CHINESE CONTEMPORARY INK PAINTINGS FROM A DISTINGUISHED NORTH AMERICAN COLLECTION (LOTS 1033-1041)

LIU KUO-SUNG (LIU GUOSONG, B. 1932)

The Sun Changing Colours

Details

LIU KUO-SUNG (LIU GUOSONG, B. 1932)
The Sun Changing Colours
Hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper
185 x 46 cm. (72 7/8x 18 1/8 in.)
Inscribed and signed, with one seal of the artist
Dated 1971

Provenance

Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong, 2005.

Literature

Liu Kuo-sung and Yu Guangzhong, A Series of Books on Shadows – Literary and Artistic Style, Hebei Education Publishing House, May 2000, p. 26.
Liu Kuo-sung At Seventy, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong, 2003, p. 36.
Liu Kuo-sung: A Retrospective View, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong, 2005, p. 52.

Exhibited

Hong Kong, Hanart TZ Gallery, Liu Kuo-sung At Seventy, 12-30 December 2003.
Singapore, Tyler Print Institute, Liu Kuo-sung: A Retrospective View, 13-27 May 2005.

Further Details

The owners of this collection began acquiring 20th-century Chinese paintings in the late 1980s. Their fascination with master painters such as Zhang Daqian expanded their horizons and led them to works by living artists who revolutionized the ink tradition in the late 20th century. Having lived in Japan and Hong Kong, the owners travelled extensively throughout Asia and to China on many occasions with an open mind, eager to see art and meet artists. They were excited by the intellectual rigour, the experimentation of materials and techniques, and the vitality of the artists.
Acquiring works from artists, galleries and auction houses, the owners assembled a diverse collection of contemporary ink paintings that witnessed the ever-evolving development of the tradition in the past three decades. These works converse with the thousand-year-old practice but constantly challenge the nature and relevance of this art form to the artists’ lives and recent historical events. The artists featured in the collection include leading figures in the movement such as Liu Kuo-sung, Irene Chou, and Qiu Zhijie. They represent a wide range of backgrounds, training, and geography; their inspiration and influence are also diverse – from the photographs taken by the astronauts landing on the moon for the first time, and the origin of life, to the fundamental elements of the Chinese language and its characters. As visionaries fascinated by the growth of ink art, the owners became friends with many artists, and as cultural patrons, actively support organizations that bridge East and West, bringing Chinese art and culture to a broader audience worldwide.

Brought to you by

Sandy Yom

syom@christies.com +852 297 89933

Lot Essay

The Sun Changing Colours and Light Revealing from the East are a remarkable examples of Liu Kuo-sung’s Space Series. Having achieved great success in his Calligraphic Abstraction Series in the 1960s, Liu was inspired by astronaut William Anders’ photograph Earthrise taken on the Apollo 8 Mission and hence began to develop his Space Series in 1968. He depicts the sun and the moon shining above the earth with broad, abstract brushstrokes representing the landmasses and oceans of the Earth, and combines his innovation in subject matter and his maturity in his abstract paintings. By the 1970s, Liu has uncovered a face of Chinese paintings that was not imagined before.

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