Western and Asian Contemporay Art to Be Offered by Seoul Auction

Written by Lucy Liu Tuesday, 18 October 2011 21:07

HONG KONG.- Seoul Auction, Korea‟s leading auction house, will offer an unrivalled selection of 80 works in its Modern and Contemporary Art Spring Sale in Hong Kong on 4 April 2010 at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. Expected to realize in excess of HK$60 million (US$8 million), the sale features works by leading Western and Asian masters, as well as up and coming artists from Korea, Japan, China and Indonesia, reflecting the dynamic vibrancy of contemporary Asian art.

Mr Jun Lee, CEO of Seoul Auction, said: “We are witnessing a growing interest and a greater level of appreciation of Western contemporary art among Asian collectors. Seoul Auction is proud to have a long history of over 10 years of selling Western art in Asia, and to have been the first auction house to bring Western contemporary art to Hong Kong. We are delighted to provide a platform and introduce a wider range of both Western and Asian art to Chinese connoisseurs.

Western Art
On offer is Untitled 3, an important mixed media work by Donald Judd (1928-1994) (Estimate: HK$13,000,000-17,000,000/US$1,600,000-2,200,000). Judd began his career as a painter in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when Abstract Expressionism was at its height in the New York art world. However, Judd wanted to move away from works that reflected the artist‟s emotional state, and also from devices such as spatial illusion and reference to figures or movements in his painting. Therefore in 1962 he decided to resolve these problems by working in three dimensions.

Another highlight is Le Bouquet de Paris by Marc Chagall (1887-1985), a masterpiece by the Russian Jewish artist which has never before appeared at auction (Estimate on request). In the course of his long artistic career, Chagall created a highly imaginative and very personal style. Although he was influenced by, and assimilated into his work, certain aspects of modern art movements, including Cubism, Fauvism and Surrealism, his style remains independent of any one school of art. Above all, his work is rich in the imagery of the folklore of his native Russia and Jewish life, and often takes on the appearance of a dream-like fantasy. Chagall left a legacy of works that communicate happiness and optimism through fantastic compositions and vivid colours. He combined emotion and memory to create art with an unmistakable personal style and a universal quality.

Le Bouquet is a perfect example. If one looks at only the vase of flowers, it has the composition of a still-life painting. But with the addition of the lovers and the city, the work assumes a fantasy-like time and space. The flowers which cover almost all the surface are symbolic of Chagall‟s all-time theme of love. Painted in 1982, three years before his death, the work displays the maturity of old age and is impressive in its soft, sensuous brushstrokes. Here the magician of colours restrained his palette to make the red flowers and green leaves stand out more beautifully against a serene background and express his deep emotion.

A highlight of the sale is Eight, a monumental red and violet aluminium sculpture, measuring over 1.8 meters in height, by the American master painter, sculptor and printmaker Robert Indiana (born 1928). This is the first time an Eight sculpture from Indiana’s number series has ever been offered at any auction. The sculpture is No. 2 from Edition 6 of this numeral, created by Indiana between 1980 and 2001 (Estimate: HK$ 3,800,000–4,500,000/US$490,000–580,000) .

Indiana is widely recognized as a seminal figure in the Pop Art movement. He came to prominence in the 1960s, becoming famous for his simple, bold, geometric paintings and sculptures that incorporate graphic numbers and letters, and especially for his LOVE paintings and sculptures. LOVE, conceived during the Vietnam War, became a symbol for Peace. Thus, Indiana‟s work is not only concerned with form and colour, but also addresses politics and the human condition.
The number Eight has special appeal for the Chinese as it symbolizes good fortune and prosperity and is expected to arouse enormous interest in the sale.

Seoul Auction will offer a stunning piece Blo-Void 1 by Ron Arad (born 1951) (Estimate: HK$800,000–1,200,000/US$110,000-160,000), one of the most respected and influential designers working today. This is also the first time that a work by Ron Arad has ever appeared at auction in Asia. Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Ron Arad was originally trained as an architect. He made his name in London in the early 1980s as a designer and maker of sculptural furniture.

A further highlight is an important oil painting Grün-Blau-Rot by Gerhard Richter (born 1932) (Estimate: HK$850,000-1,000,000/US$110,000-130,000).

Chinese Art
Leading the Chinese section is Girl and Peaches by Wang Yidong (born 1955), a significant figure in the history of modern Chinese realist painting (Estimate: HK$3,100,000-3,800,000/US$400,000-500,000). This is the first time that this masterpiece by Wang has been offered in the auction market. Wang Yidong‟s subject matter mainly derives from the village culture of the Yi-meng mountain region in his native Shandong province. Since the 1980s, Wang Yidong has sought to capture the life and customs of the region, reflecting the artist‟s pursuit of purity and timelessness through his dedicated portrayal of simple yet venerable human characters and their rituals. Girl and Peaches is a perfect example demonstrating Wang‟s mastery of composition, portrayal of light and his superb command of painting technique and capturing of details.

Another prized offering in the sale is Mask Series no.21 3-1 by Zeng Fanzhi (born 1964) who is recognized as one of the most iconic and expressive painters of the contemporary Chinese avant-garde art movement (Estimate: HK$1,100,000-1,300,000/US$140,000-170,000). In 1993, Zeng moved from his native Wuhan to Beijing and in 1994 embarked on his famous “Mask” series which expressed both his personal inner feelings of loneliness and isolation in a new big city, and the alienation of the individual in Chinese society in general. In this series of paintings, Zeng used expert line and brushwork to depict smartly dressed figures wearing white masks with blank expressions.

Other highlights include works by young emerging artists, including Happy Face by Gao Yu (Estimate: HK$150,000-180,000/US$20,000-24,000) and A Smooth Run by Chen Ke (Estimate: HK$300,000-400,000/ US$39,000-52,000).

Korean Art
Taking centre-stage in the Korean section is TV Cello by Nam June Paik (1932-2006) which has never before appeared in the auction market (Estimate: HK$1,500,000-2,000,000/US$190,000-260,000). Paik is universally regarded as the “father of video art” and one of the most innovative artists of the 20th century. His video sculptures, installations, performances and television productions constitute one of the most influential and significant bodies of work in this medium. TV Cello,on offer in this sale, was created in 1994 and is one of the best examples from Nam Jun Paik‟s Cello series using multiple TV monitors.

In 1965, Paik was one of the first artists to use a portable video and audio recorder, the Portapak introduced by Sony. In 1969, he worked with Japanese engineer Shuya Abe to construct an early video-synthesizer that allowed him to experiment with ways to alter TV and video images and create an astonishing range of artworks. Later he used multiple TV monitors and robots made of TV sets, metal and electronic components.

Japanese Art
Yayoi Kusama (born 1929) is represented in the sale by Venus No.4, Statue of Venus (Obliterated by Infinity Nets) which dates from 1998. Making its debut appearance at auction, this is one of the most important works in Kusama‟s Infinity Nets series (Estimate: HK$3,000,000-3,500,000/US$390,000-450,000). Venus No. 1, Statue of Venus (Obliterated by Infinity Nets), another piece from the same series, fetched HK$3,596,000 (US$459,847 ) at Seoul Auction‟s Hong Kong Sale in May 2009, setting an auction record for a sculpture by Kusama.

A special Session of Limited Edition Works
Also on offer in the sale is a special session of Limited Edition Works by distinguished Asian and Western artists including Pablo Picasso, Yves Klein, Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama and Yoshitomo Nara.

Highlights include Jacqueline au Chevalet, a ceramic plate by Picasso (Estimate: HK$270,000-340,000/US$ 35,000-44,000), Marilyn by Andy Warhol (Estimate: HK$800,000-1,200,000/US$100,000-150,000), Table Bleue by Yves Klein (Estimate: HK$210,000-270,000/US$26,000-35,000) and For the Love of God, The Diamond Skull and For the Love of God, The Laugh by Damien Hirst (Estimate: HK$210,000-270,000/US$26,000-35,000) and Puppy by Jeff Koons (Estimate: HK$40,000-50,000/US$5,200-6,500).

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