Shortly after the spring auction, Phillips has already announced the latest news on this year’s “20th Century & Contemporary Art and Design” Hong Kong Autumn Auction. The auction house will present important works by Zao Wou-Ki from the collection of Zhao Shangmei, with two works “14.10.69” and “Untitled” making their debut at the auction, attracting much attention!
The late 1950s to early 1970s were considered the peak period of Zao Wou-Ki’s extraordinary artistic career, and his work “14.10.69” created in 1969 perfectly showcases the artist’s diverse expressions in line, color, and form. In the 1960s, Zao Wou-Ki gradually moved away from his earlier detailed figurative style, turning towards conveying grandeur and emotion through abstract expression.
Inspired by traditional Chinese landscape painting, “14.10.69” integrates traditional calligraphy techniques with Western abstract composition, elegantly presenting the tension between yin and yang, as well as between substance and emptiness.
In the late works of Zao Wou-Ki, the focus is on exploring color, with a more skilled mastery of space and color, creating richer layers. During this period, the artist continued to create works in watercolor on paper, using bold and delicate color rendering. Painted in 2007, “Untitled” embodies his late-life realization of color and the strong melody that dances with vivid colors.
右：趙善美兒時與雙親趙無極和陳美琴合影 圖片由趙善美女士提供
Zhao Shanmei not only presented the two paintings of her father mentioned above, but also brought her mother Chen Meiqin’s sculpture creations. Zhao Shanmei shared that her mother was devoted to sculpture creation, and although her works are few, they demonstrate a high level of artistic achievement. She and Zhao Wuji express their love for art through different mediums.
These sculptures were exhibited in the same gallery in Paris as the first batch of Chinese ink paintings created by Chen Meiqin and Zhao Wuji after Chen Meiqin’s death in 1972. Since then, they have not been publicly exhibited. In other words, this is the first time in half a century that the works have reappeared in front of the public.
The above works will first be exhibited in Paris from September 13 to 23, and more details about the specific schedule of the Phillips “20th Century & Contemporary Art and Design” Hong Kong Autumn Auction will be announced later. Stay tuned!
Image source: Phillips
