- 13
Mao Xuhui
Estimate
450,000 - 550,000 HKD
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Description
- Mao Xuhui
- Upside-Down Red Scissors
- oil on canvas
signed and titled in Chinese and dated 2008.4 on the reverse, framed
Condition
This work is generally in good condition. There are minor wear and handling around the edges. Please note that it was not examined under ultraviolet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Born in 1956 in Chongqing, Mao Xuhui graduated from the Oil Painting Department at the Yunnan Academy of Fine Arts in 1982 and began teaching at the same department from his alta mater in 1996. The artist is considered to be one of the most important artists in China in the early 1990s with his founding of the Southwest Art Group, along with Zhang Xiaogang and Pan Dehai, and his participation at the seminal "China Avant-Garde" exhibition at the China Art Gallery in Beijing in 1989.
The initial Parents series was a major body of works that focused on the motif of power through the use of shadows and images of altar-like thrones, drastically different from other artists of his time and the limits of Socialist Realism that focus on strict figurative language. Through this series, he was able to develop the subsequent Scissors series, arguably the most well-known series in his career. First seen in his Daily Epic series from 1995, the iconic shape of the scissors rendered in oil paint translates into an obsessive exploration into the correlation between image and power of an everyday object. At the same time, the raw brushwork and textures from the previous works have shifted into a much softer palette that speak of serenity and detachment, alluding to the artist's exploration away from power and into the higher realm of spiritual understanding.
The initial Parents series was a major body of works that focused on the motif of power through the use of shadows and images of altar-like thrones, drastically different from other artists of his time and the limits of Socialist Realism that focus on strict figurative language. Through this series, he was able to develop the subsequent Scissors series, arguably the most well-known series in his career. First seen in his Daily Epic series from 1995, the iconic shape of the scissors rendered in oil paint translates into an obsessive exploration into the correlation between image and power of an everyday object. At the same time, the raw brushwork and textures from the previous works have shifted into a much softer palette that speak of serenity and detachment, alluding to the artist's exploration away from power and into the higher realm of spiritual understanding.