HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s Hong Kong’s sale of Modern and Contemporary Asian Art will present more than 280 lots estimated in excess of HK$100 million / US$12.8 million* in the Modern and Contemporary Asian Art Evening Sale (4 October) and Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art Day Sale (5 October). Offering the largest Evening Sale grouping for the category encompassing 25 lots, the 4 October sale will be led by five modern Indonesian masterpieces from A Distinguished Private Asian Collection, including representative works by Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur de Merprès and Hendra Gunawan. A meticulously curated assemblage of abstract art, as well as inspiring creations by emerging artists in the region, are also set to dazzle collectors with the unique diversity of Southeast Asian art.

Mok Kim Chuan, Sotheby’s Head of Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art, says, “Amid the global, exponential surge of interest in Southeast Asian art, we are delighted to present the largest grouping of Southeast Asian artworks at the Modern & Contemporary Asian Art Evening Sale. The diverse array of works caters to both established and new collectors with a remarkable set of modern Indonesian masterworks from A Distinguished Private Asian Collection, alongside iconic paintings by such representative artists from the region as Miguel Covarrubias and Chen Wen Hsi. Building on the success of our April sale, this season we will once again bring together a meticulous selection of works that showcase the evolution of Southeast Asia’s abstract art and the region’s distinct artistic identity.”

IMPORTANT PIECES BY SOUTHEAST ASIAN MASTERS
Modern and Contemporary Art Evening Sale (4 October)

Miguel Covarrubias (1904 – 1957)
Every Night is Festival Night
Circa 1932, gouache and watercolour on paper, 56 x 37 cm
Est. HK$1.6 – 2.2 million / US$205,000 – 282,000
Modern Mexican artist Miguel Covarrubias’ momentous painting Every Night is Festival Night epitomises the synchronous coexistence of spirituality, craftsmanship, music and social order in Balinese circadian life. In 1930, Covarrubias travelled to Bali as a newlywed with his wife. From that time onward, he explored the enchanting culture of the island’s indigenous people. This iconic painting is arguably one of Covarrubias’ most celebrated works from his sojourn in Bali. Its romanticised scene overtly reveals the artist’s sincere fascination with the esoteric mores of the Balinese people.

Affandi (1907 – 1990)
Self Portrait
1976, oil on canvas, 120 x 97 cm
HK$3.2 – 5 million / US$413,000 – 645,000
Created in 1976, Self Portrait was painted during the prime of modern Indonesian artist Affandi’s life. It is now offered for the first time at auction. The artist’s signature artistic vocabularies – directly-applied paint, expressive lines, and overlapping colours – are evident, as is a sun, one of his longstanding favoured motifs. His regard for the sun as the indispensable source of the natural life forces compelled his contemplation on the existence of nature and the vicissitude of life.

Chen Wen Hsi (1906 – 1992)
Wooden Houses
Oil on canvas, 79.7 x 100 cm
Est. HK$5 – 7 million / US$645,000 – 905,000
An arresting work by Singaporean modern master Chen Wen Hsi, Wooden Houses is a prime exemplar of the artist’s exploration of semi-abstraction, Fauvism and Cubism. Rather than emulating the details of Singapore’s traditional wooden houses, he confidently captures the sensations he experienced viewing them, immortalising his fleeting perception. Strictly concerning himself with composition, three-dimensional illusion and colour relationships, he reduces the townscape to its purest, most basic forms. Appearing at auction for the first time this October, the current painting was previously selected to be exhibited at the Singapore Art Museum’s Convergences: Chen Wen Hsi Centennial Exhibition (2006-07) and Singapore National Museum Art Gallery’s Chen Wen Hsi Retrospective (1982).

Ronald Ventura (b. 1973)
Uproar
2014, oil on canvas, 152 x 213 cm
Est. HK$1- 1.5 million / US$129,000 – 194,000
Uproar is a continuation of contemporary Filipino artist Ronald Ventura’s exploration of the physical environment as seen through a surrealistic-inspired framework. Two characters depicted in the current work represent the breakdown of the co-existence of man and beast. A woman with the head of a lioness is juxtaposed with a male lion, one embodying the duality of reason and instinct, the other solely animalistic. Largely absent of the cartoon figures for which Ventura is renowned, Uproar is perhaps a more introspective piece from the artist’s oeuvre.

MYSTIQUE AND SOUL: SPLENDOR IN THE BALINESE TROPICS
Property from a Distinguished Private Asian Collection
Modern and Contemporary Art Evening Sale (4 October)
A major highlight of the Autumn 2015 season is a remarkable compendium of works from a distinguished private Asian collection, featuring five important paintings from Indonesia. These diverse works are a testament to Indonesia’s rich history as an enclave for fine art.

From romanticised renderings painted through the lens of an Indo-European artist, to works by zealous visionaries of modern Indonesia, this impressive collection traces the development of 20th century art in Indonesia. Key works on offer this Autumn include Indo-European artist Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur de Merprès striking painting Nine Women by a Lotus Pond depicting a traditional Balinese dance, as well as a monumental piece by Indonesian modern master Hendra Gunawan that captures his adoration of the women who, through their symbiotic relationship with their native land, perpetuate a nation’s way of life.

ABSTRACT ART OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
Evening Sale and Day Sale (4 & 5 October)
Provocative, subversive and philosophical, abstract art in Southeast Asia departs from existing paradigms of the genre. This autumn, Sotheby’s survey of abstraction in Southeast Asia continues, with pieces from the modern period through present day offered in both the Evening and Day Sale on 4 and 5 October. Works by modern artists such as Cheong Soo-Pieng, Hernando Ruiz Ocampo, Latiff Mohidin and Fernando Zobel are presented alongside their contemporary counterparts Jane Lee, Ay Tjoe Christine and Pham An Hai, among others.

EMERGING ARTISTS AT AUCTION
Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art Day Sale (5 October)
In addition to established artists, the autumn sale will also introduce moving works by a group of talented emerging artists, many of them making their debut at auction, including Brian Uhing and Hanna Pettyjohn from The Philippines, and Yuree Kensaku and Pinaree Sanpitak from Thailand.