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Sotheby’s Curated at K11 MUSEA
16 September 2022 - 18 September 2022
FreeEVENT DESCRIPTION
This autumn, Sotheby’s and K11 Group will join hands again to present “Sotheby’s Curated at K11 MUSEA” – a pop-up showcase which comprises of over HK$ 340M worth of Sotheby’s 2022 Autumn sale series highlights and will be held from 16 to 18 September at K11 MUSEA, the ‘Silicon Valley of Culture’ in Hong Kong. In line with K11 Group’s mission in bringing world class art and cultural experiences, K11 MUSEA has pioneered the development of the Tsim Sha Tsui East Waterfront into a creative hub integrating culture and retail for the community, and now manifests as a world-class cultural-retail destination that is most befitting to showcase exceptional collectibles from around the globe.
MEETING THE MAESTROS AND THE EMERGING TALENTS
The pop-up showcase brings together over 40 modern and contemporary art pieces by some of the most sought- after artists in the market. All eyes are on works from “New Wave Beyond Yuanmingyuan”– an outstanding collection built by an important collector who has been at the forefront of the development of Chinese Contemporary Art for decades. Rarely seen in the market, the collection features a curated selection of paintings, drawings and sculptures by pioneering artists, including Yu Youhan, Liu Xiaodong and Wang Guangle who eschewed traditional models of representation in their desire to create something new and reflected the transforming of social and cultural landscape in China at the time. Their exceptional works will be featured alongside other modern masters such as Chu Teh-Chun, Zao Wou-Ki, and Li Huayi; as well as both the established and some of the hottest artists from the Contemporary Art World, including Yoshitomo Nara, Takashi Murakami, Joel Mesler and Salman Toor.
Many artists in the New Wave Beyond Yuanmingyuan collection participated in the avant-garde movements of the 1980s and 1990s, a period of extraordinary creativity which reflected the transforming social and cultural landscape in China at the time. The ‘85 Movement brought about a multitude of subsidiary, regional art movements that differed in style and philosophy across China. Amongst the works of the collection are some of the earliest and most significant known examples of abstract art, Cynical Realism, Neo-Realism, performance art and conceptual photography, as well as historically important works by founding members of avant-garde groups, including the Stars group (Xing Xing).
Many of the works in the collection were acquired directly from the artist and as such have never been offered on the market before. Whilst a significant number of the works have rarely been seen by members of the public, some have been featured in pivotal exhibitions such as the second Stars Art Exhibition, Beijing in 1980; China/Avant- Garde Exhibition, Beijing in 1989; Paris-Pékin, at Espace Cardin, Paris in 2002; and ‘85 New Wave: The Birth of Chinese Contemporary Art at the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing in 2007 – 2008, to name just a few.
Some of the prime examples from this collection include works by Yu Youhan who is a pioneering figure of avant- garde art in China. Yu’s Circle Series marked a radical departure from the realist art that dominated the preceding decades, embracing a new mode of expression that was previously prohibited during Mao’s period. Painted in 1986, Circle 1986-8 is part of the “Circle” series and hails from the most important period in Chinese art history. It is one of no more than 40 works the artists made for this Series between 1985-1988, and also one of the largest examples from the series. The artist was greatly inspired by Laozi’s Tao Te Qing’s, reflecting that the world is perpetually alive and ever-changing. The circle motif symbolizes transmigration, equilibrium, a form with beginning and end yet, also without beginning and end—echoing the essence of Laozi’s writings.
One of the highlights among the Modern Art pieces is by renowned Abstract artist Zao Wou-Ki. 04.01.62 is painted in Zao Wou-Ki’s signature tripartite composition during the Hurricane Period, the raging black ink strokes storms across the canvas, overlapping with the bronze colored background. A strobe of white light flashes across the center of the canvas, creating a dynamic stroke to the composition. Before being acquired by a private collection, the painting was exhibited in the artist’s represented gallery – Redfern Gallery in London.
Another exceptional Modern masterpiece on view is Chu Teh-Chun’s Printemps Précoce. Created on April 30th, 1985, Printemps Précoce is a diptych masterpiece that marked the beginning of the artist’s “Snow Scene’ series. The drifting snow floats above the rich turquoise backdrop, depicting a mesmerizing spring scenery. Printemps Précoce was exhibited alongside Les éléments confédérés (a pentaptych that set the artist’s auction record at HK$113.7m in 2020) at the 1991 “Chu Teh-Chun—Grand Formats” exhibition held at Musée d’Art Contemporain de Dunkerque, witnessing the artist’s career peak on the European art scene.
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