Sotheby’s is holding its Modern and Contemporary Art auction during Singapore Art Week, featuring rare works that have not been publicly available for decades. Highlights include Walter Spies’s *Die Schlittschuhlaufer (The Ice Skaters)*, estimated at $980,000–$1.8 million, and Raden Saleh’s *The Eruption of Mount Merapi, by day*, appearing at auction for the first time after being held in a private European collection for over a century. Other notable lots include works by Pacita Abad, Marc Chagall, Zao Wou-ki, Mai Trung Thu, and David Hockney. Public exhibition runs January 22–25 at The Singapore Edition, with the live auction on January 25.
The auction matters because it brings to market historically significant and rarely seen works, particularly from Southeast Asian and diaspora artists, underscoring the growing global appetite for art from the region. The inclusion of Spies—a key figure in Balinese art—and Saleh, the first Asian artist trained in Europe, highlights how the auction is positioning itself at the intersection of Western modernism and Asian heritage. The sale also reflects the increasing market value of works by artists like Pacita Abad, whose trapunto pieces have gained institutional recognition posthumously.