Sotheby's Hong Kong Autumn Sales Estimated in Excess of US$100 Million

Hong Kong, August 2009 Sotheby’s Hong Kong Autumn Sales 2009 will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 3 to 8 October 2009. This sales series will offer over 2,300 lots of Modern and Contemporary Chinese and Southeast Asian Art, traditional Chinese paintings, fine Chinese ceramics and works of art as well as jewellery, watches and wine with a total estimate in excess of HK$780 million / US$100 million*. Selected highlights will be showcased during travelling exhibitions across Asia and in New York in August and September, followed by a public exhibition in Hong Kong from 3 to 7 October 2009.

Mr. Kevin Ching, Chief Executive Officer, Sotheby’s Asia, said, “Sotheby’s Hong Kong shall continue its commitment to offer only the very best to Asia and the rest of the world. The forthcoming and thoughtfully curated October sales are set to satisfy the distinctive and diverse taste of our discerning clients and collectors. We are particularly delighted to bring to market a number of outstanding private collections with impeccable provenance. They include fine wines from two outstanding private collections, a private collection of Imperial works of art from the Qianlong reign, as well as exceptional modern Chinese ink paintings and contemporary Chinese art. Collectively our offerings, many of exceptional quality and rarity, shall enthrall the market and collectors alike.”

AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS

Fine Chinese Paintings – 5 October: estimated total: over HK$67 million; total lots: over 250

Li Keran (1907-1989), Tranquil Landscape, ink and colour on paper, hanging scroll, 1984, 92 x 55 cm. Est.: HK$3-4.5 million. photo courtesy Sotheby"s

Tranquil Landscape was selected by the artist for his participation in the Contemporary Chinese Paintings exhibition organised by The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1986. In this painting, Li’s delicate and natural brushstrokes almost succeed in bringing the velvety flowing waterfall and the misty forest to life.

Qi Baishi (1864-1957), Scratching Zhong Kui’s Back, ink and colour on paper, framed, 1936, 94 x 43.7 cm. Est.: HK$2.5-3.5 million. photo courtesy Sotheby"s

This work has its origins in a folk tale, featuring a mischievous little devil who scratches the back of its master, Zhong Kui. Shown with characteristic unconstrained brushwork, the devil is portrayed trying in vain to reach the right spot; the experience is so unsatisfying for the anxious Zhong Kui that his beard is sent flying. The humourous inscription is exaggerated, yet it is intended to inspire: it is never easy to scratch another’s itch, just as it is not easy to serve your master.

Wu Guanzhong (b.1919), Old City of Chongqing, ink and colour on paper, framed,1989, 96.5 x 107 cm. Est.: HK$2.2-3 million. photo courtesy Sotheby"s

Wu started creating his captivating works that depict the scenes of mountain villages in Chongqing in the mid-1970s. Old City of Chongqing, executed in 1989, is his largest work of square dimension amongst this series, capturing the picturesque scenery of an old city in Chongqing along the Yangtze River.

Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings – 6 October: estimated total: in excess of HK$22 million; total lots: approximately 120

Lee Man Fong (1913-1988), Magnificent Horses, oil on masonite board, Spring 1966, 117 x 235 cm. Est.: HK$1.5–2.5 million. photo courtesy Sotheby"s

Imbued with poetic elegance and vividness, Magnificent Horses is one of the largest and most important works by Lee to appear at auction. It is also the largest horse picture created by the artist, and is amongst the last few major works that Lee completed before his migration from Indonesia to Singapore.

Adrien Jean Le Mayeur de Merprès (1880-1958), Two Women on the Beach, Tahiti, oil on canvas, circa 1929-1930, 101 x 121 cm. Est.: HK$1.4-2 million. photo courtesy Sotheby"s

One of the superb creations by the artist during his visit to Tahiti. The work depicts two women wrapped in their bright pink sarongs resting beneath a coconut tree by the sea. Le Mayeur’s obsession with sunlight is seldom stated with such clarity and passion as it is in this work.

20th Century Chinese Art – 6 October: estimated total: over HK$58 million; total lots:

Sanyu (Chang Yu) (1901-1966), Lotus et Poissons Rouges (Lotus and Red Fish), oil on isorel, circa mid 1950s, 116.8 x 179 cm. Est.: HK$15-25 million. photo courtesy Sotheby"s

Executed in the mid 1950s, Lotus et Poissons Rouges is not only a magnificent work from the peak of Sanyu’s career, but also the largest painting by the artist ever to appear at auction. Completely fresh to the market, this incredibly rare masterpiece has been unseen by the public for over 50 years. It depicts flowers, landscape and small fish in the water in a rich and bountiful composition.

Zhu Ming (Ju Ming) (b. 1938), Taichi Series – Taichi Arch**, bronze, 2000, 279 x 420 x 156 cm. Est.: HK$7.5–10 million. photo courtesy Sotheby"s

Zhu Ming’s sculptures illustrate the rhythmic movement and vitality of Taichi. This superb example is imbued with balance and harmony, demonstrating force and beauty simultaneously. Zhu masters the subtle nuances of his subject and material: as he carves, the sheer weight of the material is transformed into the smooth motions of Taichi, creating vivid and lively postures.
** Illustrated above is another Taichi Arch sculpture by Zhu Ming from the same series

Contemporary Asian Art – 6 October: estimated total: over HK$95 million; total lots: over 180

Cai Guo-Qiang (b.1957), Money Net No.3, gunpowder and ink on paper, 2002, 400 x 600 cm. Est.: HK$4.7-5.5 million
Money Net No.3 is a documentation of Project No. 51–Explosion: Money Net, performed by Cai at London’s Royal Academy of Arts at the opening of The Galleries Show in 2002, in which a sculpture of a drawstring purse,over seven metres high and constructed from wires of gunpowder fuses, was burnt into ashes. This performance was later recorded on paper as the present work. The spontaneous burn marks with subtle tonal variations is reminiscent of classical Chinese ink and brush paintings.

Yan Pei-Ming (b.1960) Self Portrait as a Skull (Autoportrait en crâne) (Triptych), oil on canvas, 2006, 150 x 150 cm. each - Est.: HK$2.5-3.5 million. photo courtesy Sotheby"s

Death has been a subject matter that has intrigued Yan Pei-Ming in recent years, particularly since his father passed away. This powerful triptych, drenched in a sanguinary red, is composed with a ponderous hand charged with the fear of death. The work succeeds in revealing the artist's fear of and insights on death; the skulls are symbolic of the artist's direct confrontation, as a result of a realization that evasion is impossible

Ryuki Yamamoto (b. 1976), Bullied by Justice (Diptych) acrylic on canvas, 2008, 171.6 x 333.2 cm. Est.: HK$800,000-1.2 million

Ryuki Yamamoto’s signature photorealist self-portrait juxtaposes a legion of American superheroes in this monumental painting. The bizarre composition and the ironic visual contrast indicate the tenuous dynamics between Japan and the West.

Li Songsong (b. 1973), The Decameron, oil on canvas, 2004, 170 x 210 cm. Est.: HK$800,000-1.2 million

Li Songsong explores the tension between old photos, upon which his paintings are based, and his reinterpretation of the political events captured. Inspired by 14th century Italian writer Giovanni Boccacio’s novel of the same title, Li cut a photo of the National People’s Congress in 2004 into ten pieces and reassembled this political event in a reincarnation of The Decameron in order to rethink and reinterpret this historical event.

Hong Kong Exhibition and Auction Venue
Hall 3, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (New Wing), 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Travelling Exhibitions
28 – 30 August Jakarta
5 – 6 September Shanghai
8 – 9 September Beijing
11 – 15 September New York
12 – 13 September Singapore
15 – 16 September Bangkok
19 – 20 September Taipei