798 District Blog

A mammoth new exhibition of 291 Chinese artists, Reshaping History, currently on display at three venues across Beijing, is hoping to cast a light on the growth and maturity of the entire nation, as the exhibition’s subtitle, “Chinart from 2000 to 2009,” indicates.

Often we look to art to illuminate something deeply personal, something lurking under the surface of artists’ imaginations that reflects their view of themselves, their surroundings and the world at large. Art too can serve as a proxy for far larger, more expansive arenas: a community, a people, a race.

Indeed, if there is one buzzword that encapsulates the Chinese experience over the past 10 years, it is “growth,” a concept toward which the artistic luminaries of Reshaping History have no shortage of opinions.

“Like every aspect of the Chinese economy, Chinese art is developing immensely,” said exhibition founder Lü Peng. “So much talent has emerged over the past 10 years, so many contrasting styles and worldviews and I really wanted a venue where we could put them all next to each other and let the viewer take it all in.

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HONG KONG.- The annual Hong Kong International Art and Antiques Fair will return to the prestigious Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 3-6 October 2010, with a new name: FINE ART ASIA 2010. The new title reflects its status as Asia’s premier annual art fair presenting a unique combination of Art and Antiques.

Last year the fair was attended by 16,500 visitors from all over the world, showcased 4,000 superb works of art exhibited by 60 leading Asian, European and American galleries, and recorded sales of over HK$ 230 million, an increase of 130% over 2008. This premier art event presented a wide range of collecting categories, from museum-quality ancient bronzes, outstanding Chinese ceramics and works of art, furniture, textiles and jades, to exceptional modern and contemporary art.

Andy Hei, Founder and Director of HKIAAF, said: “We are delighted to announce that this year our fair will have a new name: “FINE ART ASIA 2010”. The new name reflects its status as Asia’s premier art fair presenting a unique combination of Art and Antiques. We aspire to the same level of excellence as TEFAF Maastricht, the world’s leading fine art fair.

“The robust sales of our October 2009 fair already reflected signs of recovery in the Asian art market. This Spring, we have witnessed a further upsurge in the art market, boosted especially by the enthusiastic participation and strong buying power of collectors from Mainland China. Hong Kong is now universally recognized as the centre of the art market in Asia and the third most important art auction centre in the world after New York and London. I am confident that Hong Kong will continue to grow as the hub of art business in Asia and play a vital role in the global art scene.”

FINE ART ASIA 2010 has now established a firm foundation as a key annual event in the Asian art world. The high reputation which the fair has earned since its foundation in 2006, ensures that it coincides with Sotheby’s Autumn Auctions in the same venue. Early October is the peak art season in Hong Kong, attracting major international dealers and collectors from around the world.

The unique nature of FINE ART ASIA 2010, where the link between tradition and modernity can be seen and appreciated under one roof, continues to attract the enthusiastic participation of renowned international galleries. These include overseas antique specialists such as Rossi & Rossi (London, UK), Robert Hall (London, UK), Nicholas Grindley Works of Art (Suffolk, UK) and Marcus Flacks (New York, USA), as well as leading local antique dealers M & C Gallery (Hong Kong), Ever Arts Gallery (Hong Kong) and Martin Fung Ltd (Hong Kong). Participating art galleries include Michael Goedhuis (London, New York), Sundaram Tagore Gallery (New York, Beverly Hills, Hong Kong), Grotto Fine Art (Hong Kong), Galerie du Monde (Hong Kong), and art jewellery designer Wallace Chan (Hong Kong).

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Picasso’s 1932 ‘Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust’ is seen at Christie’s auction house in New York.

Related Link: Collectors and Auctioneers See Signs that Art Market is on the Verge of Solid Recovery

A 1932 Pablo Picasso painting of his mistress has sold for $106.5 million, a world record price for any work of art at auction.

“Nude, Green Leaves and Bust,” which had a pre-sale estimate of between $70 million and $90 million, was sold at Christie’s auction house on Tuesday evening to an unidentified telephone bidder.

There were nine minutes of bidding involving eight clients in the sale room and on the phone, Christie’s said. At $88 million, two bidders remained. The final bid was $95 million, but the buyer’s premium took the sale price to $106.5 million.

Conor Jordan, head of impressionist and modern art for Christie’s New York, said he was “ecstatic with the results.”

“Tonight’s spectacular results showed the great confidence in the marketplace and the enthusiasm with which it welcomes top quality works,” he said.

The striking work of Picasso’s muse and mistress Marie-Therese Walter has been exhibited in the United States only once, in 1961 in Los Angeles to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Picasso’s birth. The painting, which measures more than 5 feet by 4 feet, shows a reclining nude figure with an image of Picasso in the background looking over her.

The painting had belonged to the late California art patron Frances Lasker Brody, who bought it in the 1950s. It had been kept in her family since then.

Part of the sale proceeds will benefit the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, Calif., where Brody was on the board.

The previous record for a work of art at auction was $104.3 million for “Walking Man I,” a sculpture by Alberto Giacometti sold on Feb. 3 at Sotheby’s in London.
The previous high price for a Picasso work was $104.2 million for “Boy With a Pipe (The Young Apprentice),” attained in 2004 at Sotheby’s New York.
On Wednesday, another rarely seen Picasso is slated to sell at Sotheby’s auction house. “Woman in a Hat, Bust” is a 1965 work inspired by Jacqueline Roque, the last love of Picasso’s life.
It is estimated to sell for $8 million to $12 million.

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The exchange of contemporary art between Belgium and China is a new achievement of the two countries’ cultural interaction. The exchange can help us not only examine the contemporary art of the two countries from a new perspective, but also pinpoint the cultural similarities and differences related to the two countries’ contemporary art. The exchange of contemporary art between Belgium and China is a new achievement of the two countries’ cultural interaction. The exchange can help us not only examine the contemporary art of the two countries from a new perspective, but also pinpoint the cultural similarities and differences related to the two countries’ contemporary art.

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SHANGHAI. As preparations for the World Expo in Shanghai (1 May-31 October) reach fever pitch, several new museums and cultural spaces are opening in readiness to welcome some of the 100 million visitors, which officials estimate will attend. Foreign journalists in Shanghai have estimated the total costs of the expo at around $45bn, not including off-site developments.

Leading the swathe of new cultural attractions is the Rockbund Art Museum, housed in a converted 1932 art deco building on Shanghai’s historic riverfront, restored and with interior design by British architect David Chipperfield. The building was previously home to the Royal Asiatic Society, and is next to the former site of the Shanghai British Consulate.

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NEW YORK, NY.- This morning at Sotheby’s a record was set for a Classical Chinese painting sold in the US when Bada Shanren’s Two Mynas on a Rock from 1692 sold for $2,994,500 – many multiples of the $400/600,000 estimate, at the Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art auction. Henry Howard-Sneyd, Vice Chairman, Asian Art at Sotheby’s said: “The price of nearly $3 million is a reflection of the compelling beauty of Bada Shanren’s Two Mynas on a Rock. We are thrilled to have set a record for a Classical Chinese painting sold in the US for this masterful depiction of two birds that has not appeared on the market for over 25 years. The stunning success of this and other paintings sold this morning again demonstrates the appetite for fresh to the market works priced conservatively.” Two Mynas on a Rock led the largest and most important selection of Classical Chinese painting offered at Sotheby’s New York for many years. Several of these paintings achieved superb prices including, Scholar by Zhang Daqian, which has not been offered at auction for over 50 years which sold for $902,500 (est. $120/180,000) and an Album Of Figures And Accompanying Calligraphy by Zhang Daqian (Chang Dai-Chien, 1899-1983) And Pu Ru (1896-1963) which sold for over 10 times the high estimate when it fetched $662,500 (est. $40/60,000). A new record for Chinese calligraphy sold in the US was also set when Calligraphy in Xing Shu (Running Script) After Zhong Yao’s “Zhang Le Tie” also by Bada Shanren sold for $482,500 (est. $100/150,000). After the first session the auction had brought $9,636,813, already exceeding the pre-sale high estimate by nearly $2 million.

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NEW YORK, NY.- Eli Klein Fine Art presents Zhao Bo’s second solo exhibition in New York, his first at the Gallery. Through his paintings, Zhao Bo records the monumental cultural and political shifts in China, shown from the perspective of Chinese people. China’s opening to the West in the late 1980s ushered in a new era and these paintings provide a snapshot into this unique period. He clashes Communist and contemporary icons together in the same scene, revealing that Chinese society is more interested in adapting to contemporary culture than adhering to staid traditionalism.

Mocking the social realist propaganda of Communist China, Zhao Bo replaces the ideal Chinese worker or citizen with an ostentatious cartoon. The bright colors and enthusiastic poses express the vitality and exuberance of this new Chinese generation. Rather than revering Chairman Mao and principles of Communism, these wide-eyed figures revel in the glow of billboards and luxury goods. Yet, their placement in front of important Communist markers, such as Mao’s tomb or signs proclaiming, “Long live the people,” is a constant reminder of the government’s presence.

Zhao Bo received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in Chongqing, China. His works have been exhibited in museums in China and the United States including the Denver Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Art Museum of Shanghai, the He Xiangning Art Museum in Shenzhen, and the Art Museum of Chongqing.

The exhibition will be on view at Eli Klein Fine Art through April 22, 2010

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HONG KONG.- Seoul Auction, Korea‟s leading auction house, will offer an unrivalled selection of 80 works in its Modern and Contemporary Art Spring Sale in Hong Kong on 4 April 2010 at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. Expected to realize in excess of HK$60 million (US$8 million), the sale features works by leading Western and Asian masters, as well as up and coming artists from Korea, Japan, China and Indonesia, reflecting the dynamic vibrancy of contemporary Asian art.

Mr Jun Lee, CEO of Seoul Auction, said: “In our debut sale in Hong Kong in October 2008, Seoul Auction played a pioneering role when we offered significant Western masterpieces, as well as Asian artworks, at auction for the first time. In view of the appetite of discerning Asian collectors with sophisticated tastes, our strategy has been to introduce a wider variety of artworks by internationally renowned artists to the Asian marketplace. In our October 2009 sale, The Importance of Elsewhere –The Kingdom of Heaven from the renowned British artist Damien Hirst‟s celebrated Butterfly Series achieved HK$17,222,000 (US$2,236,623), establishing a record as the most expensive work by Damien Hirst ever sold at auction in Asia. In the same auction, we also brought to the Asian auction market for the first time a remarkable work Untitled by the UK-based Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor which realized HK$6,508,000 (US$845,195).

“We are witnessing a growing interest and a greater level of appreciation of Western contemporary art among Asian collectors. Seoul Auction is proud to have a long history of over 10 years of selling Western art in Asia, and to have been the first auction house to bring Western contemporary art to Hong Kong. We are delighted to provide a platform and introduce a wider range of both Western and Asian art to Chinese connoisseurs.

“This Spring also marked a new milestone in the history of Seoul Auction as we held our first auction preview of our Hong Kong Sale in Beijing in March, in addition to our customary sale previews in Seoul and Taipei. We have seen a rapidly increasing interest in Western contemporary art within the past couple of years amongst collectors in Mainland China, and we believe that China is a highly significant market with vast potential for this collecting category.”

Chinese Art
Leading the Chinese section is Girl and Peaches by Wang Yidong (born 1955), a significant figure in the history of modern Chinese realist painting (Estimate: HK$3,100,000-3,800,000/US$400,000-500,000). This is the first time that this masterpiece by Wang has been offered in the auction market. Wang Yidong‟s subject matter mainly derives from the village culture of the Yi-meng mountain region in his native Shandong province. Since the 1980s, Wang Yidong has sought to capture the life and customs of the region, reflecting the artist‟s pursuit of purity and timelessness through his dedicated portrayal of simple yet venerable human characters and their rituals. Girl and Peaches is a perfect example demonstrating Wang‟s mastery of composition, portrayal of light and his superb command of painting technique and capturing of details. The peaches on the table symbolize the girl‟s deliberation about marriage, which is a common theme employed by Wang. The slip of paper placed next to the peaches may very well be an amorous note from the young girl‟s beloved.

Also making its first appearance at auction is an important wooden sculpture from Zhu Ming‟s (b. 1938) Taichi Series (Estimate: HK$1,300,000-1,600,000/ US$170,000-210,000). Zhu Ming is renowned as Asia‟s most pre-eminent living sculptor, having forged a signature style that is recognized throughout the art world. He is best known for his iconic Taichi Series, powerful and often monumental figures in both wood and bronze, which were inspired by the ancient martial art of tai chi chuan and which celebrate both the physical and spiritual aspects of this age-old Asian practice. His timeless, universal Taichi sculptures are characterized by a sense of balance, control and gracefulness.

Another prized offering in the sale is Mask Series no.21 3-1 by Zeng Fanzhi (born 1964) who is recognized as one of the most iconic and expressive painters of the contemporary Chinese avant-garde art movement (Estimate: HK$1,100,000-1,300,000/US$140,000-170,000). In 1993, Zeng moved from his native Wuhan to Beijing and in 1994 embarked on his famous “Mask” series which expressed both his personal inner feelings of loneliness and isolation in a new big city, and the alienation of the individual in Chinese society in general. In this series of paintings, Zeng used expert line and brushwork to depict smartly dressed figures wearing white masks with blank expressions. He wished to express his feeling that in Beijing in the 1990s, people were starting to wear suits and ties, effecting an outward change into new social roles, but one which was artificial. Thrown into this new modern environment, individuals suffered feelings of social isolation and could not connect with each other. The mask is emblematic of the barrier between them. The number of people in the paintings is reduced to a small group, or a solitary person.

Other highlights include works by young emerging artists, including Happy Face by Gao Yu (Estimate: HK$150,000-180,000/US$20,000-24,000) and A Smooth Run by Chen Ke (Estimate: HK$300,000-400,000/ US$39,000-52,000).

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HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s Hong Kong 20th Century Chinese Art Spring Sale 2010 will be held on 5 April, offering a meticulous selection of more than 65 lots estimated at approximately HK$75 million. Many of the paintings are exceptionally rare, appearing for the first time on the art market.

Lily Lee, Head of Sotheby’s 20th Century Chinese Art Department, said: “The 20th Century Chinese Art Autumn Sale 2009 has garnered impressive results with the record-breaking sale of Lotus et Poissons Rouges (Lotus and Red Fish), a landscape painting by Sanyu, achieving the second highest auction price for a Sanyu painting, and an auction record for a landscape painting by the artist. Zao Wou-ki’s 7.4.61 sold for almost twice its estimated price at HK$15.78 million.

Following last season’s success, our spring auction will bring together the outstanding works of Zao Wou-ki from the “Paul Klee Period” of his career in Paris during the 1950s as well as those created during his “oracle-bone inscriptions period” and in the 1970s. Several of these paintings have never been auctioned before, including a large-scale painting 10-3-78 as well as Village de Montagne se Disperent, a work that has been unseen in public for nearly half a century.”

Exceptional Works by Zao Wou-ki (1950s – 1970s)
A pioneer of Chinese abstract paintings, Zao Wou-ki (Zhao Wuji, b.1921) started out in expressionist figurative paintings, followed by a transition from painting symbolic images to expressionist abstract oils.

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NEW YORK, NY.- An exceptionally broad range of pre-modern Japanese art will go on view this March during New York City’s Asia Week in two exhibitions held by JADA, the Japanese Art Dealers Association.

The works of art range from a 12th century Buddhist sculpture to satirical ephemera of the 18th century and a four-foot tall model of pagoda once owned by New York railroad baron E. H. Harriman and later in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition, the exhibitions will present a complete suit of armor formerly in the collection of Japan’s leading Hokosawa clan (one of three works of art once in the possession of the millennia-old ruling family to be presented). Also in the exhibitions will be goldleaf screens, sculptures, prints, lacquers, and hanging scrolls that illustrate a reverence for nature as well as those that illuminate Japanese artists’ love of humor.

JADA 2010: An Exhibition by the Japanese Art Dealers Association
Among the earliest works in JADA 2010, an episodic survey of traditional Japanese art, is a Standing Jizō Bosatsu (Skt. Ksitigarbha), a wood sculpture that dates from the Heian period, 12th century. The delicate hands, facial features, and the shallow carving of the drapery mark this work as stylistically related to the work of Jōchō, whose famous image of the Buddha Amida is worshipped at the temple Byōdō’in near Kyoto. Jizō, a merciful protector of abandoned souls, appears again in a 16th or 17th century elaborate, intact traveling shrine. Decorated with a robe with cut gold, the figure holds both a crystal jewel and staff, Jizō stands on a lotus and cloud base within a shrine that features interior gilding.

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