Phillips Presents Warhol in China
A Landmark Public Exhibition and Standalone Auction of Over 200 Photographs Taken by Andy Warhol During his Pivotal Trip to Asia in 1982
“Arrived in Hong Kong, evening. It was hot and muggy, Florida-type weather. Twelve hours’ difference in time, so you didn’t have to change your watch, which was kind of great.” Andy Warhol.
HONG KONG – 08 FEBRUARY 2017 – This Spring, Phillips presents Warhol in China, a landmark photography exhibition comprising a rare collection of over 200 unique photographs taken by Andy Warhol during his pivotal trip to Hong Kong and Mainland China in 1982. Presented in collaboration with Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, where Warhol stayed during his visit, this public exhibition will be showcased at the hotel from 20 March to 2 April. The works will later be auctioned by Phillips on 28 May 2017, with estimates starting at HK$50,000.
Jonathan Crockett, Head of 20th Century & Contemporary Art and Deputy Chairman for Phillips Asia, said, “This exhibition presents a rare opportunity to acquire photographs of Andy Warhol’s seminal trip to Hong Kong and Beijing in 1982 by the master of Pop himself, which have never been offered for sale in their entirety before. These candid shots are dynamic, exciting and fun but also weighty in their historical importance, as Warhol was able to immortalise China during a transitional phase in the country’s history. This collection will not only appeal to followers of Warhol and collectors of photography, but to anyone with an interest in or connection to China over the past few decades. These images offer a fascinating vista into Warhol’s intimate experience of Hong Kong and Mainland China and, after 35 years, it is an honour to be able to bring this collection back to the region whence they originated.”
“…I painted Mao about four hundred times. I used to see how many I could do in a day.”
Warhol began creating paintings of Chairman Mao in 1972, and his fixation with him materialised in a chance excursion to China between 27 October and 6 November, 1982, where he would come vis-à-vis with the subject of his countless works. This trip came exactly 10 years after President Nixon travelled to Beijing in 1972, as well as 15 years before Hong Kong’s Handover. At the time of Warhol’s visit, Deng Xiaoping had only recently begun opening China to the global economy and the West and it was still very much closed to the outside world. Hong Kong was also on the cusp of change, soon to part with British colonial rule.
When considered against Warhol’s philosophy of reproduction and repetition, these photographs of modern China take on another meaning, evoking the country’s economic development thanks to its mass manufacture. Moreover, Mao’s immense influence on the country, his philosophies on the masses, and the country’s veneration for him, can all be counted within the very lexicon of Warhol’s artistic language of duplication and mass-distribution. After his trip, Mao’s image became a symbol of Warhol’s oeuvre, and remains amongst the artist’s most important depictions, alongside Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and Jackie Kennedy.
Warhol’s visit to Asia was recorded in his diaries and brought to life via this series of photographs, which show everything from The Great Wall and Victoria Peak, to the most unassuming corners of Hong Kong and Beijing. Warhol captured everyday life through his inimitable lens, including glimpses of the ever-present Chinese bicycles, the uniformity of Chinese Mao jackets, and his fascination and adoption of symbols and semiotics. Each image is a photographic extension of Warhol’s artistic language of reproduction and repetition. This collection offers a rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of Hong Kong and Beijing through Warhol’s eyes.
Exhibition: 20 March - 2 April 2017 | Monday to Sunday 10am-6pm HKT
Location: Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong
Link to more information: https://www.phillips.com/auctions/auction/HK010317
Auction: Sunday, 28 May 2017, 6pm HKT
Location: Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong
Auction viewing:
25 May, 10am-6pm HKT
26 May, 10am-6pm HKT
27 May, 10am-7pm HKT
28 May, 10am-1pm HKT
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Phillips is a leading global platform for buying and selling 20th and 21st century art and design. With dedicated expertise in the areas of Art, Design, Photographs, Editions, Watches, and Jewelry, Phillips offers professional services and advice on all aspects of collecting. Auctions and exhibitions are held at salerooms in New York, London, Geneva, and Hong Kong, while clients are further served through representative offices based throughout Europe, the United States and Asia. Phillips also offers an online auction platform accessible anywhere in the world.
Visit www.phillips.com for further information.
*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium; prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium.
PRESS CONTACTS: HONG KONG - Ada Lam, Director, CdD ada@cdd.com.hk +852 9219 0921
LONDON - Katie Carder, Press Manager, EMEA kcarder@phillips.com +44 20 7901 7938
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