Bonhams and Christie’s will auction prints of Katsushika Hokusai‘s The Great Wave in September’s Asia Week New York.
Katsushika Hokusai‘s Kanagawa-oki nami-ura (Under the Wave off Kanagawa), better known as “The Great Wave”, is one of the most iconic artworks in the world. It has been featured in prominent media works, as well as reproduced countless times. It is also the magnum opus and the most recognizable work of its creator, Hokusai.
Next month, two of its prints would be heading towards auction at two different sales: at Bonhams and Christie’s. Christie’s has been at the forefront of the market for “The Great Wave”, given that 11 out of 24 prints sold in auctions since 2019 have been at Christie’s. What also makes the auction more interesting is that the prints for the artwork have almost always exceeded its high estimates. The most notable case was in March 2023 when a particular print, coming with an estimate of $500,000 – $700,000, was sold for a whopping $2.8 million.
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Takaaki Murakami (Head of Japanse and Korean Art, Chrisite’s) expressed a similar confidence: “The market for the Hokusai ‘Great Wave’ print is very, very good right now. We have lots of people who want to buy ‘Great Wave’ in the market.” The auction house has set an estimate of $500,000 – $700,000 on the work. The auction will be held on September 17 and features other works like an 18th-century Joseon dynasty porcelain jar and an original painting by Katsushika Hokusai, which carries a price tag of $ 250K – $ 300K.
The Bonhams sale will be held on September 18 and has put a high estimate on the print at $ 700K – $900K. While many prints of “The Great Wave” exist, early prints – when the woodblock was not cracked and the paint pristine – are valued highly.
