Highlighting the Auction Debut of an Important Early Work by Zhang Xiaogang

Zhang Xiaogang’s (b.1958) early masterpiece
Chapter of a New Century – Birth of the People’s Republic of China II
(Est. HK$21–23 million / US$2.69–2.94 million)

Hong Kong, September 2010      Sotheby’s Hong Kong will hold its Contemporary Asian Art Autumn Sale 2010 on 4 October at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, bringing forward a total of 217 lots estimated at over HK$150 million / US$19 million. The sale highlights an important work of contemporary Chinese art – Zhang Xiaogang’s 1992 masterpiece, Chapter of a New Century – Birth of the People’s Republic of China II (Est. HK$21 – 23 million / US$2.69 – 2.94 million). This season we are also honoured to present Property from an Important European Collection, which encompasses 38 lots with a total estimate of over HK$30 million / US$3.8 million (please refer to separate press release for details).

Ms. Evelyn Lin, Sotheby’s Head of Contemporary Asian Art Department, said, “We achieved auction records for works by Liu Ye and other artists at our Spring Sale 2010, which testified to the continued growth of the market. Our upcoming Autumn Sale will see an even more careful selection of works with an increase in both quantity and value. Of particular note is the auction debut of Chapter of a New Century – Birth of the People’s Republic of China II, an extremely important work in the history of Chinese art. Sotheby’s is also known for introducing highly originalcontemporary Asian artworks to collectors from around the world. This season we are delighted to present ‘The Voyeur’, Sotheby’s first ever special section on the themes of sex, violence and the grotesque in contemporary Asian art.  omprising outstanding works from Japan, South Korea and China, this special section will bring a dynamic drive to the market and provide collectors with a rare opportunity to broaden their collection.”

HIGHLIGHTS OF CONTEMPORARY CHINESE ART

This season Sotheby’s is particularly honoured to present the auction debut of Zhang Xiaogang’s (b.1958) 1992 masterpiece Chapter of a New Century – Birth of the People’s Republic of China II (Est. HK$21–23 million / US$2.69–2.94 million). Without doubt the most important work from his early career as an artist, the piece is also the inspiration for the internationally renowned Bloodline Series. The work was exhibited and awarded a prize alongside Chapter of a New Century – Birth of the People’s Republic of China I at the Guangzhou Biennial in October 1992, a pivotal event that  ubsequently shaped the contemporary art market in China. In a 2001 interview, the artist remarked, “Those two paintings hold tremendous meaning for me. It is the first time I’ve used old photos in my work … that was the beginning of what I’ve become today.”

Marking a turning point in the artist’s career, Chapter of a New Century – Birth of the People’s Republic of China II is a critical piece that spurred the creation of the Bloodline Series. Incorporating Zhang’s early artistic vocabulary where surrealist motifs are wielded in an expressionist style, the work also embodies the artist’s ruminations on the history and destiny of his nation.

The painting portrays a yellow baby resting on folds of white sheets on a wooden casket against a backdrop of historical photos from 20th-century China. In front of the baby is a red hand pointing towards an open book. The white sheets, hand and open book evoke the floating symbols so often found in the works of Spanish Surrealist Salvador Dalí. Juxtaposed against these motifs and photocopies of photographs documenting the founding of the republic, the yellow baby symbolises the rebirth of the Chinese nation – the piece then culminates in a compelling rendering of the artist’s reflection on his country’s past and its impending fate, as well as his individual life, and therefore a rare and powerful expression of his insight and profundity.

Zeng Fanzhi’s (b. 1964) Masks Series No. 5 (Est. HK$9-15 million / US$1.15-1.92 million)

Another highlight in the Autumn Sale is Zeng Fanzhi’s (b. 1964) Masks Series No. 5 (Est. HK$9-15 million / US$1.15-1.92 million) of 1994, which dates to beginning of his signature Mask Series. Two masked men stand together with arms around each other’s shoulders, yet their exposed out-sized hands suggest the futility of their attempt at concealing their real emotions – a metaphor for the spirit of a Chinese generation. Although the men wear red scarves around their necks  ymbolising China’s past, their jeans and leather belts reveal the influence of Western culture. The artist captures the mood of the early 1990s when China’s economy started to boom, at the same time he delves into the helplessness felt by the Chinese people in the face of rapid changes. Heavy expressionistic brushstrokes capture the unease of urban Chinese as cities developed. Zeng’s success story is shared by many in the new generation of Chinese elite: they come from humble circumstances, making their way through society with a rigid determination and tactical savvy that often call for the self-concealment, a condition that his paintings so poignantly depicts and which is a theme that contributes to the artist’s own accomplishment.Another work on offer is Zeng’s Mask Series.

 Untitled (Est. HK$2.4-3 million / US$309,000 - 386,000)

This sale also introduces some early and recent works by Fang Lijun (b. 1963), taking a comprehensive look at his oeuvre, including 1998.8.30 (Est. HK$8-10 million / US$1.03-1.29 million) from his swimming paintings. Fang’s interest in water can be traced to the mid 1980s while the bald swimmer made his first appearance in the early 1990s as a metaphor of the struggle of the Chinese people in face of consumerism and capitalism. In these works, Fang developed an  xceedingly naturalistic white finish in his depiction of water, sharply differentiated from the Impressionistic rendering of water in other works. This reveals the artist in deep contemplation, looking to discern the full range of possibilities his subject will allow. Fang once explained: “For a painter, painting emptiness is the greatest challenge of all. New painters like to show off their grasp of detail, but for me, getting beyond this reliance on details is the most difficult test of all.” Another early work by Fang on offer is his 1989 work, Untitled (Est. HK$2.4-3 million / US$309,000 - 386,000). This work is an oil painting based on a drawing from Fang’s graduate project at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, which was inspired by photographs of peasants and exhibited in the China/Avant-Garde Exhibition the following year.

Portrait of the Battleship (Est. HK$6-8 million / US$770,000-1.03 million)

During Sotheby’s Spring Sale this year, Liu Ye’s (b. 1964) Bright Road set the world record for the artist at auction with a sale price of over HK$19 million. This Autumn Sale presents two more of Liu Ye’s masterpieces. Portrait of the Battleship (Est. HK$6-8 million / US$770,000-1.03 million) is set on a canvas of more than three metres in length – an impressive dimension rarely seen in the artist’s oeuvre. Bright fiery hues of a smoky explosion occupy the centre of a composition drenched in a sobering blue, while reds and yellows contrast against the still,4 undisturbed soldiers onboard the deck. Growing up during the Cultural Revolution, Liu Ye as a child was fond of painting warships, among other objects. Wielding patience with and absolute control of his brush, Liu is also noted for a restrained, rational “cool” style that contrasts starkly from the explosive, dramatic scene that unfolds in the painting, imbuing the work with an irreverent and detached air. Initiated in 1998, this work’s creation spanned over 11 years. There have only been two large works of this scale in the artist’s oeuvre and Sotheby’s is very pleased to be offering such a rare gem. A second piece by Liu Ye, Untitled, is also on offer in the Autumn Sale

Crystal Landscape of the Inner Body (Est. HK$2-3 million / US$258,000-386,000)

Another highlight of this collection is Crystal Landscape of the Inner Body (Est. HK$2-3 million / US$258,000-386,000), one of the last works by eminent conceptual artist Chen Zhen(1955-2000). Born into a family of doctors, Chen had a life-long struggle with illnesses, which gave him heightened attention to the complexity and fragility of human existence. An awareness of the body also became integrally infused into Chen’s creative work as well as into his world view. In Crystal Landscape of the Inner Body, pieces of clear glass, hand-blown into the shape of 11  nternal organs, are delicately placed on a full-scale, glass-surfaced “surgical table”. Reflecting the outer environment on their crystalline surfaces, and themselves reflected on the glass surface of the table, the organs portray the interconnection of life and the world, creating a visual duality of interior and exterior. The precariousness of the glass acts also as a metaphor for the tenuousness of life and the body. A work of fragile elegance and conceptual complexity, Crystal Landscape of the Inner Body epitomises in both form and meaning the core of Chen’s aesthetic and philosophical concerns. Created during the final year of Chen’s life, it is an eloquent testament to the further level of artistic breakthrough that Chen so remarkably achieved during this last and  mportant phase of his artistic career. This is also a core work in major international retrospectives of Chen Zhen, having been featured at the Serpentine Gallery in London, PS1 in New York and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.

SPECIAL COLLECTION: THE VOYEUR