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“If I try to describe him here, it is to make sure that I shall not forget him. To forget a friend is sad. Not everyone has had a friend. And if I forget him, I may become like the grown−ups who are no longer interested in anything but figures.”
— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Catalogue Essay
“My characters are somewhat sad, isolated and powerless and this is exactly how I feel sometimes. My art is as real as my spirit.” — Chen Ke
As one of the most iconic female painters amongst the post 1970s generation of Chinese contemporary artists, Chen Ke has already made her mark with her distinctive oeuvre. Seeking for new breakthroughs in her career, the artist tirelessly experiments with a myriad of mediums and subject matters: whether it is her signature little girl with a button nose and melancholic expression in Light No.2; her series of installation works made from vintage furniture; or her large scale ink paintings that completely deviating from her previous aesthetics. The artist shows great determination in expanding the dynamics of her oeuvre, continuously garnering critical acclaim across different stages.
Embracing her identity as an artist of ‘the cartoon generation’, Chen Ke’s little girls are inspired by art world superstars such as Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara, whose own images of young girls captured the hearts of many. The artist resonated with the populist image of Nara’s and Murakami’s protagonists, as they ‘... (were) not the kind of superior high art (you usually see). I thought (their style) was particularly good at expressing ideas directly, so I painted in this way.’ i
Sleek in its execution, Chen Ke’s Light No.2 is a particularly captivating piece from the artist’s oeuvre that depicts her iconic little girl with a rounded button nose, set against a dreamy painterly backdrop of teal blues, light greens, and baby yellows, glowing from within. Representing the sense of loneliness and loss coming from her generation born under the One Child Policy, Chen’s works convey the complex inner turmoil of Chinese youth that are struggling to find their path in a society that once valued societal connection, but is now occupied with personal desires and material pursuits.
Immaculately redenered, Chen Ke’s portraits emit an air of introspection with their looks of innocence. Similar to Nara’s protagonists, the little girl in Light No. 2 is also floating in a void of soft pastel colours that eminates the sheen and texture of fine lacquerware or polished jade, demonstrating the allure of her kaleidoscopic and dazzling world of imagination. As the artist explains herself:
“It’s an imaginary little girl, kinda like another me, it was also inspired by my observation of the young people around me: whether they are having problems socializing with other people, or feeling dreamy.” — Chen Ke
Chen Ke, Little Road, 2009
© the artist, Courtesy Sigg CollectionBorn 1978 in Tongjiang, Sichuan, Chen Ke currently lives and works in Beijing. Chen obtained a BA from the Oil Painting Department of Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 2002 and an MFA in 2005. Recent exhibitions include: For the Children, Long Museum, Shanghai, (2020); The Unknown Woman Artist, CNCNM, Beijing (2020), and The Real Deal Is Talking with Dad, YUZ Museum, Shanghai (2018-2019). Her works are in the collections of enterprises and museums alike, including the Franks-Suss Collection (London), BSI art collection (Lugano), M+ Sigg Collection (Hong Kong), the Shenzhen Art Museum, and the Minsheng Art Museum (Shanghai), amongst others.
Interview with the artist, 2021
i Chen Ke, quoted in ‘The Most Popular Female Painted in China So Far This Year’, Yit, 21 July 2021, online
Provenance
Private Collection
Poly Auction, 29 November 2007, lot 399
Private Collection
Poly Auction, 1 December 2012, lot 220
Private Collection
Christie's, Hong Kong, 5 April 2014, lot 11
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner
Ж11
Light No. 2
signed and dated 'Ke [in Chinese] 2005' lower right; further signed, titled and dated ' "Light No. 2" [in Chinese and English] Chen Ke [in Chinese] 2005' on the reverse
oil on canvas
110 x 110 cm. (43 1/4 x 43 1/4 in.)
Painted in 2005.
Estimate
HK$500,000 - 700,000
€56,900-79,600
$64,100-89,700
Sold for HK$756,000
Hin Hin Wong
Associate Specialist, 20th Century & Contemporary Art, Hong Kong
+852 2318 2013
hinhinwong@phillips.com
Asteroid B-612 Online Auction: Inspired by a Saint-Exupéry Novel
Online Auction 7-14 December 2021
1
Hikari Shimoda
The Little Prince (Pain of Love and Loneliness)
Estimate HK$80,000 - 100,000
Sold for HK$529,200
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2
IWC
Ref. IW500916
Model: Big Pilot's Watch "Le Petit Prince" edition
A rare, attractive and oversized limited edition stainless steel wristwatch with center hacking seconds, 7-days power reserve, date indication, warranty and presentation box, made as a tribute to Le Petit PrinceEstimate HK$50,000 - 80,000
Sold for HK$56,700
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3
Dr Scribble (Mr Doodle)
Money Monkey
Estimate HK$250,000 - 350,000
Sold for HK$604,800
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4
Yoskay Yamamoto
Don't mind waiting for you
Estimate HK$50,000 - 70,000
Sold for HK$151,200
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5
Hebru Brantley
3 The Hard Way
Estimate HK$110,000 - 200,000
Sold for HK$138,600
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6
Yosuke Ueno
You are my friend
Estimate HK$70,000 - 90,000
Sold for HK$327,600
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7
Yukimasa Ida
End of Today 2/5/2018 Self Portrait
Estimate HK$200,000 - 300,000
Sold for HK$327,600
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8
Dave White
Everlasting Love
Estimate HK$85,000 - 120,000
Sold for HK$107,100
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9
Joan Cornellà
Untitled #4
Estimate HK$200,000 - 400,000
Sold for HK$403,200
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10
Edgar Plans
Martians
Estimate HK$100,000 - 200,000
Sold for HK$567,000
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11
Chen Ke
Light No. 2
Estimate HK$500,000 - 700,000
Sold for HK$756,000
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12
Javier Calleja
Flower Power
Estimate HK$180,000 - 280,000
Sold for HK$478,800
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13
Mr Doodle
The Doodler (Blue)
Estimate HK$70,000 - 90,000
Sold for HK$81,900
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14
Aboudia
Untitled
Estimate HK$200,000 - 300,000
Sold for HK$819,000
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15
Edgar Plans
Untitled (Portrait)
Estimate HK$50,000 - 70,000
Sold for HK$94,500
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16
Edgar Plans
Untitled
Estimate HK$150,000 - 250,000
Sold for HK$201,600
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17
Thierry Noir
Three works: (i) MY OUTFIT IS A PART OF MY PERSONALITY AND IT IS APPARENT; (ii) THE TEMPERATURE IS RISING SO I AM LOOKING FOR SOME SHADE; (iii) MY HAPPINESS IS SO STRONG THAT YOU CAN SEE IT ON MY FACE
Estimate HK$90,000 - 150,000
Sold for HK$163,800
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18
Tomokazu Matsuyama
Kirin ver. Black 5
Estimate HK$150,000 - 250,000
Sold for HK$302,400
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19
Izumi Kato
Untitled
Estimate HK$60,000 - 160,000
Sold for HK$327,600
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20
Mr Doodle
Untitled
Estimate HK$20,000 - 30,000
Sold for HK$63,000
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21
Zeng Jianyong
The Little Prince
Estimate HK$40,000 - 60,000
Sold for HK$50,400
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22
This lot is no longer available.
23
Edgar Plans
Untitled (Landscape)
Estimate HK$60,000 - 80,000
Sold for HK$88,200
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24
Damien Hirst
Circle Spin Painting
Estimate HK$22,000 - 40,000
Sold for HK$27,720
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25
So Youn Lee
Ripple
Estimate HK$40,000 - 60,000
Sold for HK$94,500
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26
Xu Qu
Curve-gray
Estimate HK$50,000 - 80,000
Sold for HK$63,000
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27
Joey Leung Ka Yin
The Gluttonous Snake
Estimate HK$40,000 - 60,000
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28
Zhang Tianmu
Rose fox conch boys
Estimate HK$15,000 - 35,000
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29
Dongi Lee
Flower Garden
Estimate HK$40,000 - 60,000
Sold for HK$50,400
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30
So Youn Lee
The Moon
Estimate HK$17,000 - 30,000
Sold for HK$44,100
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31
Invader
Home Earth
Estimate HK$40,000 - 60,000
Sold for HK$107,100
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32
Yoshitomo Nara and Hiroshi Sugito
Untitled (Omaha)
Estimate HK$24,000 - 32,000
Sold for HK$37,800
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33
Parn Aniwat
Star Rider
Estimate HK$6,000 - 9,000
Sold for HK$20,160
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34
Joey Leung Ka Yin
Land of Drunkards
Estimate HK$70,000 - 90,000
Sold for HK$88,200
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35
Ayako Rokkaku
"Magic Hand" Exhibition Carpet
Estimate HK$70,000 - 90,000
Sold for HK$81,900
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36
Huang Yuxing
Ebb and Flow
Estimate HK$35,000 - 45,000
Sold for HK$126,000
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37
Huang Yuxing
Treasure
Estimate HK$10,000 - 16,000
Sold for HK$20,160
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38
Liu Ye
Little Navy
Estimate HK$30,000 - 50,000
Sold for HK$69,300
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39
Katherine Bradford
Couples Swim
Estimate HK$10,000 - 15,000
Sold for HK$8,190
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40
Otani Workshop
Uncle Bunny
Estimate HK$10,000 - 20,000
Sold for HK$12,600
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41
Toshiyuki Konishi
Untitled
Estimate HK$8,000 - 12,000
Sold for HK$10,710
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42
Hikari Shimoda
Three works: (i) Children of this Planet #34; (ii) Inverted World; (iii) Children of This Planet #14
Estimate HK$12,000 - 22,000
Sold for HK$15,120
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43
Atsushi Kaga
David Bowie with UFOs
Estimate HK$5,000 - 7,000
Sold for HK$44,100
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44No Reserve
Takashi Murakami
Me Among the Supernatural
Estimate HK$10,000 - 15,000 •
Sold for HK$7,560
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45No Reserve
Takashi Murakami
Expanding Universe
Estimate HK$15,000 - 20,000 •
Sold for HK$25,200
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46
Mr Doodle
The Doodler
Estimate HK$8,000 - 12,000
Sold for HK$40,320
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47
Yoshitomo Nara
Cosmic Girls: Eyes Opened / Eyes Closed
Estimate HK$20,000 - 50,000
Sold for HK$119,700
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48
Yoshitomo Nara
Mini Mori Girl
Estimate HK$8,000 - 12,000
Sold for HK$16,380
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