張大千 夏山飛翠 | Zhang Daqian (Chang Dai-chien, 1899-1983), Verdant Mountains of Summer Spirit

張大千 夏山飛翠

潑彩紙本裱於木板 鏡框 一九六八年作

款識︰爰翁。戊申之四月將望寫於五亭湖上。

鈐印︰「大千唯印大年」、「大千世界」。

註：本幅寫於一九六八年五月，按史帶同年年底下世，可知入藏於同年。畫背具紐約裝框公司M. Toberoff & Co.,標記。是年十月至十二月間，大千在紐約Frank Caro Gallery、芝加哥S.H Mori Gallery、波士頓Alberts Langdon Gallery舉行大型近作巡迴展覽，據方聞教授前言謂「他以傳統潑墨的技法畫出新式抽象的圖形」，可知五十六幅作品以抽象潑彩為主。編號十九之Landscape（山水），尺寸63 ¾ x 26 ½ ，與本幅同，惟圖錄未有刊圖，或為本幅，待考。

67 x 160.8 cm 26⅜ x 63¼ in.

美國私人藏畫（編號6170-6172） 

本輯乃保險業巨擘史帶 (Cornelius Vander Starr，1892-1968) 舊藏，後贈予朱孔嘉（1907-1998）。 

史帶，美國著名企業家，美亞保險公司和美國國際保險集團創始人，即AIG American International Group 前身。他商業頭腦精明，一九一〇年入柏克萊加州大學，不久輟學，經營雪糕店並出售獲利。時僅二十出頭，雄心勃勃，勇於嘗試不同行業，對保險業尤其熱衷，曾協助創辦保險經紀公司。他勤奮賣力，白天工作，晚上唸書，考獲律師資格。然未囿於一職一地，遠赴日本發展，未及半年，轉赴上海。他看準當時利息高，而衛生環境逐步改善，人均壽命增長，故在未及而立之齡，在當地成立美亞、友邦、四海等保險公司，並逐步擴展至全國及東南亞地區。抗日時將公司總部遷往紐約，並於一九四八年，將上海公司轉往香港，業務亦擴充至歐美。一九六七年，註冊成立美國國際集團（AIG），涵蓋旗下過百企業，一躍成為全球保險業巨頭。翌年，因心臟病發遽逝於紐約。 

他知人善任，以當地人管理在地企業，加之生性慷慨，生意大獲成功，與下屬朱孔嘉逾四十載交誼即例證。他樂善好施，捐離世後大部份個人資產捐贈史帶基金會，至今仍活躍於慈善事務。 

史帶經商之餘亦好收藏，不時為個人或不同地區的辦公室選購藝術品，涉獵甚廣，野獸派油畫、宗教藝術、中國工藝品、雕塑等。他對中國感情至深，曾曰「中國為我家鄉，中國人爲我同胞」，觀乎本輯，足見對中國書畫之鑑賞品味。 

朱孔嘉（1907-1998），江蘇常熟人。畢業於上海大學，一九二七年五月加入美亞保險公司，逐漸成爲史帶在華倚重的左右手，綜理中國及東南亞地區業務。上海淪陷前夕與光復之初，他力保公司資料免毀於戰火；四八年，又偕公司檔案和員工飛赴香港，令業務得以延續。爲公司服務逾七十載，逝世時仍是美亞保險香港有限公司主席。他熱心社會事務，大力贊助教育及慈善事業，並曾資助香港中文大學文物館購置藏品。 

六十年代中，史帶將位於紐約市以北布魯斯特 (Brewster)佔地地四十英畝的一處住宅，連同宅中的藝術品贈予朱孔嘉伉儷。此後又陸續以所藏相贈，本輯三幅即源出於此。 

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Zhang Daqian (Chang Dai-chien)

1899 - 1983

Verdant Mountains of Summer Spirit

splashed colour on paper, mounted on wooden panel, framed

signed, dated 1968, with 2 seals of the artist

67 x 160.8 cm 26⅜ x 63¼ in.

FROM AN AMERICAN PRIVATE COLLECTION (LOTS 6170-6172) 

This collection belonged to insurance tycoon Cornelius Vander Starr (1892-1968), before being bestowed upon K.K. Tse (1907-1998). 

An eminent American entrepreneur and magnate, Starr founded the insurance company American Asiatic Underwriters, Inc. (AAU), which is now AIG. Known to have an astute sense of business acumen, he withdrew from the University of California Berkeley after enrolling in 1910 to begin his first business venture: selling ice cream. At just 20 years old, Starr’s ambitions drove him to try various industries, with insurance particularly becoming his passion, having already by then helped found an insurance organization. Employee by day, student by night, Starr toiled diligently to qualify as a solicitor. Yet, he refused to be held down: Starr headed for Japan and moved to Shanghai in less than half a year. Taking advantage of the growing interest rates and increased lifespan, the latter owing to improved hygiene conditions, Starr established insurance companies in Shanghai, including AAU, the Great American Insurance Company, the Firemen’s Fund Insurance Company, and Hartford Fire Insurance Company, all before reaching 30. Gradually, Starr set his eyes upon expanding to the whole of China and Southeast Asia. In response to the Second Sino-Japanese War, he relocated his headquarters to New York. By 1948, he moved his office from Shanghai to Hong Kong, intending to branch out to Europe and the United States. In 1967, Starr incorporated American Asiatic Underwriters Corporation (AAU). With over 100 companies under its umbrella, AAU became a colossal insurance empire globally. The following year, Starr passed away from a heart attack in New York at the ripe age of 76. 

With a keen eye for budding talents and charitable nature, Starr enjoyed a flourishing business, as exemplified by a 40-year-long partnership and camaraderie with employee K.K. Tse. A philanthropist even in death, Starr donated most of his personal assets to the C.V. Starr Foundation, by which its charitable works continue till this day. 

Beyond being a business tycoon, Starr was also an esteemed connoisseur. Every so often, he would collect artworks either for his own personal decor or for his offices in various regions, gathering a myriad of works ranging from fauvist oil paintings to religious art, to Chinese art and sculptures. Starr was deeply attached to China, once commenting “China is my hometown, and the Chinese are my compatriots”. This collection shall testify to his impeccable taste and appreciation for Chinese paintings and calligraphy.   

K.K. Tse (1907-1998) was born in Changshu of Jiangsu Province. Graduated from Shanghai University, Tse joined AAU, climbing through the ranks to become Starr’s right-hand man in managing the affairs in China and Southeast Asia. On the eve of the Battle of Shanghai, Tse successfully shielded the company’s data from the flames of war; in 1948, he made his way to Hong Kong, alongside with company records and staff, thereby continuing Starr’s business. Having served the company for more than 70 years, Tse, on his death bed, was still the chairman of AAU Far East, Inc. A compassionate benefactor in society, Tse generously championed educational and charitable causes, and had sponsored the acquisition of exhibits for the Heritage Museum at Chinese University of Hong Kong.  

In the mid-1960s, Starr bestowed upon Tse a forty-acre residence in Brewster, just north of New York city, along with its artworks. Since then, he continued to gift from his collection, from which three paintings debuting this season are derived from.