|
Phillips Hong Kong Announces Seminal Works by Zao Wou-Ki from the Collection of Sin-May Roy Zao
Appearing at Auction for the First Time, Two Paintings will be Offered in the 20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Sales in Hong Kong this Fall
Both Works will be Exhibited Alongside a Group of Sculptures by May Zao from Sin-May Roy Zao’s Private Collection at Phillips Paris from 13-23 September
HONG KONG/ PARIS – 12 July 2022 – Phillips is pleased to announce two important paintings by Zao Wou-Ki, 14.10.69 and Untitled, from the collection of the artist’s daughter Sin-May Roy Zao. Appearing on the auction market for the first time, both works will be offered in Phillips’ 20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Sales in Hong Kong this Fall. Ahead of the sales, two works will be showcased at Phillips Paris alongside other highlights from the upcoming 20th Century & Contemporary Art and Design Sales across London and Hong Kong from 13-23 September. On the occasion of the exhibition in Paris, Phillips is delighted to showcase a group of beautiful sculptures by Zao Wou-Ki’s second wife May Zao from the private collection of Sin-May Roy Zao.
Sin-May Roy Zao said, “I am glad to offer these two works by my father spanning nearly across five decades in their execution in Phillips’ upcoming Hong Kong Fall auctions. 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. I look forward to sharing these memorable works in my collection with collectors and art lovers there, and I hope they will continue their journey in good hands. Rare but incredibly accomplished, my mother’s compelling organic sculptures represent her shared passion for art with my father and a common language in their respective artistic creation. They were exhibited alongside my father’s first examples of ink on paper at an exhibition in Paris in 1973 after her passing in 1972. I am very pleased to have this opportunity to showcase them again and recreate a dialogue between her and my father after 50 years.”
Clara Rivollet, International Specialist, 20th Century & Contemporary Art, Phillips, said, “We are honoured to have been entrusted by Sin-May Roy Zao with the sale of 14.10.69 and Untitled. Both works masterfully capture Zao Wou-Ki’s extraordinary singular talent in balancing Western abstraction with the essence of Chinese ink painting, which established the artist’s unquestionable status as a paragon of modern art. In the lead-up to the auction, we are particularly excited to present a special preview in Paris featuring two paintings alongside sculptures by the artist’s beloved wife May Zao. In the dialogue between the two artists and lovers, one finds a shared sophistication and ambition to express the intangible.”
Beautifully emblematic of Zao's astoundingly rich and varied oeuvre, 14.10.69 offered in the Evening Sale is a compelling example of the most intensely creative period that lies between the late 1950s to the early 1970s. In the 1960s, Zao’s work became more vibrant and forceful, growing increasingly abstract as he moved away from the figurative style that characterised his earlier work toward a bolder, more energetic mode of painting. The unique features of Zao’s works made him stand out against the tide of post-war abstract paintings in Europe and earned him global fame. Directly inspired by the traditional Chinese landscape painting, 14.10.69 perfectly expresses the tension between yin and yang, light and darkness, full and emptiness, in a dual composition which brings out the energy of life.
Offered in the Day Sale, Untitled, painted in 2007, exemplifies Zao’s joyful expansion of his colour palette where tension lies in the colour’s contrast. By 2007 Zao’s compositions translate a new appeasement where the artist reconnects with the instinctive joy of colours. Around this time the artist also starts painting large watercolours where he lets the colours run on the paper and merge freely. Untitled epitomises perfectly this late mastery of colours in a newly peaceful way.
The exact dates of Phillips’s Hong Kong 20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Sales will be announced in due course.
Paris Preview: 10am to 6pm,13-23 September (by appointment only on Sunday 18 September) | 46 Rue du Bac, Paris 75007.
ABOUT PHILLIPS Phillips is a leading global platform for buying and selling 20th and 21st century art and design. With dedicated expertise in the areas of 20th Century and Contemporary 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. In addition to providing selling and buying opportunities through auction, Phillips brokers private sales and offers assistance with appraisals, valuations, and other financial services. 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 – Ingrid Hsu, Public Relations Director, Asia Ingridhsu@phillips.com LONDON – Katie Carder, Head of Press, Europe kcarder@phillips.com
PHILLIPS NEW YORK – 432 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022 PHILLIPS LONDON – 30 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6EX PHILLIPS HONG KONG – 14/F St. George’s Building, 2 Ice House Street, Central Hong Kong
|
|||||||
