This spring sales, Sotheby’s Hong Kong put Modern and Contemporary Art into two evening sales, one for modern art and one for contemporary art, instead of combining both into one sale as they did in the past. Let us first take a quick look at top lots estimated at HK$10m or above from Modern Art Evening sale.
A total of 54 lots are offered at Modern Art Evening Sale, 9 of them carry an estimate of over HK$10m, another one is marked estimate upon request. Leading the sale is 24.04.62 by Zao Wou-ki, estimated at HK$60m-80m. 10 years ago, it sold at Christie’s Hong Kong for HK$12.64m (premium included).
26.04.62 is a typical painting of Zao Wou-ki's Mad Cursive period. The composition of 26.04.62 resembles the opening frame of a film, with a black lightning-like line dashing from left to right. At the same time, jade-green light flashes from right to left. The clash between the two colours break open the amber-coloured background, creating a tripartite composition of top, middle, and bottom. The bright light in the middle, suggesting cosmogenic energies, not only attracts the eye but also unifies the tripartite composition as a space of three levels of abstraction.
The following masterpiece, Rouge Lourd Et Vert Leger, was created by another Chinese master of abstract art, Chu Teh-chun. Estimated at HK$50m-60m, in Rouge Lourd Et vert leger, through Chu Teh-chun’s language of abstraction, the viewer is able to experience the profound dialogue between East and West.
The painting’s composition is rigorous yet lively. Using a large horizontal canvas, the artist has designed a partition, creating an arrangement that resembles a taichi symbol. The top half of the tableau is rich and refined, the lines and blocks of colour mutually intermingling. The bottom half, on the other hand, is boldly left blank, allowing a large expanse of the coral background to come face-to-face with the viewer. This arrangement fully communicates the Taoist wonder of the real and the unreal.
Another highlight at the sale is Sanyu’s Léopard Rose, estimated at HK$30m-40m. In 2010, it sold at Christie’s Hong Kong for HK$21.94m with buyer’s premium.
In Léopard Rose, Sanyu projects broad spaces within a work of modest dimensions, placing the leopard against a scenic backdrop with an unusual atmosphere in what might be a broad desert plain. Sanyu frequently chose similar combinations, showing horses roaming in the wilderness or eagles soaring against an empty sky. Sanyu's animal paintings from the 1950s in particular employ such themes, which has been taken by many commentators as a reflection of his personal mood and circumstances during that decade.
Berge Und Teich (Mountains and Pond), estimate upon request, was created by a Russian-born German primitivist painter. He was often credited with attracting the attention of Western cultural figures to Balinese culture and art in the 1930s.
Around the 1930s, Spies had gained a widespread reputation as the expert of Bali and was sought after by distinguished globe-trotters for his tours and introductions to Balinese life. While he maintained activities with the Pita Maha group in Campuan, Iseh soon became Spies’s personal enclave where he would be able to paint freely with fewer distractions. He completed some of his best works during this period, including Berge und Teich.
Lots carrying an estimate above HK$10m
Zao Wou-ki. 24.04.62.
Lot no.: 1034
Created in: 1962
Size: 97.4 x 194.8cm
Provenance:
- Kootz Gallery, New York
- Private Canadian Collection
- Sotheby’s, New York, 9 November 1989, Lot 145
- Private Collection
- Sotheby’s, London, 1 December 1994, Lot 159
- Private Asian Collection
- Christie’s, Hong Kong, 24 May 2008, Lot 203
- Acquired directly from the above by the present important private Asian collector
Estimate: HK$60,000,000 - 80,000,000
Chu Teh-chun. Rouge Lourd Et Vert Leger.
Lot no.: 1035
Created in: 1959
Size: 87 x 116cm
Provenance:
- Galerie H. Le Gendre, Paris
- Edouard Malingue Gallery, Hong Kong
- Poly Auction, Hong Kong, 24 November 2012, Lot 104
- Acquired directly from the above by the present important private Asian collector
Estimate: HK$50,000,000 - 60,000,000
Sanyu. Léopard rose.
Lot no.: 1012
Created in: 1940s
Size: 65 x 80cm
Provenance:
- Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 1966
- Collection of Yves Bideau (Jean François Bideau)
- Collection of Jean-Claude Riedel
- Sotheby's, Taipei, 10 April 1994, Lot 50
- Private Asian Collection
- Christie's, Hong Kong, 29 May 2010, Lot 1017
- Acquired directly from the above by the present important private Asian collector
Estimate: HK$30,000,000 - 40,000,000
Zao Wou-ki. 08.10.84.
Lot no.: 1040
Created in: 1984
Size: 200 x 162cm
Provenance:
- Fuji Television Gallery, Tokyo
- Private Asian Collection
- Christie’s, Hong Kong, 27 November 2005, Lot 240
- Private Collection
- Kingsley Art Auction, Taipei, 28 November 2008, Lot 26
- Private Collection
- Ravenal, Taipei, 5 June 2011, Lot 156
- Acquired directly from the above by the present important private Asian collector
Estimate: HK$25,000,000 - 35,000,000
Sanyu. Nu Endormi.
Lot no.: 1011
Created in: 1950s
Size: 50 x 100cm
Provenance:
- Collection of Lévy family (Acquired directly from the artist in 1965)
Estimate: HK$20,000,000 - 30,000,000
Marc Chagall. Soleil Au Cheval Rouge.
Lot no.: 1013
Created in: 1977
Size: 88.9 x 116.2cm
Provenance:
- Galerie Maeght, Paris
- Private Collection
- Sotheby’s, London, 26th June 1990, lot 41(sold at USD 3.4M)
- Private Collection, Japan (acquired circa 1990)
- Acquired from the above by the present owner
- The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by the Comité Chagall
Estimate: HK$16,000,000 - 24,000,000
Zao Wou-ki. Quand Il Fait Beau.
Lot no.: 1033
Created in: 1955
Size: 73 x 92cm
Provenance:
- Acquired directly from the artist by a private collector
- Sotheby’s, New York, 17 March 2008, Lot 78
- Acquired directly from the above by the present important private Asian collector
Estimate: HK$15,000,000 - 25,000,000
Wang Huaiqing. Yuhuchun Vase.
Lot no.: 1049
Created in: 1999
Size: 213 x 122cm
Provenance:
- Christie’s, Hong Kong, 24 May 2008, Lot 191
- Acquired directly from the above by the present important private Asian collector
Estimate: HK$12,000,000 - 24,000,000
Ju Ming (Zhu Ming). Taichi Series - Single Whip.
Lot no.: 1051
Created in: 1999
Size: 185.5 x 94 x 123cm
Provenance:
- Ravenel, Taipei, 2 December 2012, Lot 662
- Acquired directly from the above by the present important private Asian collector
Estimate: HK$12,000,000 - 18,000,000
Walter Spies. Berge Und Teich (Mountains and Pond).
Lot no.: 1021
Created in: 1938
Size: 71.5 x 59.5cm
Provenance:
- Collection of M.van Wassem, thence by descent
- Sotheby's Singapore, 29 March 1997, Lot 88
- Acquired from the above by the present owner
- Private Asian Collection
Estimate upon request
Auction details
Auction house: Sotheby’s Hong Kong
Sale: Modern Art Evening Sale
Lots offered: 54
Viewing:
2018/3/30｜10am - 8pm
2018/3/31｜10am - 4:30pm
Auction: 2018/3/31｜5pm