1973
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Zhang Daqian Wu Guanzhong Modern India Photos 1970s 1980s Guitar
See also : Zhang Daqian Wu Guanzhong Modern India Photos 1970s 1980s Guitar
1973 Pink Lotuses on Gold Screen by Zhang Daqian
2023 SOLD for HK$ 250M by Sotheby's
After a lifelong inspiration from the whole Chinese pictural history, Zhang Daqian started in the mid-1960s his unprecedented technique of application of splashed colors. In this breakthrough he also tried his skilled hand with the use of gold background.
Ancient Temples amidst Clouds, a scroll 172 x 90 cm painted in 1965 in ink and color on gold paper, was sold for HK $ 102M by Christie's on May 30, 2017, lot 8001. A smaller example from the same year is Autumn Foliage on Verdant Hills, 81 x 39 cm, sold for HK $ 8.8M by Christie's on May 29, 2022, lot 1099.
Painting on gold leaves is a costly and demanding technique. The smooth leaf does not absorb water or ink. Applying ink and color generates distinct traces on gold, so even the slightest mistake would have ruined the painting.
Zhang loved water flowers in his garden, like Monet, and often pictured blooming lotuses. Lotus and mandarin ducks, 185 x 95 cm scroll painted in 1947, was sold for HK $ 190M by Sotheby's on May 31, 2011.
In the splashed color period, Zhang painted three pictures of lotuses on gold leaf in Japanese screen formats. The first of them, in 1965, a diptych 158 x 140 cm overall, was made for the dowry of his fourth daughter.
Painted in 1973, Pink Lotuses is a very close replica of the earlier example, also with about half of the surface for the glowing raw gold background. This folding diptych 170 x 176 cm overall was sold for HK $ 250M by Sotheby's on April 5, 2023, lot 5004 consigned by the family of its first owner. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The third and last example, Crimson Lotuses, painted in 1975 in five panels of irregular width 170 x 370 cm overall, was sold by Sotheby’s for HK $ 20M in 2002.
Ancient Temples amidst Clouds, a scroll 172 x 90 cm painted in 1965 in ink and color on gold paper, was sold for HK $ 102M by Christie's on May 30, 2017, lot 8001. A smaller example from the same year is Autumn Foliage on Verdant Hills, 81 x 39 cm, sold for HK $ 8.8M by Christie's on May 29, 2022, lot 1099.
Painting on gold leaves is a costly and demanding technique. The smooth leaf does not absorb water or ink. Applying ink and color generates distinct traces on gold, so even the slightest mistake would have ruined the painting.
Zhang loved water flowers in his garden, like Monet, and often pictured blooming lotuses. Lotus and mandarin ducks, 185 x 95 cm scroll painted in 1947, was sold for HK $ 190M by Sotheby's on May 31, 2011.
In the splashed color period, Zhang painted three pictures of lotuses on gold leaf in Japanese screen formats. The first of them, in 1965, a diptych 158 x 140 cm overall, was made for the dowry of his fourth daughter.
Painted in 1973, Pink Lotuses is a very close replica of the earlier example, also with about half of the surface for the glowing raw gold background. This folding diptych 170 x 176 cm overall was sold for HK $ 250M by Sotheby's on April 5, 2023, lot 5004 consigned by the family of its first owner. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The third and last example, Crimson Lotuses, painted in 1975 in five panels of irregular width 170 x 370 cm overall, was sold by Sotheby’s for HK $ 20M in 2002.
1973 WU GUANZHONG
1
Scenery of North China
2020 SOLD for HK$ 150M by Sotheby's
In 1949, when the People's Republic of China was created, Wu Guanzhong was in Paris where he was studying modern art and familiarizing himself with oil painting. His return is enthusiastic : he will be able to bring his new skills to China.
In 1966 the Cultural Revolution prohibited Wu from painting. A little later a rehabilitation was imposed on him. He did not resist, because his ambition was not political. When they needed his art again, in 1972, he took up his brushes again without expressing a grudge.
Chairman Mao is aging and his regime is becoming less restrictive. Wu can now become a resolutely modern artist, through the diversity of his themes, and through his subtle balance between realism and geometry and between traditional Chinese taste and Western pictorial techniques.
An oil on board 72 x 160 cm painted in 1973, a large size for this period, is perhaps a demonstrator of his know-how. As a precaution, its theme is decidedly Maoist. Li Keran, who had also been persecuted by the Cultural Revolution, will soon follow a similar path.
Wu's painting, titled Scenery of North China, is based on Snow, Mao's most famous poem, which begins by glorifying the power of nature before stating that his regime will do better than the greatest emperors. Wu's image is loaded with symbols : the pristine snow covering the mountains, the protective vivacity of the pine, the endless line of the Great Wall. A steam locomotive, which was not foreseen in the poem, illustrates the technical progress.
This painting was sold for HK $ 32M by Christie's on May 27, 2007and for HK $ 150M by Sotheby's on October 5, 2020, lot 1013.
In 1979 Wu was one of the artists commissioned to paint the wall decorations of the Beijing airport. He made a 6 m wide version of this landscape which was still politically correct, three years after the death of the Great Helmsman.
In 1966 the Cultural Revolution prohibited Wu from painting. A little later a rehabilitation was imposed on him. He did not resist, because his ambition was not political. When they needed his art again, in 1972, he took up his brushes again without expressing a grudge.
Chairman Mao is aging and his regime is becoming less restrictive. Wu can now become a resolutely modern artist, through the diversity of his themes, and through his subtle balance between realism and geometry and between traditional Chinese taste and Western pictorial techniques.
An oil on board 72 x 160 cm painted in 1973, a large size for this period, is perhaps a demonstrator of his know-how. As a precaution, its theme is decidedly Maoist. Li Keran, who had also been persecuted by the Cultural Revolution, will soon follow a similar path.
Wu's painting, titled Scenery of North China, is based on Snow, Mao's most famous poem, which begins by glorifying the power of nature before stating that his regime will do better than the greatest emperors. Wu's image is loaded with symbols : the pristine snow covering the mountains, the protective vivacity of the pine, the endless line of the Great Wall. A steam locomotive, which was not foreseen in the poem, illustrates the technical progress.
This painting was sold for HK $ 32M by Christie's on May 27, 2007and for HK $ 150M by Sotheby's on October 5, 2020, lot 1013.
In 1979 Wu was one of the artists commissioned to paint the wall decorations of the Beijing airport. He made a 6 m wide version of this landscape which was still politically correct, three years after the death of the Great Helmsman.
2
Plum Blossoms
2022 SOLD for HK$ 104M by Sotheby's
Wu Guanzhong is an intellectual directly targeted by the Cultural Revolution of 1966. Exiled for hard labor in the countryside, he has no right to paint or to teach art.
His regime softens in 1972. Wu partially resumes his activity, taking his models from nature with a surprising optimism. He loves his country but his inspiration is global. He deliberately forgets the vexations.
Plum blossoms, oil on canvas 90 x 70 cm mounted on board, painted in 1973 during a short stay in Beijing, is a masterpiece of his restarting period. This painting was sold by Sotheby's for HK $ 67M on April 4, 2015, lot 1006 and for HK $ 104M on April 27, 2022, lot 1038. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
In this painting, Wu captures the utter joy offered by the rebirth of spring. Butterflies circle around the tree in full bloom.
Oil on canvas is a Western technique. The domination of color is influenced by both French impressionism and American abstract expressionism but the delicate restraining of the hues avoiding any saturation is Asian. The blooming tree is a prime concern in Chinese lifestyle and the meticulously repeated details got their inspiration in the old masters.
His regime softens in 1972. Wu partially resumes his activity, taking his models from nature with a surprising optimism. He loves his country but his inspiration is global. He deliberately forgets the vexations.
Plum blossoms, oil on canvas 90 x 70 cm mounted on board, painted in 1973 during a short stay in Beijing, is a masterpiece of his restarting period. This painting was sold by Sotheby's for HK $ 67M on April 4, 2015, lot 1006 and for HK $ 104M on April 27, 2022, lot 1038. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
In this painting, Wu captures the utter joy offered by the rebirth of spring. Butterflies circle around the tree in full bloom.
Oil on canvas is a Western technique. The domination of color is influenced by both French impressionism and American abstract expressionism but the delicate restraining of the hues avoiding any saturation is Asian. The blooming tree is a prime concern in Chinese lifestyle and the meticulously repeated details got their inspiration in the old masters.
3
Lotus Flowers
2015 SOLD for HK$ 34.4M by Sotheby's
The lotus, everlasting Chinese symbol of purity, was a choice theme for the artistic rebirth of Wu Guanzhong in the last years of the Cultural revolution. The plant stands straightforward over the leaves floating on the surface of the pond.
In 1973 the artist is at last authorized after a six year ban to resume his work in Beijing, where he executes a series of lotus paintings and drawings in the Purple Bamboo Park. He much later described that rosy flower as “calm and docile, disliking dragonflies and frogs”, thus inviting the art critics to consider it as a psychological selfie.
Lotus Flowers, oil on canvas 61 x 50 cm, is a large size opus for that first year. In a surrounding of green leaves, it features two buds in impasto in the foreground at dissimilar heights, expressing the optimism of the artist for a revival. A wide range of green hues enables to express the reflection of the leaves in the pond.
It was sold for HK $ 34.4M from a lower estimate of HK $ 10M by Sotheby's on April 4, 2015, lot 1009.
In 1974 a larger opus is numbered Lotus Flowers (I). This oil on canvas 120 x 90 cm was sold for HK $ 130M by Sotheby's on March 31, 2019, lot 1008.
In 1973 the artist is at last authorized after a six year ban to resume his work in Beijing, where he executes a series of lotus paintings and drawings in the Purple Bamboo Park. He much later described that rosy flower as “calm and docile, disliking dragonflies and frogs”, thus inviting the art critics to consider it as a psychological selfie.
Lotus Flowers, oil on canvas 61 x 50 cm, is a large size opus for that first year. In a surrounding of green leaves, it features two buds in impasto in the foreground at dissimilar heights, expressing the optimism of the artist for a revival. A wide range of green hues enables to express the reflection of the leaves in the pond.
It was sold for HK $ 34.4M from a lower estimate of HK $ 10M by Sotheby's on April 4, 2015, lot 1009.
In 1974 a larger opus is numbered Lotus Flowers (I). This oil on canvas 120 x 90 cm was sold for HK $ 130M by Sotheby's on March 31, 2019, lot 1008.
1973 Mao by WARHOL
1
2015 SOLD for $ 14.5M by Sotheby's
In 1973 Warhol multiplies his Mao's with smaller formats and new color variants. Mao's head, proportionally smaller, has lost the dignity of the official portrait.
One of them with a dark red tunic and a black background was sold for $ 13.5M by Phillips de Pury on November 15, 2012 and for $ 14.5M by Sotheby's on May 12, 2015.
One of them with a dark red tunic and a black background was sold for $ 13.5M by Phillips de Pury on November 15, 2012 and for $ 14.5M by Sotheby's on May 12, 2015.
2
2017 SOLD for HK$ 99M by Sotheby's
Many Chinese people are still hurt by Mao's portrait interpreted by Warhol more than 40 years ago in multiple paintings and prints. Nevertheless Sotheby's goes boldly into the adventure by offering a painting from that series in Hong Kong on April 2, 2017, lot 1030 . It was sold for HK $ 99M.
The same painting had been sold for £ 7.6M by Sotheby's on February 12, 2014.
This opus is characterized by the dramatic lighting of the face brimming to the left like a divine halo, on a neutral background.
The same painting had been sold for £ 7.6M by Sotheby's on February 12, 2014.
This opus is characterized by the dramatic lighting of the face brimming to the left like a divine halo, on a neutral background.
1973 Ocean Park by Diebenkorn
2014 SOLD for $ 6.8M by Sotheby's
The sale of the Mellon collection by Sotheby's on November 10, 2014 included three oil paintings from the Ocean Park series by Diebenkorn.
# 50, 236 x 206 cm, dated 1972, was sold for $ 8.2M, lot 23.
# 61, 236 x 206 cm, dated 1973, was sold for $ 6.8M, lot 18.
# 89, 206 x 206 cm, dated 1975, was sold for $ 9.7M, lot 11.
# 50, 236 x 206 cm, dated 1972, was sold for $ 8.2M, lot 23.
# 61, 236 x 206 cm, dated 1973, was sold for $ 6.8M, lot 18.
# 89, 206 x 206 cm, dated 1975, was sold for $ 9.7M, lot 11.
1973 La Terre by Raza
2014 SOLD for $ 3.1M by Christie's
The essential theme of Raza is Earth, which interacts with mankind while transcending the physical and mystical forces. In an early phase he is a landscape painter. The light of dawn playing behind the hills to illuminate the village fascinates him. Gradually the trace of man is no longer useful.
The bright lights of the transition between night and day are not enough to express his philosophical quest. Joining Pollock, his actual subject is the proper life of the soil.
On March 18, 2014, Christie's sold for $ 3.1M La Terre, acrylic on canvas 189 x 189 cm.
Painted in 1973, this work did not yet open the great transition of the art of Raza. Rather, it is the ultimate culmination of his landscapes becoming totally abstract while keeping the memory of the sparkling dawn.
Later, Raza discovered how geometry can express the energy. He will forget the night, and his colors become clearer. His quest will more rely upon the principles of Hindu philosophy. The Earth as the unique support of our relationship with the universe remains however implicit in his work.
The bright lights of the transition between night and day are not enough to express his philosophical quest. Joining Pollock, his actual subject is the proper life of the soil.
On March 18, 2014, Christie's sold for $ 3.1M La Terre, acrylic on canvas 189 x 189 cm.
Painted in 1973, this work did not yet open the great transition of the art of Raza. Rather, it is the ultimate culmination of his landscapes becoming totally abstract while keeping the memory of the sparkling dawn.
Later, Raza discovered how geometry can express the energy. He will forget the night, and his colors become clearer. His quest will more rely upon the principles of Hindu philosophy. The Earth as the unique support of our relationship with the universe remains however implicit in his work.
1973 To Her Majesty by Gilbert and George
2008 SOLD for £ 1.9M by Christie's
Students in sculpture, Gilbert and George observe other artists, who create when they are no longer drunk. It is fake art. To express real life, they imagine that the real work of art will be themselves. In 1972 they sing together on stage with an impassive face, without looking at each other, endless insipid songs with drunken lyrics. They are the Singing Sculptures of the music hall. Their repertoire is absurdity.
When they are being filmed, they waste less time than on stage. The video in which they glorify gin by singing Gordon's makes us very very drunk is a culmination of their new style of provocation.
It was at the same time and for the same reason that they tried photography, in the form of a series of installations titled Drinking Pieces or Drinking Sculptures. Among the blurry photos that evoke their visions of drunkards, appear their portraits in suits and ties, often duplicated in several places of the assembly.
The overall shape may evoke a silhouette but will soon become rectangular. To Her Majesty, produced in 1973, belongs to this period of transition. The work consists of 37 black and white photos in a symmetrical structure in five groups, for a total dimension of 145 x 350 cm. The title is a toast, of course. The skillfully distributed self-portraits have become the focal points. For the rest, the blur is replaced by insignificant details of their favorite pub.
To Her Majesty was sold on June 30, 2008 by Christie's for £ 1.9M from a lower estimate of £ 400K, lot 27.
Gilbert and George found with the photo the ideal medium to propagate their message, which will become increasingly political. They refuse the standardization of society and the socialism. Before Richard Prince and Barbara Kruger, they were the pioneers of protest photography.
When they are being filmed, they waste less time than on stage. The video in which they glorify gin by singing Gordon's makes us very very drunk is a culmination of their new style of provocation.
It was at the same time and for the same reason that they tried photography, in the form of a series of installations titled Drinking Pieces or Drinking Sculptures. Among the blurry photos that evoke their visions of drunkards, appear their portraits in suits and ties, often duplicated in several places of the assembly.
The overall shape may evoke a silhouette but will soon become rectangular. To Her Majesty, produced in 1973, belongs to this period of transition. The work consists of 37 black and white photos in a symmetrical structure in five groups, for a total dimension of 145 x 350 cm. The title is a toast, of course. The skillfully distributed self-portraits have become the focal points. For the rest, the blur is replaced by insignificant details of their favorite pub.
To Her Majesty was sold on June 30, 2008 by Christie's for £ 1.9M from a lower estimate of £ 400K, lot 27.
Gilbert and George found with the photo the ideal medium to propagate their message, which will become increasingly political. They refuse the standardization of society and the socialism. Before Richard Prince and Barbara Kruger, they were the pioneers of protest photography.
1973 Wolf of Jerry Garcia
2017 SOLD for $ 1.9M by Guernsey's
Founded in California during the acidic era, the psychedelic band Grateful Dead plays electric music. The group is created and directed by the guitarist Jerry Garcia who needs the best instruments in this technique whose popularity is quite recent.
At the end of the 1960s Doug Irwin is a young biochemist disillusioned by his training. Despite the atmosphere of freedom of that time, everyone must find a job : Doug decides that he will construct electric guitars. After a self-taught training he joins the Alembic company founded in 1969 in the Grateful Dead rehearsal room.
At that time Alembic worked on the electronic processing of sound more than on its creation. In 1971 Doug builds his first electric guitar in his own name in his kitchen and brings it to a specialty shop. Jerry is there : he buys the instrument. This guitar named Eagle (Alembic) was sold for $ 186K by Bonhams on May 8, 2007.
Eagle plays the role of a prototype from which Jerry and Doug embark on a more ambitious project. The result is an asymmetrically necked guitar named Wolf. It is completed in 1973 and Jerry uses it intensively for six years.
In the dispute about the estate of Garcia who died in 1995, Irwin became the owner of Wolf and its successor Tiger. He auctioned them through Guernsey's on May 7, 2002. The result was $ 960K for Tiger and $ 790K for Wolf.
Wolf was sold again by Guernsey's on May 31, 2017, for $ 1.9M. This single lot charity sale was organized for the benefit of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Made in 1979, Tiger is less asymmetrical than Wolf. It innovates in the position of the strings. Garcia used it as his main guitar until 1989 when he replaced it by another Irwin guitar known as Rosebud.
In 1995 Tiger was the guitar of the very last concert of the Grateful Dead when Garcia re-used it after a mechanical problem on Rosebud.
At the end of the 1960s Doug Irwin is a young biochemist disillusioned by his training. Despite the atmosphere of freedom of that time, everyone must find a job : Doug decides that he will construct electric guitars. After a self-taught training he joins the Alembic company founded in 1969 in the Grateful Dead rehearsal room.
At that time Alembic worked on the electronic processing of sound more than on its creation. In 1971 Doug builds his first electric guitar in his own name in his kitchen and brings it to a specialty shop. Jerry is there : he buys the instrument. This guitar named Eagle (Alembic) was sold for $ 186K by Bonhams on May 8, 2007.
Eagle plays the role of a prototype from which Jerry and Doug embark on a more ambitious project. The result is an asymmetrically necked guitar named Wolf. It is completed in 1973 and Jerry uses it intensively for six years.
In the dispute about the estate of Garcia who died in 1995, Irwin became the owner of Wolf and its successor Tiger. He auctioned them through Guernsey's on May 7, 2002. The result was $ 960K for Tiger and $ 790K for Wolf.
Wolf was sold again by Guernsey's on May 31, 2017, for $ 1.9M. This single lot charity sale was organized for the benefit of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Made in 1979, Tiger is less asymmetrical than Wolf. It innovates in the position of the strings. Garcia used it as his main guitar until 1989 when he replaced it by another Irwin guitar known as Rosebud.
In 1995 Tiger was the guitar of the very last concert of the Grateful Dead when Garcia re-used it after a mechanical problem on Rosebud.
