Current Art
2010 The Animal Power
2015 SOLD for £ 3.45M including premium
The son of a poet persecuted by the Cultural Revolution, Ai Weiwei decides to become a nonconformist, resolutely supporting the people against the elite through an activism whose international visibility in turn annoys the government.
Chinese traditional artists knew to imitate the works of their predecessors in a process that incompetent Westerners denounced as fake and plagiarism. Ai recovers ancient themes with his humor that integrates the American Pop Art and Mickey Mouse.
In 2010, the theme of the twelve animals from the zodiac fountain of the imperial palace appeals to him both because it directly concerns the relations between China and the West and by the ambiguity of its social significance. This zodiac had been an issue with France in the previous year when two elements in the Saint-Laurent - Bergé collection were offered at auction.
Ai carved the figures of the twelve heads, including the five that have not resurfaced after the sack of the palace of the Qing. He enhances the sculpture by detailing hair or feather in a texture unrelated to the original Chinese art.
The double title of this set, Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads, adds to the duality of the political message, modern and ancient, international and Chinese, symbolic and esoteric. It is perhaps also an allusion to the political fable in which Orwell gave the power to the animals.
In this zodiac, Ai does not only view the spoliation. He considers the difference between the imperial fountain offered to the pleasure of a restricted court and his own art that is exhibited to the general public during international tours.
The bronzes were made in two sizes. The smaller version is gold plated. It was edited in eight copies plus four artist's proofs. No. 7/8 was sold for £ 2.9 million including premium by Phillips on 12 February 2015.
The elements of the monumental version, not golden, vary around 3 meters high, or more when including the horns of the dragon and the crest of the rooster. It was edited in six copies plus two artist's proofs. The number 1/6 is estimated £ 3M for sale by Phillips in London on June 29, lot 23.
Chinese traditional artists knew to imitate the works of their predecessors in a process that incompetent Westerners denounced as fake and plagiarism. Ai recovers ancient themes with his humor that integrates the American Pop Art and Mickey Mouse.
In 2010, the theme of the twelve animals from the zodiac fountain of the imperial palace appeals to him both because it directly concerns the relations between China and the West and by the ambiguity of its social significance. This zodiac had been an issue with France in the previous year when two elements in the Saint-Laurent - Bergé collection were offered at auction.
Ai carved the figures of the twelve heads, including the five that have not resurfaced after the sack of the palace of the Qing. He enhances the sculpture by detailing hair or feather in a texture unrelated to the original Chinese art.
The double title of this set, Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads, adds to the duality of the political message, modern and ancient, international and Chinese, symbolic and esoteric. It is perhaps also an allusion to the political fable in which Orwell gave the power to the animals.
In this zodiac, Ai does not only view the spoliation. He considers the difference between the imperial fountain offered to the pleasure of a restricted court and his own art that is exhibited to the general public during international tours.
The bronzes were made in two sizes. The smaller version is gold plated. It was edited in eight copies plus four artist's proofs. No. 7/8 was sold for £ 2.9 million including premium by Phillips on 12 February 2015.
The elements of the monumental version, not golden, vary around 3 meters high, or more when including the horns of the dragon and the crest of the rooster. It was edited in six copies plus two artist's proofs. The number 1/6 is estimated £ 3M for sale by Phillips in London on June 29, lot 23.
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.
"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.
2010 Ai Weiwei Rebuilds the Zodiac
2015 SOLD for £ 2.9M including premium
During a long stay in the United States, Ai Weiwei had met Allen Ginsberg and viewed the ready mades by Duchamp. He became a socially rebellious artist, often subject to reprisals by the Chinese government.
This dual Chinese and Western influences has made him sensitive to the scandal of the looting of the zodiac statues at the Imperial Palace in 1860. These elements of the fountain created for Qianlong from a design by Castiglione were a very rare example of art combining both cultures.
The controversy broke out in 2009 when Christie's offered at auction two animal heads from the fountain, rat and rabbit, then part of the Saint-Laurent-Bergé collection. The top biddings were made by a Chinese client who immediately refused to pay for these lots that the Chinese considered as an emblem. Pierre Bergé refused to negotiate and advanced arguments in favor of the respect for human rights in China.
In 2010, Ai Weiwei reinterprets the twelve animal heads, including the five that have not resurfaced, in two versions of different sizes. The figures mounted on a pedestal have become pleasant and smiling.
The installation of twelve gilded bronzes of the smaller version was published in 8 copies plus 4 artist's proofs. The group number 7 is estimated £ 2M for sale by Phillips in London on February 12,lot 8.
The rat and rabbit from Qianlong's fountain were eventually presented to China in 2013.
This dual Chinese and Western influences has made him sensitive to the scandal of the looting of the zodiac statues at the Imperial Palace in 1860. These elements of the fountain created for Qianlong from a design by Castiglione were a very rare example of art combining both cultures.
The controversy broke out in 2009 when Christie's offered at auction two animal heads from the fountain, rat and rabbit, then part of the Saint-Laurent-Bergé collection. The top biddings were made by a Chinese client who immediately refused to pay for these lots that the Chinese considered as an emblem. Pierre Bergé refused to negotiate and advanced arguments in favor of the respect for human rights in China.
In 2010, Ai Weiwei reinterprets the twelve animal heads, including the five that have not resurfaced, in two versions of different sizes. The figures mounted on a pedestal have become pleasant and smiling.
The installation of twelve gilded bronzes of the smaller version was published in 8 copies plus 4 artist's proofs. The group number 7 is estimated £ 2M for sale by Phillips in London on February 12,lot 8.
The rat and rabbit from Qianlong's fountain were eventually presented to China in 2013.
2011 Spinach in Art
2014 SOLD 28 M$ including premium
The series of the Celebrations brought to the art of Koons a universal language and a flawless and inimitable technique, with its pure colors in transparent coating onto a perfectly polished stainless steel. A come back to American kitsch was tempting. Koons highlighted Popeye.
This is a clever choice. The image of Popeye, created in 1929, is recognized worldwide. This character has a gruff and whimsical behavior that appeals to Americans. He is never completely caught by his stupidity offset by a large dose of sentimentality.
Popeye would not exist without his spinach box, which provides him with oversized forearms and an invincible strength. Koons notes that spinach transforms this character same as art transforms the reality of life. Popeye is the precursor of these superhuman heroes led by Superman who managed to brighten the Americans at the height of the Great Depression.
His name is an allusion to his pirate eye. Meanwhile, the pop art has gone. Koons offers a sign of connivence to pop art that is indeed a tribute to his predecessors Warhol, Lichtenstein and Mel Ramos.
As for the Celebrations, the statue has two dates, from design to completion. This 2 m high Popeye, dated 2009-2011, was edited in four units plus one artist's proof.
One of them is for sale by Sotheby's in New York on May 14. The press release issued on April 11 announced an estimate around $ 25M. I invite you to play the short video shared by Sotheby's for introducing this lot.
The above video was only a short preview. I invite you now to play the full length video shared by Sotheby's.
POST SALE COMMENT
This very recent work was sold for $ 28M including premium.
This is a clever choice. The image of Popeye, created in 1929, is recognized worldwide. This character has a gruff and whimsical behavior that appeals to Americans. He is never completely caught by his stupidity offset by a large dose of sentimentality.
Popeye would not exist without his spinach box, which provides him with oversized forearms and an invincible strength. Koons notes that spinach transforms this character same as art transforms the reality of life. Popeye is the precursor of these superhuman heroes led by Superman who managed to brighten the Americans at the height of the Great Depression.
His name is an allusion to his pirate eye. Meanwhile, the pop art has gone. Koons offers a sign of connivence to pop art that is indeed a tribute to his predecessors Warhol, Lichtenstein and Mel Ramos.
As for the Celebrations, the statue has two dates, from design to completion. This 2 m high Popeye, dated 2009-2011, was edited in four units plus one artist's proof.
One of them is for sale by Sotheby's in New York on May 14. The press release issued on April 11 announced an estimate around $ 25M. I invite you to play the short video shared by Sotheby's for introducing this lot.
The above video was only a short preview. I invite you now to play the full length video shared by Sotheby's.
POST SALE COMMENT
This very recent work was sold for $ 28M including premium.
2012 The Soft Walls of Rudolf Stingel
2017 SOLD for $ 6.9M including premium
With Felix Gonzalez-Torres and later with Rudolf Stingel the anonymous observer participates in the creation. We remember a Gonzalez-Torres carpet of candies from which a young child innocent of art took some samples.
Stingel displays on the floor the carpets in which the visitors of his exhibitions leave the mark of their footsteps. The effect is improved when the boots are previously dipped in lacquer. He covers the walls with aluminum plates and invites the complaisant crowd to incise graffiti on this malleable surface. The artist intervenes again when the aluminum is sufficiently covered and molds that collective graffiti on a plate of copper.
Stingel exhibited this art in 2007 with plates of silver-electroplated copper. In 2012 with the support of Gagosian he realizes gilded walls with a similar technique in panels of individual plates 120 x 120 cm and 4 cm thick.
A 240 x 240 cm four element gilt panel was sold for $ 4.8M including premium by Phillips on May 14, 2015. A similar work is estimated $ 4.5M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 17, lot 45 B.
A wall of six gilt plates for an overall surface of 240 x 360 cm is estimated $ 5M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on May 18, lot 5. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
RESULTS INCLUDING PREMIUM :
Christie's : $ 6.7M
Sotheby's : $ 6.9M
Stingel displays on the floor the carpets in which the visitors of his exhibitions leave the mark of their footsteps. The effect is improved when the boots are previously dipped in lacquer. He covers the walls with aluminum plates and invites the complaisant crowd to incise graffiti on this malleable surface. The artist intervenes again when the aluminum is sufficiently covered and molds that collective graffiti on a plate of copper.
Stingel exhibited this art in 2007 with plates of silver-electroplated copper. In 2012 with the support of Gagosian he realizes gilded walls with a similar technique in panels of individual plates 120 x 120 cm and 4 cm thick.
A 240 x 240 cm four element gilt panel was sold for $ 4.8M including premium by Phillips on May 14, 2015. A similar work is estimated $ 4.5M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 17, lot 45 B.
A wall of six gilt plates for an overall surface of 240 x 360 cm is estimated $ 5M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on May 18, lot 5. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
RESULTS INCLUDING PREMIUM :
Christie's : $ 6.7M
Sotheby's : $ 6.9M
2012 Gilt Graffiti by Rudolf Stingel
2015 SOLD for $ 4.8M including premium
Rudolf Stingel was not satisfied with his monochromatic art. His exhibitions reserve rooms inviting visitors to carve their emotions into soft aluminum walls. The artist then chooses some inscribed areas which he molds to carry out his final work, pushing away the conventional boundaries between art and its spectator.
Stingel is also a theorist who cares to reveal his intentions to better demystify the role of the artist in the creation of art. Recovering a message without consistency from the crowd, he goes beyond the proto-writing of Twombly.
In 2012, his works have been finished in gold through a nickel layer on an electrolytic copper substrate. Gold exacerbates the trivial message of the anonymous crowd in this collective creation where the artist is now a foreman responsible for the choice of the final assembly. The slightly undulating surface brings contrasts of light.
An example 118 x 120 cm was sold for £ 840K including premium by Phillips on July 2, 2014.
The artwork for sale by the same auction house on May 14 in New York is more ambitious. It consists of a square of four panels 120 x 120 x 3.8 cm each of them entirely covered with many graffiti. It is estimated $ 4M, lot 10.
Stingel is also a theorist who cares to reveal his intentions to better demystify the role of the artist in the creation of art. Recovering a message without consistency from the crowd, he goes beyond the proto-writing of Twombly.
In 2012, his works have been finished in gold through a nickel layer on an electrolytic copper substrate. Gold exacerbates the trivial message of the anonymous crowd in this collective creation where the artist is now a foreman responsible for the choice of the final assembly. The slightly undulating surface brings contrasts of light.
An example 118 x 120 cm was sold for £ 840K including premium by Phillips on July 2, 2014.
The artwork for sale by the same auction house on May 14 in New York is more ambitious. It consists of a square of four panels 120 x 120 x 3.8 cm each of them entirely covered with many graffiti. It is estimated $ 4M, lot 10.
2013 Eternal Snows of Today
2016 SOLD for HK$ 306M including premium
Cui Ruzhuo assembles polyptychs composed of vertical panels painted in ink and wash. A single gigantic work may occupy a full wall in an exhibition. His inspiration may be compared to the circular room of the Grandes Décorations of Monet's pond while a direct influence of Monet's art on Cui is unlikely.
The themes chosen by Cui appeal to the Chinese sensitivity and his art is virtually unknown outside China. On the theme of the lotus, an assembly of eight scrolls 247 x 123 cm each was sold for HK $ 123M including premium by Christie's on 29 November 2011, the very year of the creation of that work.
The favorite theme of Cui is the unlimited landscape of snowy mountains, eternally indifferent to men. A set of eight panels made in 2005 for a total size of 202 x 988 cm was sold for HK $ 77M including premium by Christie's on May 28, 2013.
Poly Auction regularly includes in its sales a session entirely devoted to Cui. An unfragmented hand scroll of snowy mountains 36 m long made in 2006 was sold for HK $ 184M including premium on April 7, 2014.
On April 4 at Hong Kong, Poly sells 'Grand snowing mountains' inspired by Jiangnan, mounted set of eight panels made in 2013 to an overall size of 300 x 873 cm, lot 1213 estimated HK $ 150M, illustrated in Section V of the press release of the sale.
This work had been sold for HK $ 236M including premium by Poly on 7 April 2015. Announced at that time as a record for the artist, this result is not quoted in the press release of the next sale. I guess that it is listed again because it had not been paid. The similarity between the two lots leaves no doubt that it is the same piece.
The themes chosen by Cui appeal to the Chinese sensitivity and his art is virtually unknown outside China. On the theme of the lotus, an assembly of eight scrolls 247 x 123 cm each was sold for HK $ 123M including premium by Christie's on 29 November 2011, the very year of the creation of that work.
The favorite theme of Cui is the unlimited landscape of snowy mountains, eternally indifferent to men. A set of eight panels made in 2005 for a total size of 202 x 988 cm was sold for HK $ 77M including premium by Christie's on May 28, 2013.
Poly Auction regularly includes in its sales a session entirely devoted to Cui. An unfragmented hand scroll of snowy mountains 36 m long made in 2006 was sold for HK $ 184M including premium on April 7, 2014.
On April 4 at Hong Kong, Poly sells 'Grand snowing mountains' inspired by Jiangnan, mounted set of eight panels made in 2013 to an overall size of 300 x 873 cm, lot 1213 estimated HK $ 150M, illustrated in Section V of the press release of the sale.
This work had been sold for HK $ 236M including premium by Poly on 7 April 2015. Announced at that time as a record for the artist, this result is not quoted in the press release of the next sale. I guess that it is listed again because it had not been paid. The similarity between the two lots leaves no doubt that it is the same piece.
2013 The Art of the Five Vidyas
2015 SOLD for $ 10.2M before fees
The Vidyas are the concepts that oppose ignorance to explain the universe. The five major Vidyas are logic, healing, communication, art and enlightenment. Wan Ko Yee is a master of the Vidyas. Doctor in Buddhism, philosophy, art, calligraphy and painting in 1999, he is also a fellow of the Royal Academy of Arts. He lives in California.
This highly respected personality is recognized since 2008 as an incarnation of the most important Buddha and is now named His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III. In 2011 he received the World Peace Prize, an interfaith prize that is often awarded to heads of state. A museum is dedicated to his art and to his cultural work in Covina CA.
His graphic art is varied and fits into the modern world while respecting traditional techniques. His favorite themes are plants, animals and landscapes. His use of inks in vibrant colors is in the following of the Chinese art of the twentieth century by Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian and Wu Guanzhong, for example.
The figuration of simple themes is an opening to the complexity and subtlety of nature. Lotus Ink expresses how beauty can come out of chaos. This artwork was sold for $ 16.5 million before fees by Gianguan Auctions in March 2015.
On September 12 in New York, Gianguan Auctions sells Loquat, ink and color 80 x 70 cm on paper hanging scroll painted in 2013, lot 79 here linked on the Invaluable bidding platform, estimated $ 9M.
The image shows the fruits, leaves and branches of a loquat. The intention of the artist is to demonstrate that perfection can be reached in a light and airy composition. It is confirmed by a calligraphic text that subtly takes the shape of an additional branch of the plant.
His Holiness is a skilled artist whose hand does not shake. Loquat was realized without a preliminary drawing and without rework, with a nice contrast of ink density in twigs and leaves.
This highly respected personality is recognized since 2008 as an incarnation of the most important Buddha and is now named His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III. In 2011 he received the World Peace Prize, an interfaith prize that is often awarded to heads of state. A museum is dedicated to his art and to his cultural work in Covina CA.
His graphic art is varied and fits into the modern world while respecting traditional techniques. His favorite themes are plants, animals and landscapes. His use of inks in vibrant colors is in the following of the Chinese art of the twentieth century by Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian and Wu Guanzhong, for example.
The figuration of simple themes is an opening to the complexity and subtlety of nature. Lotus Ink expresses how beauty can come out of chaos. This artwork was sold for $ 16.5 million before fees by Gianguan Auctions in March 2015.
On September 12 in New York, Gianguan Auctions sells Loquat, ink and color 80 x 70 cm on paper hanging scroll painted in 2013, lot 79 here linked on the Invaluable bidding platform, estimated $ 9M.
The image shows the fruits, leaves and branches of a loquat. The intention of the artist is to demonstrate that perfection can be reached in a light and airy composition. It is confirmed by a calligraphic text that subtly takes the shape of an additional branch of the plant.
His Holiness is a skilled artist whose hand does not shake. Loquat was realized without a preliminary drawing and without rework, with a nice contrast of ink density in twigs and leaves.
2014 Koons on the Mound
2018 SOLD for $ 23M including premium
The original artist is a toddler named Ludwig Koons. He plays to triturate Play-Doh multicolored modeling clay, a trademark of Hasbro. Posterity has forever retained this dialogue with his father : Ludwig: "Daddy !" Jeff: "What ?" Ludwig: "Voilà !".
The story takes place in 1994 when Jeff Koons is conceiving as a whole his series of Celebrations. Ludwig's achievement is a formless mound but composed of bright and varied colors. Jeff is not an abstract artist. It does not matter. He will justify the insertion of Play-Doh in his list of Celebrations by the fact that it is a toy that will remind for the visitor the happiness of childhood.
The expectation lasted until 2014 when Play-Doh was released in five copies with different color configurations according to the immutable process for this series. Composed of 27 painted aluminum plates, it measures 315 x 387 x 348 cm, slightly higher than the Balloon Dog.
The delay was long but Jeff Koons turns it to his advantage : it was necessary that the joining of the plates and the surface finish reach perfection. It is true that this surface simulating the impact of touch by the fingers of the toddler is the most complex of the Celebration series. An early trial in polyethylene had not given him satisfaction.
One of the five Play-Dohs will be sold by Christie's in New York on May 17 as lot 12 B. The April 9 press release announces an estimate in the region of $ 20M. Please watch the video shared by the auction house where the lot is discussed by Jeff Koons.
The story takes place in 1994 when Jeff Koons is conceiving as a whole his series of Celebrations. Ludwig's achievement is a formless mound but composed of bright and varied colors. Jeff is not an abstract artist. It does not matter. He will justify the insertion of Play-Doh in his list of Celebrations by the fact that it is a toy that will remind for the visitor the happiness of childhood.
The expectation lasted until 2014 when Play-Doh was released in five copies with different color configurations according to the immutable process for this series. Composed of 27 painted aluminum plates, it measures 315 x 387 x 348 cm, slightly higher than the Balloon Dog.
The delay was long but Jeff Koons turns it to his advantage : it was necessary that the joining of the plates and the surface finish reach perfection. It is true that this surface simulating the impact of touch by the fingers of the toddler is the most complex of the Celebration series. An early trial in polyethylene had not given him satisfaction.
One of the five Play-Dohs will be sold by Christie's in New York on May 17 as lot 12 B. The April 9 press release announces an estimate in the region of $ 20M. Please watch the video shared by the auction house where the lot is discussed by Jeff Koons.
2015 Blurred Faces and Long Coats
2016 SOLD for $ 3.95M including premium
Adrian Ghenie lived his childhood during the dictatorship of Ceausescu. He understands and expresses the fragility of modern life where political horror remains possible.
The men in his paintings, with their old-fashioned hats and long coats, destroyed their own lives by destroying the others. The artist replaces the face by a swollen flesh without a detail. In the difficulty of defining an acceptable life, he did the same in his self-portraits.
Nickelodeon shows a group from the Nomenklatura in an atmosphere of anxiety. This painting 238 x 414 cm executed in 2008 was sold for £ 7.1 million including premium by Christie's on October 6, 2016.
The artist continues with the same style. On November 15 in New York, Christie's sells The Bridge, oil on canvas 230 x 200 cm painted in 2015, lot 19 A estimated $ 1.5M.
The old bridge over the river in an unidentified city is focused. The rest of the image including the traffic on the bridge is clouded by undulating lines. The silhouette of a lone man emerges : he is standing and watches the water. Why would he have stopped his activity except to think about his suicide ? He has no identity and his life had been useless.
The men in his paintings, with their old-fashioned hats and long coats, destroyed their own lives by destroying the others. The artist replaces the face by a swollen flesh without a detail. In the difficulty of defining an acceptable life, he did the same in his self-portraits.
Nickelodeon shows a group from the Nomenklatura in an atmosphere of anxiety. This painting 238 x 414 cm executed in 2008 was sold for £ 7.1 million including premium by Christie's on October 6, 2016.
The artist continues with the same style. On November 15 in New York, Christie's sells The Bridge, oil on canvas 230 x 200 cm painted in 2015, lot 19 A estimated $ 1.5M.
The old bridge over the river in an unidentified city is focused. The rest of the image including the traffic on the bridge is clouded by undulating lines. The silhouette of a lone man emerges : he is standing and watches the water. Why would he have stopped his activity except to think about his suicide ? He has no identity and his life had been useless.