AFP: Record auction price for Japanese print
A Japanese print sold for 288,500 pounds (602,100 dollars, 415,152 euros) on Thursday at Christie's auction house in London, a world record for its type. "Pink Fuji," or Gaifu Kaisei, by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) was among over 450 items sold from two collections of Japanese art and design, which fetched more than 2.5 million pounds. The second highest price of 114,500 pounds was paid for another Hokusai print, "Red Fuji." Both pieces sold to Japanese buyers. Another record was set for a print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), whose triptych "Cats Suggested by the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido" sold for 38,900 pounds, the highest-ever figure for the artist. Mark Hinton, head of Japanese Art and Design at Christie's, said the sale demonstrated the strength of the Japanese print market, while demand for items such as exceptional swords was also impressive. "Christie's international Japanese Art team has seen renewed vigour for Japanese Art in 2007, with three world auction records set in London and the first lot to sell for over 1 million dollars in New York in the last decade. "It is very pleasing to see the top two lots of today's sale bought by Japanese," he said.
