Small and Big Cats
See also : Animals Sculpture Ancient sculpture Renaissance Persia Giacometti Koons Current art British Royals George I-III Ancient Germany Germany II Sanyu Japan and Korea Ancient painting Orientalism Jewels II
Chronology : Origin 14th century 16th century 1520-1539 1770-1779 1930 1931 1952 1955 1988
Chronology : Origin 14th century 16th century 1520-1539 1770-1779 1930 1931 1952 1955 1988
5000 years ago - The Guennol Lioness, Elam
2007 SOLD 57 M$ including premium by Sotheby's
Shared by Wikimedia :
18th Dynasty - The Army of the Sekhmet
2015 SOLD for $ 4.2M including premium
Living conditions are harsh in ancient Egypt and the most outstanding gods are rarely peaceful. Pharaoh is expecting help and protection from them. The gods and goddesses have animal heads, which allows the worshipers to appreciate differences and strengths in their temperament. The rest of the body is human.
The lioness-headed goddess Sekhmet is ranked high in that pantheon. A lioness is a wild mother whom you should not try to annoy. Sekhmet is powerful and leads the king to his success in war. She does not tolerate the odd and her cult is difficult. She is not joking and her expression is impassive despite the offerings.
During the 18th dynasty, Amenhotep III resolutely places himself under the protection of Sekhmet. This alliance is favorable as no significant event disturbs the outer peace during his long reign, around 3400 years ago.
This Pharaoh multiplies the figures of Sekhmet and his funerary temple contains nearly 700 of them. The priestesses were committed to serve a different statue every day of the year.
On December 8 in New York, Sotheby's sells one of these monumental granite figures, 2.10 m high, which had belonged to the collections of John Lennon and A. Alfred Taubman. It is estimated $ 3M, lot 23. Cartouches including the name of Amenhotep III confirm the hypothesis that it was carved during his reign.
The goddess wearing a long tight dress is sitting on her throne. She is physically identified by her feline head but her mane is covered by a wig.
The lioness-headed goddess Sekhmet is ranked high in that pantheon. A lioness is a wild mother whom you should not try to annoy. Sekhmet is powerful and leads the king to his success in war. She does not tolerate the odd and her cult is difficult. She is not joking and her expression is impassive despite the offerings.
During the 18th dynasty, Amenhotep III resolutely places himself under the protection of Sekhmet. This alliance is favorable as no significant event disturbs the outer peace during his long reign, around 3400 years ago.
This Pharaoh multiplies the figures of Sekhmet and his funerary temple contains nearly 700 of them. The priestesses were committed to serve a different statue every day of the year.
On December 8 in New York, Sotheby's sells one of these monumental granite figures, 2.10 m high, which had belonged to the collections of John Lennon and A. Alfred Taubman. It is estimated $ 3M, lot 23. Cartouches including the name of Amenhotep III confirm the hypothesis that it was carved during his reign.
The goddess wearing a long tight dress is sitting on her throne. She is physically identified by her feline head but her mane is covered by a wig.
1366 Two Lions at the Feet of the King
2017 SOLD for £ 9.4M including premium
In the long line of the kings of France the succession of Jean II in 1364 during the Hundred Years War is one of the most disputed. The 26 year old dauphin had been régent while his father was a prisoner and he was clever. Having won this ruthless dynastic competition, he will be Charles V le Sage.
The divine authority claimed by the legitimate heir is not sufficient to preserve and protect his power. Upon his accession Charles V multiplies the symbols of his superiority and of his prosperity. The lion is his emblem.
To maintain the chain of legitimacy they must also rehabilitate the ineffective Jean II. In the very first year of his reign Charles V decides to build the funerary monuments of Jean and of Jean's parents in the traditional necropolis of the Capétiens at Saint-Denis. He adds the commission for his own tomb, which is a considerable innovation for the time.
The contractor of the four monuments is the best sculptor of that period, known from a royal document as Andreu Bauneveu, André Beauneveu in modern French. The king is powerful and must be honored as a priority : his gisant (recumbent) is the best of the four with a beautiful polishing of the white marble. Beauneveu worked until 1366 on that site.
The royal monuments of Saint-Denis were dismantled in 1793. The outstanding pieces were recovered by the archaeologist Alexandre Lenoir, founder at the request of the government in 1791 of the Musée des Monuments Français for collecting artworks confiscated to the clergy by the Révolution. During the Restauration in 1816 King Louis XVIII obliged Lenoir to relocate to Saint-Denis what remained from the monuments of the necropolis including the gisant of Charles V by Beauneveu.
The monument of Charles V included a group of two addorsed lions which was placed at the feet of the king. This group was only known from one sketch drawing made by an antiquarian scholar. It has just been rediscovered in the descendance of an English collector who had acquired it in 1802, certainly bought to Lenoir whose financial backing was low at that time.
This group of lions is a marble of the same quality as its gisant and certainly executed by the same artist. The fixing points of this statue match exactly the distance of the associated points on the feet of the gisant.
The Beauneveu lions, 45 x 29 x 12 cm, will be sold as lot 10 by Christie's in London on July 6. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The divine authority claimed by the legitimate heir is not sufficient to preserve and protect his power. Upon his accession Charles V multiplies the symbols of his superiority and of his prosperity. The lion is his emblem.
To maintain the chain of legitimacy they must also rehabilitate the ineffective Jean II. In the very first year of his reign Charles V decides to build the funerary monuments of Jean and of Jean's parents in the traditional necropolis of the Capétiens at Saint-Denis. He adds the commission for his own tomb, which is a considerable innovation for the time.
The contractor of the four monuments is the best sculptor of that period, known from a royal document as Andreu Bauneveu, André Beauneveu in modern French. The king is powerful and must be honored as a priority : his gisant (recumbent) is the best of the four with a beautiful polishing of the white marble. Beauneveu worked until 1366 on that site.
The royal monuments of Saint-Denis were dismantled in 1793. The outstanding pieces were recovered by the archaeologist Alexandre Lenoir, founder at the request of the government in 1791 of the Musée des Monuments Français for collecting artworks confiscated to the clergy by the Révolution. During the Restauration in 1816 King Louis XVIII obliged Lenoir to relocate to Saint-Denis what remained from the monuments of the necropolis including the gisant of Charles V by Beauneveu.
The monument of Charles V included a group of two addorsed lions which was placed at the feet of the king. This group was only known from one sketch drawing made by an antiquarian scholar. It has just been rediscovered in the descendance of an English collector who had acquired it in 1802, certainly bought to Lenoir whose financial backing was low at that time.
This group of lions is a marble of the same quality as its gisant and certainly executed by the same artist. The fixing points of this statue match exactly the distance of the associated points on the feet of the gisant.
The Beauneveu lions, 45 x 29 x 12 cm, will be sold as lot 10 by Christie's in London on July 6. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Medieval re-discovery: Marble lions from the tomb of King Charles V of France lead our July Exceptional Sale https://t.co/koBGpTxseZ pic.twitter.com/Pjb4ckDSrf
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) February 21, 2017
later 1520s The Ordeal of the Lion
2015 SOLD for £ 9.3M including premium
Lucas Cranach the Elder enjoyed all topics related to morality, not without humor. On July 8 in London, Sotheby's sells a Bocca della Verita painted at the end of the 1520s. This oil on panel in large size, 111 x 100 cm, is estimated £ 6M, lot 8.
The artist transposes a medieval ordeal with characters in clothes of his time. The mouth of truth is a lie detecting test to convict or release the adulteress. Included in the legends of Tristan and Iseult and Merlin, this story was previously used by illustrators including Altdorfer and Lucas van Leyden.
Each character has a role. The woman puts a hand in the mouth of the lion raised on a pedestal to be at her level. She is held at the waist by her supposed lover disguised as a fool. Two men wait to establish the minutes of justice.
The alleged cuckolded husband is on the far right of the picture, opposite to the lion. He is accompanied by two lovely ladies who are his witnesses. At his side, a last character sends a wink of complicity towards the viewer of the painting.
This is not a comic book and the verdict of the lion is not known. The lack of fear in the attitude of the woman tells that she wants to win the ordeal. The scene becomes a funny symbol of feminine cunning.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's :
The artist transposes a medieval ordeal with characters in clothes of his time. The mouth of truth is a lie detecting test to convict or release the adulteress. Included in the legends of Tristan and Iseult and Merlin, this story was previously used by illustrators including Altdorfer and Lucas van Leyden.
Each character has a role. The woman puts a hand in the mouth of the lion raised on a pedestal to be at her level. She is held at the waist by her supposed lover disguised as a fool. Two men wait to establish the minutes of justice.
The alleged cuckolded husband is on the far right of the picture, opposite to the lion. He is accompanied by two lovely ladies who are his witnesses. At his side, a last character sends a wink of complicity towards the viewer of the painting.
This is not a comic book and the verdict of the lion is not known. The lack of fear in the attitude of the woman tells that she wants to win the ordeal. The scene becomes a funny symbol of feminine cunning.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's :
1776 Exotic Tygers
2014 SOLD 7.7 M£ including premium
Famous for his paintings of horses with or without riders, George Stubbs was primarily an anatomist in the great period of curiosity of the mid-eighteenth century. He published in 1766 The Anatomy of the Horse, illustrated with drawings.
Images of horses were welcomed by the English aristocracy. Stubbs was a gifted painter. He was the only artist capable of applying the theme of the animal as a specialty of major art.
In London, menageries are in the trend. Visitors dream of the distant lands from where the wild beasts have come. As early as 1762 Stubbs painted a lion attacking a horse. Lions and those other big cats designated at that time under the generic term of tygers soon occupy the top place in his art.
On July 9 in London, Sotheby's sells Tygers at play, oil on canvas 102 x 127 cm estimated £ 4M.
Two leopard kittens play with great vivacity in an imaginary exotic landscape certainly inspired by the passion of the contemporaries for Cook's discoveries. These friendly animals respond positively to the postulate of Rousseau on natural goodness at birth.
This undated painting was exhibited for the first time in 1776. Carefully preserved with discretion for almost two centuries by a British aristocratic family, it remains in a very exciting condition.
POST SALE COMMENT
This great example of animal orientalism was sold for £ 7.7M including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's:
Images of horses were welcomed by the English aristocracy. Stubbs was a gifted painter. He was the only artist capable of applying the theme of the animal as a specialty of major art.
In London, menageries are in the trend. Visitors dream of the distant lands from where the wild beasts have come. As early as 1762 Stubbs painted a lion attacking a horse. Lions and those other big cats designated at that time under the generic term of tygers soon occupy the top place in his art.
On July 9 in London, Sotheby's sells Tygers at play, oil on canvas 102 x 127 cm estimated £ 4M.
Two leopard kittens play with great vivacity in an imaginary exotic landscape certainly inspired by the passion of the contemporaries for Cook's discoveries. These friendly animals respond positively to the postulate of Rousseau on natural goodness at birth.
This undated painting was exhibited for the first time in 1776. Carefully preserved with discretion for almost two centuries by a British aristocratic family, it remains in a very exciting condition.
POST SALE COMMENT
This great example of animal orientalism was sold for £ 7.7M including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's:
1911 Childish Pantheism by Franz Marc
2014 SOLD 6.2 M£ including premium
Franz Marc himself stated that his inspiration was mystical. He wanted a happy pantheism where passions and strengths are expressed by the animal and not by man.
Fauvism interests him : the color is more expressive when it is not realistic. In September 1910, Marc is dazzled by the art of Kandinsky in an exhibition in Munich. The image can express the message as well or better than words do.
Marc then establishes a full code of colors. Blue and yellow are the good, male and female respectively. The red must be fought. Combinations of these primary colors complicate the message and its emotion.
On June 24 in London, Christie's sells an oil on canvas 70 x 50 cm painted before March 1911, in the early days of this new creative impetus. It is estimated £ 5M.
The orange cat is sleeping behind a blue tree. The tree is mostly a trunk but its sinuous shape is pleasant. The feline predator could have been red but with the protection by the tree it became orange and charming like in a child's drawing. The painting is titled Kinderbild.
The cooperation between Kandinsky and Marc during the Blaue Reiter secession is successful. The language of colors by Marc accompanies the language of forms by Kandinsky which opens the glorious path of abstract art.
POST SALE COMMENT
Good price, £ 6.2 million including premium, for this rare Kinderbild altogether simple in composition and complex in meaning.
I invite you to play the video shared by Christie's:
Fauvism interests him : the color is more expressive when it is not realistic. In September 1910, Marc is dazzled by the art of Kandinsky in an exhibition in Munich. The image can express the message as well or better than words do.
Marc then establishes a full code of colors. Blue and yellow are the good, male and female respectively. The red must be fought. Combinations of these primary colors complicate the message and its emotion.
On June 24 in London, Christie's sells an oil on canvas 70 x 50 cm painted before March 1911, in the early days of this new creative impetus. It is estimated £ 5M.
The orange cat is sleeping behind a blue tree. The tree is mostly a trunk but its sinuous shape is pleasant. The feline predator could have been red but with the protection by the tree it became orange and charming like in a child's drawing. The painting is titled Kinderbild.
The cooperation between Kandinsky and Marc during the Blaue Reiter secession is successful. The language of colors by Marc accompanies the language of forms by Kandinsky which opens the glorious path of abstract art.
POST SALE COMMENT
Good price, £ 6.2 million including premium, for this rare Kinderbild altogether simple in composition and complex in meaning.
I invite you to play the video shared by Christie's:
1930 Youki the Snowy Woman
2016 SOLD for HK$ 39M including premium
Tsuguharu Foujita arrives in 1913 in Montparnasse. He brings into the community of painters his Japanese sensitivity that will harmoniously mingle with the effectiveness of the lines of the Art Déco drawings.
Like the other artists, Foujita seeks and finds the ideal woman in Montparnasse. He marries Fernande and paints nudes of Kiki. The whiteness of Lucienne's skin brings to him a new artistic impulse. He nicknames her Youki which means Little snow.
Now his paintings must present the expressionist effect of the perfect woman. He covers the canvas with white or ivory paint on which he draws the nude in ink by a thin and sharp line before completing the work by the transparent color of skin and hair.
The hedonistic life of Montparnasse does not invite to fidelity. In 1930 Youki leaves Foujita for loving Desnos. The painter nevertheless continues his aesthetic quest and copies a 1924 modello showing Youki sleeping naked on a bed with her arm and her long hair carelessly flowing to the floor.
The ideal and diaphanous woman occupies the upper part of the picture. In the foreground, the strong point is a reclining cat bringing a high contrast in density along with the opposition of his bright gaze with the inactive attitude of the sleeping goddess.
This large size artwork 98 x 163 cm was sold for £ 1.2 million including premium by Sotheby's on February 5, 2014. It is estimated HK $ 20M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 3, lot 1035.
Like the other artists, Foujita seeks and finds the ideal woman in Montparnasse. He marries Fernande and paints nudes of Kiki. The whiteness of Lucienne's skin brings to him a new artistic impulse. He nicknames her Youki which means Little snow.
Now his paintings must present the expressionist effect of the perfect woman. He covers the canvas with white or ivory paint on which he draws the nude in ink by a thin and sharp line before completing the work by the transparent color of skin and hair.
The hedonistic life of Montparnasse does not invite to fidelity. In 1930 Youki leaves Foujita for loving Desnos. The painter nevertheless continues his aesthetic quest and copies a 1924 modello showing Youki sleeping naked on a bed with her arm and her long hair carelessly flowing to the floor.
The ideal and diaphanous woman occupies the upper part of the picture. In the foreground, the strong point is a reclining cat bringing a high contrast in density along with the opposition of his bright gaze with the inactive attitude of the sleeping goddess.
This large size artwork 98 x 163 cm was sold for £ 1.2 million including premium by Sotheby's on February 5, 2014. It is estimated HK $ 20M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 3, lot 1035.
1931 The Trusting Leopard
2017 SOLD for HK$ 80M including premium
Born in a family of wealthy silk industrialists, Sanyu had early skills for black ink and calligraphy. He developed his personal art in Paris by drawing the nude bodies of the women with a minimalist undulating line that accentuated the erotic invitation.
Supported by Henri-Pierre Roché from 1929 to 1932, Sanyu perfected his oil painting, experienced the drypoint engraving and found other themes.
On September 30 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells as lot 1018Léopard, an oil on canvas 93 x 116 cm painted in 1931 which had originally belonged to Roché. The near life size leopard is sketched by the white lines delineating the body and by the circles of the spots in a figure that hardly stands out from a black background interspersed with irregular white stripes.
The four legs and the tail upwards, the wild animal offers its belly in the attitude of a trusting cat requesting a caress. At that time of crisis when financial difficulties arise for Sanyu, this artwork transposes his desire for a cosy well-being.
Accumulating the originality of the camouflaged line, the large size, the attitude of joy, the joint inspiration from classical China and modern Art Déco and the minimalism of black and white, this nice feline has few equivalents in the art of Sanyu. The auction house does not reveal the estimate.
Please watch the short video shared by Sotheby's.
Supported by Henri-Pierre Roché from 1929 to 1932, Sanyu perfected his oil painting, experienced the drypoint engraving and found other themes.
On September 30 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells as lot 1018Léopard, an oil on canvas 93 x 116 cm painted in 1931 which had originally belonged to Roché. The near life size leopard is sketched by the white lines delineating the body and by the circles of the spots in a figure that hardly stands out from a black background interspersed with irregular white stripes.
The four legs and the tail upwards, the wild animal offers its belly in the attitude of a trusting cat requesting a caress. At that time of crisis when financial difficulties arise for Sanyu, this artwork transposes his desire for a cosy well-being.
Accumulating the originality of the camouflaged line, the large size, the attitude of joy, the joint inspiration from classical China and modern Art Déco and the minimalism of black and white, this nice feline has few equivalents in the art of Sanyu. The auction house does not reveal the estimate.
Please watch the short video shared by Sotheby's.
1952 Cartier's Bestiary
2010 SOLD 4.5 M£ including premium
Jewelry is an austere art, in search of purity and perfection. Louis Cartier had the audacity and talent to ignore this statement. The jewelry created by his brand assembled quality gems to illustrate figurative themes, often floral or animal. It is not fancy but all refinement and good taste.
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor especially appreciated for years the works created by Jeanne Toussaint, director of high jewelry at Cartier.
Two jewels that had participated in the fabulous sale of the Windsor jewels in April 1987 at Sotheby's in Geneva come back to the same auction house in London on November 30. Each one is estimated 1 million pounds.
The most ancient, purchased by the Duchess in 1940, is a very elegant flamingo brooch made of ruby, sapphire, emerald, citrine and diamonds. Designed in 1952, the other jewel is an original panther bracelet in onyx and diamonds. Both are illustrated in the article shared by Bloomberg.
The compositions of colored gems promoted by Cartier were not only figurative. Jeanne Toussaint had developed in the 1920s these tutti frutti bracelets that were the most original jewelry of that time.
POST SALE COMMENT
The remarkable panther bracelet, designed to undulate around the wrist, was sold £ 4.5 million including premium, far above its estimate.
The flamingo brooch also got a very good price: £ 1.7 million including premium.
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor especially appreciated for years the works created by Jeanne Toussaint, director of high jewelry at Cartier.
Two jewels that had participated in the fabulous sale of the Windsor jewels in April 1987 at Sotheby's in Geneva come back to the same auction house in London on November 30. Each one is estimated 1 million pounds.
The most ancient, purchased by the Duchess in 1940, is a very elegant flamingo brooch made of ruby, sapphire, emerald, citrine and diamonds. Designed in 1952, the other jewel is an original panther bracelet in onyx and diamonds. Both are illustrated in the article shared by Bloomberg.
The compositions of colored gems promoted by Cartier were not only figurative. Jeanne Toussaint had developed in the 1920s these tutti frutti bracelets that were the most original jewelry of that time.
POST SALE COMMENT
The remarkable panther bracelet, designed to undulate around the wrist, was sold £ 4.5 million including premium, far above its estimate.
The flamingo brooch also got a very good price: £ 1.7 million including premium.
1955 Le Chat, bronze by Giacometti
2010 SOLD 21 M$ including premium by Christie's
1988 The Artist's Proof of the Pink Panther
2011 SOLD for $ 16.9M including premium
2014 SOLD for $ 16M including premium
PRE 2014 SALE DISCUSSION
On May 10, 2011, Sotheby's sold for $ 16.9M including premium the artist's proof of the Pink Panther by Jeff Koons. This result went below the lower estimate of $ 20M which had been highly ambitious for a porcelain.
This piece is now listed in the evening sale of Christie's in New York on November 12 with an estimate range of $ 8M to 12M.
Here is my previous discussion :
Jeff Koons became famous in 1988 by projecting into art his idea of the kitsch. Precisely, the most complex and most famous of his works of these series comes for sale.
Upon such a prelude, the apologists of Koons understand that the theme of today is the Pink Panther. Look at it in the illustration of the press release shared by Artdaily (in 2011).
A young blonde woman is shown at mid-length, naked above the waist (but dressed below). She is closely pressing the pink panther on her breast. It is a porcelain group 1.04 meter high, life size, from an edition of three plus the artist proof coming in this sale.
This embracing couple is not Rodin's Kiss: it indeed has humor in addition. The contrast is striking between the ecstatic attitude of the pin-up blonde and the boring mood of the animal wondering if he really did well in superseding Teddy Bear for the outbursts of feelings of his partner.
Appropriation, banality, false naivete, humor in the style of Playboy magazine : all these features enable to qualify this sculpture as iconic.
I add a word to my French speaking friends who often believe that the Pink Panther is a female due to of an ambiguity in the French language. This character is a male in his adventures in comics and movies, and there is no homosexual message in this masterpiece of Koons.
On May 10, 2011, Sotheby's sold for $ 16.9M including premium the artist's proof of the Pink Panther by Jeff Koons. This result went below the lower estimate of $ 20M which had been highly ambitious for a porcelain.
This piece is now listed in the evening sale of Christie's in New York on November 12 with an estimate range of $ 8M to 12M.
Here is my previous discussion :
Jeff Koons became famous in 1988 by projecting into art his idea of the kitsch. Precisely, the most complex and most famous of his works of these series comes for sale.
Upon such a prelude, the apologists of Koons understand that the theme of today is the Pink Panther. Look at it in the illustration of the press release shared by Artdaily (in 2011).
A young blonde woman is shown at mid-length, naked above the waist (but dressed below). She is closely pressing the pink panther on her breast. It is a porcelain group 1.04 meter high, life size, from an edition of three plus the artist proof coming in this sale.
This embracing couple is not Rodin's Kiss: it indeed has humor in addition. The contrast is striking between the ecstatic attitude of the pin-up blonde and the boring mood of the animal wondering if he really did well in superseding Teddy Bear for the outbursts of feelings of his partner.
Appropriation, banality, false naivete, humor in the style of Playboy magazine : all these features enable to qualify this sculpture as iconic.
I add a word to my French speaking friends who often believe that the Pink Panther is a female due to of an ambiguity in the French language. This character is a male in his adventures in comics and movies, and there is no homosexual message in this masterpiece of Koons.
2010 The Contemporary Leopard
2011 SOLD 36 MHK$ with no buyer's premium applied
The initiative might seem strange, but in fact it is quite interesting. Just before its sales in Hong Kong, Christie's is devoting an exhibition titled "Being" to thirty very recent works by Zeng Fanzhi.
"Being" is the being that inhabits our planet. And Zeng, aged 47, has just changed his style and theme.
He is one of the top Chinese contemporary artists, best known for his portraits and scenes of ordinary characters who attract no empathy as they seem not to think about anything.
The new momentum of conservationism by Zeng is indeed in the same logic: the Earth does not belong to these useless people, but to the plants and animals that inhabit it for so long.
At the request of Christie's, the artist himself has chosen one of his works to be auctioned on May 28 on the benefit of environmental organizations. He donates a superb leopard, oil on canvas painted in 2010, 280 x 180 cm, shown on the release shared by Artdaily.
It is night. Flakes fall. The animal in the snow is on the lookout. It is right to be suspicious, because it is already joined by civilization. It is suddenly lit from below, as if it is in the headlights of a car. It is a work of great activist power, estimated HK $ 6M.
POST SALE COMMENTS
1
The result, HK $ 41M including premium, validates in an extraordinary way the choice made by the artist himself for this sale. It is absolutely remarkable that such a recent work reaches such a high price.
2
The price recorded above is still visible in the catalog. It is exactly HK $ 40,980,000. The price quoted in the press release is HK $ 36M. I guess the difference is due to the fact that the buyer's premium should not be applied (or not applied in its entirety) because it is a charity lot.
"Being" is the being that inhabits our planet. And Zeng, aged 47, has just changed his style and theme.
He is one of the top Chinese contemporary artists, best known for his portraits and scenes of ordinary characters who attract no empathy as they seem not to think about anything.
The new momentum of conservationism by Zeng is indeed in the same logic: the Earth does not belong to these useless people, but to the plants and animals that inhabit it for so long.
At the request of Christie's, the artist himself has chosen one of his works to be auctioned on May 28 on the benefit of environmental organizations. He donates a superb leopard, oil on canvas painted in 2010, 280 x 180 cm, shown on the release shared by Artdaily.
It is night. Flakes fall. The animal in the snow is on the lookout. It is right to be suspicious, because it is already joined by civilization. It is suddenly lit from below, as if it is in the headlights of a car. It is a work of great activist power, estimated HK $ 6M.
POST SALE COMMENTS
1
The result, HK $ 41M including premium, validates in an extraordinary way the choice made by the artist himself for this sale. It is absolutely remarkable that such a recent work reaches such a high price.
2
The price recorded above is still visible in the catalog. It is exactly HK $ 40,980,000. The price quoted in the press release is HK $ 36M. I guess the difference is due to the fact that the buyer's premium should not be applied (or not applied in its entirety) because it is a charity lot.
