The Art Auction Center (TAAC), Thailand’s No. 1 auction house, cordially invites art enthusiasts and collectors to check out “Cabinet of Curiosities,” a landmark exhibition and auction event of the year.
Drawing inspiration from the origins of modern museums, Cabinet of Curiosities recalls the historic cabinets—or rooms—that once housed wondrous and valuable objects brought back by world explorers to their homelands in the old days.
The exhibition showcases 136 meticulously curated works, each imbued with its own story, perspective, and meaning and awaiting discovery and interpretation of each visitor. Rare artifacts and extraordinary curiosities from across the globe will be on display, offering a vivid tribute to the original spirit of the Cabinet of Curiosities.
Marvels to be showcased alongside the artworks during the event include a towering long-necked dinosaur fossil, a saber-toothed tiger, a mammoth, a platypus, a two-headed turtle, and even a meteorite.
“A cabinet is only a room. It becomes significant only when collectors fill it with what resonate with their ‘identity’… Our upcoming auction therefore serves as a space where new stories can begin in the lives of each collector.”
Piriya Vachajitpan, Founder of The Art Auction Center
The preview of the Cabinet of Curiosities will run from 15 to 30 November 2025, between 10 AM and 6 PM, with the auction scheduled to begin at 2 PM on 30 November, at Museum Pier.
Enter Cabinet of Curiosities
When the world was still shrouded in mystery and vast lands remained unexplored, explorers would return from their journeys with objects that embodied adventure, curiosity, and the human desire to understand the world. Over time, these wondrous finds were gathered and kept in secret cabinets — later known as the Cabinet of Curiosities.
Such cabinets presented not just room, but space where art and science, belief and doubt, came together – the precursors of modern museums.
Today, the doors of these cabinets will open with the preview and auction of 136 artistic artifacts.
“Ah, curiosity, humanity’s oldest peer-an adequate company in the absence of a better one. As most troublesome thing began, once upon a peculiar time, before maps were certain and lands were known, when our kind set sail through seas that hissed and foamed, through mists that smelled of salt and jeopardy. When they returned well, they brought back “things”.
Not just a handsome share of gold, new-found faith, or a wise man’s advice, but tokens of discovery and an insatiable desire to understand them. In an attempt to order the unknown and bring the vastness of creation within human reach, they placed their wonders into cabinets – wooden, creaking, secretive things, and called them Cabinet of Curiosities.
What a sobriquet for such rooms full of portraits of the human mind – where art and science, belief and doubt, all dissolved into a single, compelling vision of wonder. These private collections were, in essence, the precursors of modern museums which seemed almost magical in a time of limited scientific understanding.
Now, centuries later, the cabinet opens once again. Within this exhibition, 136 artworks await – each revealing a unique way of seeing, yet all bound by a shared pursuit of the extraordinary.
To acquire one is to continue the story to build your own cabinet, where every object you choose and how you arrange it will speak, quietly but unmistakably, of you.
In the end, the cabinet is only a room – it’s you who fills it. So, dear collector. Words about our life will end, but time never lands, love is all that stands. Life is capricious, but your Cabinet of Curiosities promised.”
Highlights at Cabinet of Curiosities
PRISON (2022) by TAWEE RATCHANEEKORN: Rendered in a figurative style, this mixed-media work boldly explores a political theme—an approach the artist has consistently upheld throughout his creative journey. The starting price is THB 690,000.
UNTITLED (1968) by THAWAN DUCHANEE: This monumental work was created shortly after the artist returned from overseas studies. It fuses Western influences with Eastern philosophy, resulting in a powerful and distinctive visual language. The image depicts a man breaking free from his shell—an awakened being—while another figure remains trapped within (Private Sale).
LOTUS (1966) by CHAKRABHAND POSAYAKRIT: This masterful oil painting conveys profound emotion through still life, with lotus flowers rendered in delicate, expressive strokes and the artist’s signature palette. It is a true masterpiece by the man who was dubbed “Master Artist of Rattanakosin.” Starting price is THB 2,700,000.
UNTITLED (2011) by CHATCHAI PUIPIA: This piece stands out for its unmistakable individuality — a large, wide-grinning face with bulging eyes at the center of the composition. Flowers, butterflies, and meticulously rendered text are woven into the work, reflecting the artist’s sharp and layered social satire. The handwriting and lettering serve as traces of experience and meaning that invite viewers to pause and listen. More than a mere portrait, this work is an exploration of the human psyche — humorous, rebellious, and deeply thought-provoking all at once. Starting price is THB 1,600,000.
POWER OF HOPE (2020) by GONGKAN – KANTAPON METHEEKUL:While capturing the feelings during the COVID-19 pandemic, this picture portrays a pink desert — a symbol of hope — alongside the artist’s signature “portal”. It transforms hardship into positive energy in line with its title. Starting price is THB600,000.
Other prominent pieces include:
PRATUANG EMJAROEN’s Pleng Duang Tawan 1 (2007), Oil on canvas
UAB SANASEN’s UNTITLED (1995), Oil on canvas
ANGKARN KALLAYANAPONG’s UNTITLED (1994), Crayon on paper
CHAKRABHAND POSAYAKRIT’s Lord Buddha History: Riding Kanthaka Horse (1978), Watercolor on paper
PAITOON MUANGSOMBOON’s Silp Bhirasri Commemorative Coins
CHONLADA PORNLIKIT’s Dawn of the Phoenix (2025), Acrylic and airbrush on canvas
PONGSATHORN MANEEPRAPAN’s Blaze of the Tiger (2025), Acrylic on canvas
THAMMATAT SAITHONG’s (KARMS) MIZARU (2022), Oil on canvas
SUCHAO SISGANES’s Dream of the Homeless (1981), Oil on canvas
“Rebirth” Charity Auction Project
The Art Auction Center, in collaboration with the Autistic Thai Foundation and world-famous Thai artist Kantapon “Gongkan” Metheekul who created Teleport paintings, has initiated the “Rebirth” Charity Auction Project to renovate the dilapidating basketball court at Dipangkornwittayapat School. Under the project, Gongkan and 10 artists from Artstory By Autistic Thai created original artworks on 10 basketballs, expressing their unique interpretations of rebirth through diverse patterns and vibrant colors, for a charity auction.
All proceeds from the zero-fee auction (without any deduction of expenses) will be donated to the Autistic Thai Foundation to support the court renovation. Winning bidders will be eligible for a full tax deduction.
Schedule of Cabinet of Curiosities Preview & Auction
Auction Preview
15 – 30 November 2025
10 AM- 6 PM
At Museum Pier
Auction Date
Sunday, 30 November 2025
Starts at 2 PM
At Museum Pier
Don’t miss the chance to discover the masterpieces that will join your very own Cabinet of Curiosities!
