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In the early 1990s, following the collapse of Japan's economic bubble, many commercial galleries faced unprecedented hardships in their daily operations, with the subsequent lack of funding making it nearly impossible to cultivate young artists. Graduating in 1992 from the Department of Oil Painting at Musashino University in Tokyo, Izumi Kato’s artistic development was altogether delayed by economic circumstances. For several years, Kato worked as a construction worker to make a living, and it was only when he turned 30 years old that he decided to fully identify himself as an artist, concentrating on his love for creation.
Izumi Kato, Untitled, 2012
Christie’s Hong Kong, 24 May 2021, Sold for HK$4,250,000Initially, Izumi Kato focused on painting abstract landscapes. However, his attention gradually shifted to various symbolic portraits, featuring creatures of mysterious and grotesque forms. As an art major, he learned about the various influences in art history, such as traditional African art, the Cubist master Pablo Picasso, the Impressionist master Vincent van Gogh, and the figurative master painter Francis Bacon. These artists all had a great impact on Kato’s works, which are readily visible in the subjects and compositions in his paintings. In 2007, Kato was invited for the first time to participate in the 52nd Venice Biennale: the present work was created during the following year. Having had over a decade of experience in the international art community, his painting style became increasingly more mature.
Untitled started as a triptych painting of a family trio in a very large format - quite rare in the artist’s oeuvre, also making it the largest painting by the artist to ever appear on the market. Each of the figures on the canvas plays a unique role, distinguished by the three primary colours to strengthen the significance of each representation. The “father” is on the green canvas, the “mother” on the red, and the “son” on a blue-coloured canvas of a slightly smaller size, probably to indicate age difference. Just like the spectrum perceived by the human retina, the three primary colours are also superimposed primary colours – when combined, the more layers the brighter, ultimately creating the colour of white. It is the exact opposite of the three subtractive primary colours of art with red, yellow, and blue, turning darker as more colours blend, eventually resulting in black.
Since the act of painting conforms to the characteristics of mixing colours, artists often apply the three subtractive primary colours metaphorically in their paintings. However, Kato deliberately chose to illustrate this as an optical concept, showing his unique sense of creativity. Given the fact that Untitled was once exhibited at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, the importance of this series for the artist can be felt.
Francis Bacon, Three Studies for a Crucifixion, 1962
Collection of the Guggenheim Museum, New YorkGrowing up, Izumi Kato has always been particularly interested in Japanese folklore and mountain spirits. He always painted with his fingers instead of a paintbrush to stay close to nature, just like the primitive and experimental nature of his subject matters. In his paintings, female figures are usually a hybrid of humans, animals, and plants, creating a unique spiritual being for the artist that is embellished by organic lines or patterns. The dots that create a net on the background are characteristic of his paintings in this period, which sometimes exists on the head of the main figure, or it extends to the void, or add to the thickness of the canvas under the feet of the main figure. Such repetitive patterns were used only for works of this period, similar to Kato’s emphasis on the illustration of the original form of plants. After 2010, such attributes gradually disappeared in the works, replaced by geometric shapes as the foundation of his composition. Plant elements have also been illustrated with more abstract formats. In recent years, geometric patterns have gradually and unconsciously disappeared in his works. During his slow exploration process, the artist has begun to focus on the presentation of high purity colours. Kato has consistently named his works Untitled, perhaps in an attempt to eliminate the perception of external added values. The result is that the meaning of the works can be anything - tolerant of all perspectives, as close to nature as possible and remaining open to the interpretation of all viewers.
Henri Matisse, Dance, 1909-10
Collection of The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, RussiaProvenance
ARATANIURANO, Tokyo
Acquired from the above by the present ownerExhibited
Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Dorodoro, Doron – The Uncanny World in Folk and Contemporary Art in Asia, 14 March - 10 May 2009, pp. 58-60 (illustrated)
Literature
Kazuko Aono, ed., Izumi Kato: Paintings and Sculptures, Kyoto, 2011, pp. 88-89 (illustrated)
Galerie Perrotin, ed., Izumi Kato, Paris, 2020, pp. 82-83 (illustrated)
ULTRA/NEO Property from a Prominent Private Asian Collection
41
Untitled
each signed and dated '2008 KATO [in English and Kanji]' on the reverse
oil on canvas, triptych
red 227.3 x 162.1 cm. (89 1/2 x 63 7/8 in.)
blue 194 x 130.3 cm. (76 3/8 x 51 1/4 in.)
green 227.3 x 162.1 cm. (89 1/2 x 63 7/8 in.)
Painted in 2008.
Estimate
HK$4,500,000 - 7,500,000
€510,000-849,000
$577,000-962,000
Sold for HK$11,745,000
Charlotte Raybaud
Head of Evening Sale, 20th Century & Contemporary Art
+852 2318 2026
CharlotteRaybaud@phillips.com
20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in Association with Poly Auction
Hong Kong Auction 30 November 2021
1
Cinga Samson
Ivory V
Estimate HK$250,000 - 350,000
Sold for HK$2,520,000
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2
Salman Toor
East Village Iqbal Bano
Estimate HK$1,800,000 - 2,800,000
Sold for HK$4,536,000
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3
Nina Chanel Abney
Untitled (IXI Black)
Estimate HK$1,500,000 - 2,500,000
Sold for HK$3,024,000
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4
Jamian Juliano-Villani
Clear Cough from Your Schedule
Estimate HK$200,000 - 400,000
Sold for HK$781,200
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5
Mr.
Yume—Breath of the Earth
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Sold for HK$4,032,000
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6
Julie Curtiss
Escargot
Estimate HK$400,000 - 600,000
Sold for HK$1,449,000
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7
Javier Calleja
30 works: Untitled
Estimate HK$10,000,000 - 15,000,000
Sold for HK$12,108,000
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8
Javier Calleja
You Me
Estimate HK$3,000,000 - 4,000,000
Sold for HK$7,026,000
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9
Aya Takano
In the Lab (the Birth of Jelly)
Estimate HK$200,000 - 300,000
Sold for HK$441,000
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10
Hernan Bas
Minimalism (cracking the code)
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
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11
Joel Mesler
Untitled (Night Out)
Estimate HK$500,000 - 700,000
Sold for HK$1,512,000
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12
Shara Hughes
Magic Island
Estimate HK$1,500,000 - 2,500,000
Sold for HK$4,788,000
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13
Scott Kahn
Cadman Plaza
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for HK$7,510,000
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14
Matthew Wong
Nature’s Church
Estimate HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for HK$9,204,000
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15
Matthew Wong
Far Away Eyes
Estimate HK$8,000,000 - 12,000,000
Sold for HK$21,183,000
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16
Gerhard Richter
Kerzenschein (Candle-light)
Estimate HK$55,000,000 - 75,000,000
Sold for HK$101,970,000
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17
This lot is no longer available.
18
Yayoi Kusama
INFINITY-NETS (OPRT)
Estimate HK$15,000,000 - 25,000,000
Sold for HK$22,635,000
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19
Yayoi Kusama
Repetition
Estimate HK$15,000,000 - 20,000,000
Sold for HK$19,005,000
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20
Nicolas Party
Still Life
Estimate HK$6,200,000 - 9,400,000
Sold for HK$17,190,000
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21
David Hockney
Bridlington Violets
Estimate HK$10,000,000 - 15,000,000
Sold for HK$12,350,000
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22
Léonard-Tsuguharu Foujita
Self-Portrait with a Cat
Estimate HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for HK$5,292,000
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23
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24
Sanyu
Paysage Aux Hirondelles
Estimate HK$26,000,000 - 46,000,000
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25
Zao Wou-Ki
Sans titre ("Notre Dame")
Estimate HK$7,500,000 - 10,000,000
Sold for HK$10,051,000
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26
Zao Wou-Ki
Brume d’automne
Estimate HK$4,500,000 - 7,500,000
Sold for HK$4,788,000
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27
Auguste Rodin
Le Baiser, 1ère réduction dite aussi "réduction n°1"
Estimate HK$10,000,000 - 15,000,000
Sold for HK$11,745,000
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28
Zao Wou-Ki
20.3.64.
Estimate HK$20,000,000 - 30,000,000
Sold for HK$22,030,000
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29
This lot is no longer available.
30
Alexander Calder
Two Red Petals in the Air
Estimate HK$16,000,000 - 20,000,000
Sold for HK$20,820,000
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31
Claude Monet
Pavots dans un vase de Chine
Estimate HK$9,500,000 - 15,000,000
Sold for HK$13,560,000
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32
Georges Mathieu
Saxifrage
Estimate HK$2,000,000 - 3,000,000
Sold for HK$2,520,000
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33
This lot is no longer available.
34
Huang Yuxing
Floating Bubbles
Estimate HK$1,800,000 - 2,800,000
Sold for HK$2,772,000
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35
Zhou Chunya
Smell the Flowers
Estimate HK$5,000,000 - 7,000,000
Sold for HK$6,905,000
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36
This lot is no longer available.
37
Liu Ye
Flagship No. 2
Estimate HK$2,000,000 - 3,000,000
Sold for HK$5,922,000
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38
Wang Xingwei
Untitled (Heart-Shaped Dance)
Estimate HK$2,800,000 - 4,800,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
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39
Liu Ye
Untitled
Estimate HK$3,000,000 - 5,000,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
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40
Liu Wei
You Like Smoking?
Estimate HK$3,000,000 - 5,000,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
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41
Izumi Kato
Untitled
Estimate HK$4,500,000 - 7,500,000
Sold for HK$11,745,000
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42
Yoshitomo Nara
Pandora's Box
Estimate HK$7,500,000 - 10,000,000
Sold for HK$13,560,000
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43
George Condo
The Dreamer
Estimate HK$4,600,000 - 6,200,000
Sold for HK$11,140,000
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44
George Condo
Entangled Figures
Estimate HK$6,200,000 - 9,200,000
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45
This lot is no longer available.
46
KAWS
NEW YORK
Estimate HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for HK$5,040,000
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47
KAWS
FINAL DAYS
Estimate HK$6,200,000 - 8,200,000
Sold for HK$8,115,000
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48
Raymond Pettibon
Untitled (Force makes nature...)
Estimate HK$1,500,000 - 2,500,000
Sold for HK$3,906,000
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49
Robert Nava
Angel Shark
Estimate HK$1,200,000 - 1,800,000
Sold for HK$4,410,000
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50
Susumu Kamijo
Marching To The Sun
Estimate HK$450,000 - 650,000
Sold for HK$2,142,000
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51
Jadé Fadojutimi
Fishing For Steps
Estimate HK$1,200,000 - 2,200,000
Sold for HK$4,788,000
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52
Mickalene Thomas
Looking Up from the She Works Hard For the Money Pin-Up series
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
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53
Billie Zangewa
Cirque d'hiver
Estimate HK$400,000 - 600,000
Sold for HK$567,000
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54
Godwin Champs Namuyimba
The Connector
Estimate HK$200,000 - 400,000
Sold for HK$1,323,000
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55
Tunji Adeniyi-Jones
Blue Ancestor
Estimate HK$400,000 - 600,000
Sold for HK$1,071,000
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56
Tomoo Gokita
Final Confrontation
Estimate HK$1,200,000 - 2,200,000
Sold for HK$2,520,000
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57
Ewa Juszkiewicz
Appropriation
Estimate HK$400,000 - 600,000
Sold for HK$1,890,000
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58
Lucas Arruda
Untitled from the series Deserto-Modelo
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
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