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ZAO WOU-KI | 22.8.69 - 2.10.75
Estimate
750,000 - 1,000,000 EUR
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Description
- Zao Wou Ki
- 22.8.69 - 2.10.75
- signed, signed in Chinese; signed, titled and dated 22.8.69 - 2.10.75 on the reverse
- oil on canvas
- 53,5 x 81 cm; 21 1/16 x 31 7/8 in.
- Executed in 1969 - 1975.
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner in 1975
Condition
The work is executed on its original canvas and is not relined. There are a few tiny stains located in the upper left quadrant. Under Ultra Violet Light inspection 4 small carefully repainting area fluoresce: one in the upper left corner, two in the upper left quadrant and one along the lower edge towards the center. This work is in very good condition.
"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
There is something overwhelming and enigmatic in Zao Wou-Ki's painting.
Like a mental landscape of tangled matter bathed in a diaphanous light seemingly shining from the dawn of time, 22.08.1969-2.10.75 perfectly captures the exceptional mastery Zao Wou-Ki reached at the end of the 60s, a turning point in his career. After nearly 20 years in Paris, the artist completed the transformation that brought him to break free of the conventions that had long held him back. But he did so without renouncing his thousand years-old tradition grounded in the principle of dividing painting into two spaces of expression that symbolically represent the sky and the earth -which is very clear in the work presented here.
For its binary composition and subtle plays on texture, 22.08.1969-2.10.75 represents a perfect symbiosis between the European lyrical abstraction Zao Wou-Ki championed and the ancestral Chinese tradition he inherited. Here, the canvas provides ground for a rare aesthetic experience unparalleled in art history.
The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by the Fondation Zao Wou-Ki. The work will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné currently being prepared by Françoise Marquet and Yann Hendgen. It is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Fondation Zao Wou-Ki.
Like a mental landscape of tangled matter bathed in a diaphanous light seemingly shining from the dawn of time, 22.08.1969-2.10.75 perfectly captures the exceptional mastery Zao Wou-Ki reached at the end of the 60s, a turning point in his career. After nearly 20 years in Paris, the artist completed the transformation that brought him to break free of the conventions that had long held him back. But he did so without renouncing his thousand years-old tradition grounded in the principle of dividing painting into two spaces of expression that symbolically represent the sky and the earth -which is very clear in the work presented here.
For its binary composition and subtle plays on texture, 22.08.1969-2.10.75 represents a perfect symbiosis between the European lyrical abstraction Zao Wou-Ki championed and the ancestral Chinese tradition he inherited. Here, the canvas provides ground for a rare aesthetic experience unparalleled in art history.
The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by the Fondation Zao Wou-Ki. The work will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné currently being prepared by Françoise Marquet and Yann Hendgen. It is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Fondation Zao Wou-Ki.