Sotheby's contemporary day auction in Hong Kong closed on 29 September 2026 with a total of US$10.29 million, as determined bidding carried more than half the lots beyond their high estimates. Of the works on offer, 27 — 56 percent — sold above the top of their estimate range, while 14 works (29 percent) landed between low and high estimates and 7 (15 percent) changed hands below their low estimates. Every lot in the sale carried a published estimate, and all figures are reported in US dollars including buyer's premium. The session's standout was Yayoi Kusama's Pumpkin, painted in 1989, the only lot in the sale backed by a guarantee — an arrangement under which the auction house commits to pay the seller a confidential sum whatever the bidding brings. It sold for US$1.63 million, 60 percent above its US$1.02 million low estimate. According to HENI's lot history the painting has now been traded at auction three times in total, extending the long market run of Kusama's early pumpkin canvases in Hong Kong. The sale was not without casualties. Six lots failed to find buyers and were bought in, including Takashi Murakami's Untitled (2020), estimated at US$191,200 to US$318,700 and previously sold once before. A further five works were withdrawn before bidding began, among them Yoshitomo Nara's Untitled (1988), estimated at US$510,000 to US$764,900 — a sign that consignors remain selective about testing the market for secondary works by marquee Japanese names. Taken alongside the Hong Kong evening sale results reported last week, the day session points to a market that is willing but discriminating: trophy Kusama drew aggressive competition, while bidding for second-tier Murakami and Nara stayed cautious. Sale prices throughout are measured against the houses' low estimates excluding premium, the standard yardstick HENI applies across its auction reporting.