Yuan Yuan - 20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Evening Sale Hong Kong Saturday, November 26, 2016 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    JGM Galerie (now Galerie Mitterrand), Paris
    Acquired from the above by the present owner

  • Catalogue Essay

    Yuan Yuan is an artist from Hangzhou who has rapidly gained international recognition in recent years, following a slew of international exhibitions. Yuan's pieces are meticulously painted, and the punctilious attention paid to laying down each stroke is enough to draw one into his captivating works. The artist’s paintings often feature interiors and enclosed spaces, including the image of a mosaic pool or sauna. The present lot Meteoric Water depicts a pool with a cascading waterfall, calling to mind lush landscapes painted by a classically trained hand. This painting also draws from both classical and contemporary motifs—nature set against industrial construction—representative, perhaps of a strained reconciliation of history versus the rapid changes that Chinese society is facing today. When paired with its nebulous landscape, devoid of any human existence, Meteoric Water is a succinct mélange of past and present, and allures its viewer with its simple yet striking aesthetic.

    Yuan Yuan received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in the Oil Painting Department of the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou in 1996 and a Master of Fine Arts in 2008. The Academy, founded by Lin Fengmian in 1928, reinvigorated Chinese art through a close study of, but marked departure from, Western art. Rather than simply emulate the established Western styles, Lin’s famous students, such as Zao Wouki, Wu Guanzhong and Chu Teh-chun, were all successful in fusing Chinese painting with Western art. Set against the weight of his predecessors’ eminence and success, Yuan Yuan sees himself continuing this development of breaking new ground in Chinese contemporary art.

12

Meteoric Water

2011
signed, titled and dated 'Meteoric Water [in English and Chinese] Yuan Yuan [in Chinese] 2011.1 Y.Yuan' on the reverse; further signed 'Y. Yuan' on the bottom edge
acrylic on canvas
150 x 95.1 cm. (59 x 37 1/2 in.)
Painted in 2011.

Estimate
HK$160,000 - 220,000 
€19,300-26,500
$20,500-28,200

Sold for HK$225,000

Contact Specialist
Jonathan Crockett
Deputy Chairman, Asia and Head of 20th Century & Contemporary Art, Asia
+852 2318 2023

Sandy Ma
Specialist, Head of Evening Sale
+852 2318 2025

General Enquiries
+852 2318 2000

20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Evening Sale

Hong Kong Auction 27 November 2016