How a surprise promotion led to Hong Kong becoming a leading seller of Picasso paintings

By Hugo Novales, FCC In-House Journalist

When thinking about Pablo Picasso and his influential paintings, Hong Kong may not be the first place that one may consider to be associated with the famous artist. However, that gradually changed in the late 2010s after Felix Kwok became the Head of Modern Art for Sotheby’s Asia, which is headquartered in Central, Hong Kong.

Kwok’s appointment to this position, in his own words, was “quite an accident.”

At a Club Lunch preceding Art Week Hong Kong, Kwok gave his first-ever talk at the FCC to highlight his career at Sotheby’s as the Head of Modern Art and a registered auctioneer. Sitting alongside him was Joe Pan, FCC Journalist Board Governor, who was the moderator of the talk.

Just a few hours after his predecessor suddenly left Sotheby’s, Kwok was chosen as the next Head of Modern Art. He had already helped Hong Kong sell its first Picasso art piece for US$1,000,000 — a move that intimidated Sotheby’s New York and London who both accused their Hong Kong counterpart of trying to “steal” Picasso from them.

Kwok clarified that he wasn’t trying to take anything away from his overseas colleagues. Selling Picasso’s art wasn’t for a self-boost to his professional profile, but a necessary step he later realised he needed to take in order to step into the next stage of his career and make an impact in Asia.

“Picasso really marks the beginning of my journey as a leader in the auction platform,” he said. “It’s not just about selling, but about the statement as an expert [and] what I try to bring to Asia.”

His vision for making Hong Kong a leader in global arts sales is also shared by his teammates, who were also special guests at this Club Lunch. Kwok took a moment to thank his team for joining the event and also working hard to secure record-breaking sales in the city.

“We really work very hard to make Hong Kong a real trading platform of international modern art,” he said.

Kwok also talked about his role as an auctioneer and what it’s like to stand at the podium to showcase and sell such high-bidding art, describing this role as both “exciting” and “iconic.”

He explained that he started training to become an auctioneer in 2012 but didn’t land his first official role until 2019, after he had already begun working for Sotheby’s.

“I like being on stage. I love the interaction between me and my guests, and I can do much more when I’m on stage and fix any last-minute problems,” he said.

Now that his tenure as Sotheby’s Head of Modern Art has ended (Kwok left the art house in November 2024), he is continuing to make an impact in Hong Kong’s art scene by leading private art sales.

To watch the full discussion, please visit the FCC’s YouTube channel: