance to his work.