HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s Hong Kong Spring Sale Series 2016 will take place from 2 – 6 April at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. This season’s Modern Asian Art sales explore the ways in which modern Asian artists understand, reflect upon and reaffirm the value of their heritage in dialogue with Western modes of cultural exchange. Magnificent artworks created by these artists will be offered in the Modern and Contemporary Art Evening Sale (3 April) and Modern Asian Art Day Sale (4 April), highlighted by two masterpieces of nudes by Xu Beihong and Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita, created during their respective times in Paris; three monumental paintings by Wang Huaiqing; and three rare works documenting Chao Chun-Hsiang’s journey in reinventing ink art. In total, the two sales will offer more than 120 works, estimated in excess of HK$285 million / US$37 million.

Vinci Chang, Sotheby’s Head of Modern Asian Art, said: ‘A showcase of cultural exchange between the East and West, our spring sale tracks the evolution of modern Asian art from the late 19th century to present day, offering a fresh perspective in interpreting a critical period of art history. This thoughtfully-curated sale brings together important voices from the overseas Chinese community such as Xu Beihong, Chao Chun-Hsiang, Zao Wou-Ki and Chu Teh-Chun, with prominent China-based figures Wang Huaiqing, Wu Dayu, Ding Yanyong and Wu Guanzhong, who returned to their homeland after studying abroad.’

Xu Beihong and Tsuguharu Foujita – Slumbering Goddesses
Modern and Contemporary Asian Art Evening Sale | 3 April
This April, for the first time, works by modern Asian masters Xu Beihong and Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita will be offered together at Sotheby’s, leading the Modern Asian Art Spring Sale.

In 1910, Xu and Foujita arrived in Paris and from there the two painters went down different artistic paths: Xu studied Academic Realism before returning to China to promote the development of Chinese Realism, establishing himself as an indispensable player in the history of modern Chinese art. Foujita remained in France for most of his life, eventually becoming known as the Japanese representative of the École de Paris in the 1920s and 1930s. In the Evening Sale, Sotheby's is honoured to present two important works by the two masters created during their Paris years. Xu's The Sleeping Venus and Foujita's Nu au chat both convey the two painters' artistic convictions, varying perspectives, and expressions of emotion towards their subjects.

Xu Beihong (1895–1953), The Sleeping Venus 1920-1921, oil on canvas, 62.3 x 95 cm Est. HK$40 – 60 million / US$5.1 – 7.7 million
The introduction of the Western nude challenged the traditional moral values in the East, triggering heated debate on definitions of beauty. Eventually, the theme gained acceptance and became an important chapter in the history of modern Asian art in early 20th century.

Completed between 1920 and 1921, The Sleeping Venus solidified Xu as a pioneer in painting nudes when he was studying in France. More than just depicting a nude lying on the grass, the work employs the theme of ‘Nymph and Satyr’ from Greek mythology as a metaphor for love and desire between men and women, as well as the clash between civilisation and barbarity – as seen from the two orcs creeping on the top right of the canvas. Not only a rare oil painting by the artist during his time in France, The Sleeping Venus is also the first Chinese painting employing a Western classical theme. It was exhibited at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum’s ‘China-Paris: Seven Chinese Painters Who Studied in France’ show in 1988, and is making its debut appearance at auction this spring.

Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita (1886–1968) Nu au chat 1930, ink and oil on canvas, 97.5 x 163 cm Est. HK$20 – 30 million / US$2.6 – 3.8 million
Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita’s nude paintings revolutionised traditions of Japanese painting and paved the way for Western audiences to discover a daring new style of erotic expression. In 1923, Foujita met Lucie Badoud, the woman he nicknamed Youki (‘snowy’) for her flawless skin. It was during this period of time that Foujita devoted to creating nude paintings. With Youki as his model for Nu au chat, Foujita combined Western classical painting techniques with Japanese painting tradition to depict the subtle beauty of the body and create an aesthetic effect of milky white skin. Nearly all of Foujita’s other large-scale nude paintings from this period are held in the permanent collections of leading museums around the world, making Nu au chat a rarely-accessed museum-quality work of significant collecting value.

THREE MONUMENTAL PAINTINGS BY WANG HUAIQING
Modern and Contemporary Asian Art Evening Sale | 3 April
Chinese master Wang Huaiqing’s art has long been inspired by his deep reflection on history as well as his fascination with Ming Furniture. Feet–2 – the cover lot of the Evening Sale – together with Chairs in the Mirror and Traces of Nature–2 (diptych) represent Wang’s exploration of the ‘half-representational’ style.

In 1999 when Feet–2 was created, Wang was both gazing back at the momentous 20th century of Chinese history, while at the same time looking ahead to the future with great anticipation. The artist conveyed this tension on the canvas with his use of a striking red hue. A rare monumental work by the artist and one of the highlights from the exhibition ‘Wang Huaiqing: A Painter’s Painter in Contemporary China’ at the Seattle Art Museum, Feet–2 is appearing now for the first time at auction. Chairs in the Mirror (1993) is a work from Wang’s early artistic period. By drawing chairs in repetition, the artist investigates the beauty of dislocation, of deconstruction and reconstruction of objects, and of one object viewed from different perspectives. Lastly, Traces of Nature–2 (diptych) (2004) portrays an almost purely abstract composition. A straight line at the very centre that traverses the entire canvas from top to bottom transformed what was a still, abstract space into something dynamic, atmospheric and even dramatic.

CHAO CHUN-HSIANG – A JOURNEY OF INNOVATION
Modern and Contemporary Asian Art Evening Sale | 3 April
Modern Asian Art Day Sale | 4 April
Chief among modern Chinese artists who developed their careers in the United States is Chao Chun-Hsiang. For nearly three decades since 1958, the artist lived in New York, where his artistic style evolved from traditional Chinese painting to abstract oil painting, and finally ink art, a medium in which he is today considered a pioneer. Three works to be offered represent three distinct styles from the artist’s oeuvre: in the Evening sale, Landscape and Five Phases – both appearing at auction for the first time – and in the Day Sale, Abstraction.

Monumental in scale, Landscape is a rare ink painting by Chao that demonstrates the solid foundation resulting from his academic training. Only five or so examples of this style of painting by the artist are known to exist. Abstraction is one of the few oil-on-canvas works by the artist. Displaying bold and spontaneous brushstrokes of black and grey, decorated with splashes of vivid orange paint, this work encapsulates the characteristics of Abstract Expressionism and results in a composition iconic to post-war abstract art. Later, in the 1960s, Chao returned to the ink medium, revolutionising the traditional Chinese painting with acrylic paint, collage and abstraction. Five Phases is a masterpiece documenting the artist’s journey in reinventing ink art.