Despite the current global economic slump, a handful of Chinese artists broke auction records at the Sotheby’s Hong Kong Spring Sales 2009 held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 4th to 8th April 2009.

Among the 1,805 lots estimated in excess of HK$600 million, 85 percent were auctioned off at a price of HK$690 million. The auctioned covered a wide range, featuring renowned wine, jewelry, watches, bells, calligraphy paintings, sculpture, china and handicrafts.

In the section of “Chinese Contemporary Art in the 20th Century”, masterpieces of guru artists like Lin Fengmian and Yun Gee made their first public show after being housed by European and American collectors for half a century.

The oil painting “Fishing Harvest” by Lin Fengmian (1900-1991), a famous Chinese modern artist and art educator, was sold for HK$16.34 million ($2.1 million) in brisk bidding, a world auction record for the artist at auction according to Sotheby's.

A quartet of Lin oil paintings of Chinese opera figures, sold separately, fetched a combined total of around $3.1 million, far exceeding pre-sales estimates. Of these, "Mu Guiying taking Command" made HK$8.4 million ($1.1 million), more than four times the pre-sale estimate.

The oil painting, "The Last Supper" by Yun Gee (1906-1963), a Chinese American artist whose work was acclaimed in California in the 1920s, was sold for HK$6.02 million ($770,000), again another world auction record for the artist.

Bidding was also strong in the “Eight Treasures” sale, with the European-sourced collection of imperial porcelain fired in the kilns of Jingdezhen completely sold off. In particular, a pear-shaped reticulated celadon vase, with the seal mark of the Qing dynasty Qianlong period (1736-1796), was hammered off for HK$47.7 million ($6.1 million), a world auction record for Qing Monochrome porcelain according to Sotheby’s.

Lin Fengmian,Fishing Harvest Series,oil on canvas

Lin Fengmian, Chinese Opera Figures: Heroines of the Yangs - Mu Guiying Taking Command,oil on canvas

Yun Gee,The Last Supper,c. early 1930s,oil on Canvas

Wang Yidong,Scared Bird II,1999,oil on canvas

A pedestrian walks past an advertisment for a preview of Sotheby's Spring Sales in Hong Kong on April 2, 2009. The auction house will offer 1,700 lots in excess of 76.9 million USD from April 4-8, 2009. (Getty)

A woman views an untitled painting by Chinese artist Zhang Xiaogang, valued between 500-700 thousand USD, on display at a preview of Sotheby's Spring Sales in Hong Kong on April 2, 2009. The auction house will offer 1,700 lots in excess of 76.9 million USD from April 4-8, 2009. (Getty)

A photographer walks past a work by Yoon Byung-Rock titled 'Pigs and Apple' with an estimated value of 25,800-32,300 USD on display at a preview of Sotheby's Spring Sales in Hong Kong on April 2, 2009. The auction house will offer 1,700 lots in excess of 76.9 million USD from April 4-8, 2009. (Getty)

A visitor stands by a work by Sui Jianguo titled 'Legacy Mantle' estimated with a value of 320-448,000 thousand USD, on display at a preview of Sotheby's Spring Sales in Hong Kong on April 02, 2009. The auction house will offer 1,700 lots in excess of 76.9 million USD from April 4-8, 2009. (Getty)

A Sotheby's representative walks past a contemporary Chinese painting titled "Hats Series - Armed Foces" by Yue Minjun at the auction house preview ahead of its Spring Sales in Hong Kong April 2, 2009. Certain categories, like contemporary Chinese paintings, had seen pre-sales valuations scaled back by some 20 to 30 percent from last year, Sotheby's Asia CEO Kevin Ching told Reuters. (Reuters)