Clara Rivollet — International Specialist, Modern & Contemporary Art — views Zao Wou-Ki, 27.6.70, 1970 in Paris.
In this November’s Hong Kong Day Sale, Phillips is pleased to offer exceptional works from the collection of Zao Wou-Ki's daughter, Sin-May Roy Zao.
The selection includes works that showcase the most experimental and innovative facets of Zao’s oeuvre, together with works by the artist’s contemporaries and friends, Pierre Soulages and Eduardo Chillida.
Sin-May Roy Zao herself enjoyed success as a high-profile cultural figure in Paris. As a pioneering model, she worked closely with the iconic fashion designer Pierre Cardin beginning in the 1960s. Following her first collaboration with Phillips Hong Kong in 2022, Sin-May once again shares memorable works with contemporary art lovers, bringing them to Hong Kong — her city of birth, which holds special significance for both her and her father.
Hong Kong is where my mother and I came from and where my parents met, so the city always holds a special place in my heart.
—Sin-May Roy Zao
A Masterpiece by Zao Wou-Ki
Zao Wou-Ki, 27.6.70, 1970. Modern & Contemporary Art Hong Kong Day Sale.
Leading the selection of works is 27.6.70, which Zao signed not only with his artist’s signature but also endearingly inscribed “Pour Sin-May Papa (For Sin-May Papa).” This work is a precious testament to the more intimate aspects of the artist’s work and life, revealing the profound care and love he infused into his brush. 27.6.70 embodies the many undercurrents that coincided and collided to reveal Zao’s multifaceted art and its constant search for new meanings.
Zao Wou-Ki, Untitled, 2008. Modern & Contemporary Art Hong Kong Day Sale.
With his charm and unquestionable talent, Zao cultivated an extensive circle of friendships with fellow artists and influential cultural figures during his lifetime, becoming one of the best-known painters of his generation. He developed close relationships with several artists, including Jean-Paul Riopelle, Alberto Giacometti, Joan Miró, Hans Hartung, Joan Mitchell, Sam Francis, and I.M. Pei, among many others.
In this selection, Zao’s relationships with Pierre Soulages and Eduardo Chillida come into focus.
Pierre Soulages
Pierre Soulages, Lithographie No. 33, 1974. Modern & Contemporary Art Hong Kong Day Sale.
Pierre Soulage and Zao Wou-Ki became friends when they were both living in Paris. Soulage’s expressive, primordial approach profoundly influenced Zao Wou-Ki, and Soulages later introduced Zao to the New York art scene as they traveled together. This experience and exposure to the American Abstract Expressionist movement would further impact Zao’s work.
Eduardo Chillida
Eduardo Chillida, Artzapar, 1973. Modern & Contemporary Art Hong Kong Day Sale.
Zao Wou-Ki and Spanish artist Eduardo Chillida also shared a deep connection and mutual admiration. Both artists pushed the boundaries of their respective mediums, and Zao solidified their connection in his own painting Hommage à Chillida, created in 2004 after Chillida's passing.
Zao Wou-Ki’s Legacy
Zao Wou-Ki, Untitled, 1990. Modern & Contemporary Art Hong Kong Day Sale.
In addition to his lauded painting practice, Zao Wou-Ki returned to printmaking throughout his career. His prints showcase his careful study of light and colour, making visible the calligraphic traces and layers of colour in his process. This past March, Zao's wife, Madame Françoise Marquet-Zao — a French curator and president of Fondation Zao Wou-Ki — donated more than 220 independent prints and proofs to the M+ Museum in Hong Kong. An exhibition is planned that will showcase Zao's prolific printmaking at every stage of his career.
As a global artist who synthesized various cultural influences into his own unique voice, Zao’s work can also now be found in over 150 public collections across 200 countries — including the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim in New York, the Tate Modern in London, and many more.
Zao Wou-Ki, Untitled, 1976. Modern & Contemporary Art Hong Kong Day Sale.
In early 2022, Sin-May Roy Zao generously donated twelve works by Zao Wou-Ki to the M+ Museum, which now holds one of the largest collections of the artist’s work outside of Europe. The selection included nine prints, two oil paintings, and one watercolour painting, ranging from 1945 to 2005, nearly spanning Zao’s entire professional career.
Zao Wou-Ki, Untitled, 1968. Modern & Contemporary Art Hong Kong Day Sale.
With provenance linked so directly to Zao Wou-Ki and his family, this selection of works offers collectors and art lovers the unprecedented opportunity to be close to the extraordinary artist’s legacy.
Discover More from Modern & Contemporary Art >