SOTHEBYS 'A' : Sotheby’s Hong Kong To Hold Evening Sale Of The Ullens Collection – Experimentation And Evolution

Press Release Hong Kong

For Immediate Release

Hong Kong | Carmen Ting / Winnie Tang | [phone] / 129 | [e-mail] / [e-mail]

London | Simon Warren | [phone] | [e-mail] | New York | Lauren Gioia | [e-mail]

Sotheby’s Hong Kong To Hold Evening Sale Of

The Ullens Collection – Experimentation And Evolution

Chen Zhen (1955-2000) Divine Judgment (1992) (Est. HK$4 – 6 million / US$520,000 – US$770,000)

-- Highlighting Avant-Garde Installations And

Conceptual Contemporary Chinese Art --

Hong Kong Public Exhibition: 1 – 2 October | Evening Auction: 2 October

Hong Kong, September 2011 Following the overwhelming success of The Ullens Collection – The Nascence of Avant- Garde China in April 2011, Sotheby’s Hong Kong is pleased to announce the Evening Sale of the second instalment of this legendary contemporary Chinese art collection – The Ullens Collection – Experimentation and Evolution – to take place on 2 October. Early works of important artists including Zeng Fanzhi and Liu Ye remain a significant part of the sale, while the offering this season also highlights a diverse range of experimental works from the 1990s, created by pioneers in conceptual, installation and sculptural art working ahead of their contemporaries, including Chen Zhen and Sui Jianguo. The sale also highlights iconic video artworks by the likes of Cui Xiuwen and Lin Yilin, which are of great importance and rarely seen in the market. Altogether the sale offers a total of 90 lots estimated to achieve in excess of HK$77 million / US$10 million*.

Evelyn Lin, Sotheby’s Head of Contemporary Asian Art, said: “We are very honoured to be entrusted once again by

Baron Ullens to offer the second part of his significant contemporary art collection. This will be the last auction of works

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from the collection and, therefore, the last opportunity to acquire a piece of this legendary assemblage of art. This time we have curated the sale to highlight pioneers in Chinese conceptual art, including Chinese artists based overseas, as well as very special works of video art, with the hope of offering a glimpse of the fascinating diversity of contemporary Chinese art and expanding the horizons of the collecting community.”

Baron Guy Ullens commented on the sale: “I am delighted to once again share with collectors a further selection of works from my Collection at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Autumn Sales. Following last season’s tremendous success, I have worked together with Sotheby’s to curate an interesting selection of works that is strong in both conceptual and installation works produced in China in the pivotal 1990s. This sale will be the last auction of works from my Collection. Collecting art, particularly works by new and emerging artists across Asia, remains my passion. I am fortunate to retain many wonderful works in my Collection, to which I look forward to building and enhancing by introducing a new and exciting dimension, working with ground-breaking artists from China, India, Japan and Korea.”

HIGHLIGHTS

I. AVANT-GARDE EXPERIMENTS IN CONTEMPORARY CHINESE ART IN THE 1990’S Chen Zhen (1955-2000) Divine Judgment, 1992

HK$4,000,000 – 6,000,000 / US$520,000 – US$770,000, pictured on P.1)

Renowned Chinese artist Chen Zhen was based in France in the latter part of his life; he was also one of the first Chinese conceptual artists to receive international acclaim. Having emigrated from China in 1986, Chen fully understood the meaning of being “the other” when he formulated the idea of “trans-experience”: a cultural homelessness where one does not belong to anybody yet is in possession of everything. Divine Judgment is an early masterpiece of Chen Zhen. The artist printed French press clippings on nine wooden panels. The texts chronicled important events of the late 1980s, among them the global threat of AIDS, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the democracy movement in China. He also added texts extracted from such Chinese classics as The Book of Changes (Yi Jing), Customs of Cambodia, and Journey to the West (Da Tang Xiyou Ji). These cross-cultural excerpts express his longing for the future and the sense of helplessness he felt about the present. The ashes of newspapers piled at the upper left-hand corner are distinctive signatures of the artist during the

1990’s. As matter is transformed, objects are purified, spirits regenerated, and everything returns to nature. The human skull from which the red cloth is suspended on the right provides a counterpoint to the ashes. By painting the words “Divine Judgment” as well as ancient Chinese geomancy explanations on the suspended red globe, the artist combined world events with Chinese fengshui, highlighting the unpredictability of the world.

Sui Jianguo (b. 1956) The Shadow of the Century (set of 10), 1997

Est. HK$1.8 - 2.5 million / US$230,000 - 320,000

This sale highlights four representative works by Sui Jianguo: his early Structure Series, from which two works were selected, an unusually large- scale sculpture from the oft-exhibited Legacy Mantle series as well as Shadow of the Century (pictured on P.3), which is rarely seen in the market.

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This piece is actually the archetype that eventually led to the Legacy Mantle series, comprising a series of 10 small-sized aluminium Mao suits, each framed by newspaper clippings that narrate a segment of Chinese history. Combining elements from the East and West, the Mao suit was costume de rigueur for all Chinese historical figures of the 20th century. With a sense of solemnity, the suit stands as a monument for generations of Chinese people, embodying the country’s history in the past century imbued with conflicts and complexities.

Wu Shanzhuan (b. 1960) To Buy is to Create, 2005-2006

Est. HK$500,000 - 80,000 / US$64,000 - $100,000

As early as 1989, conceptual art pioneer Wu Shanzhuan illegally enacted his groundbreaking performance work Big Business (Selling Shrimps) at the China /Avant-garde Art Exhibition. This sale offers his To Buy is to Create, an installation resembling a lightbox advertisement. Below the catchy slogan “To Buy Is To Create” is a universal product

code - a ubiquitous sign of commercialism - as well as the artist’s own mobile phone number. The artist’s voice is clear and resonant here, while the space he creates is somehow sanctified, hushed like a church. To compare consumerism with sacred creation might be ironic or even blasphemous, but there is nonetheless a touch of humour injected into the installation.

II. VIDEO ART

Starting in 1985 with the ’85 New Wave, video art spread rapidly from Hangzhou to the rest of China, becoming a significant creative outlet for Chinese artists. A preferred medium documenting important artistic performances, it has long been neglected and underrated in the market. Sotheby’s Hong Kong is delighted to present this special section of video art, introducing to the public some of the most avant-garde and historically important video works from The Ullens Collection, featuring among other distinguished artists Lin Yilin, Qiu Zhijie and Cui Xiuwen.

Lin Yilin (b. 1964) Safely Maneuvering Across Lin He Street, 1995

Est. HK$80,000 - 120,000 / US$10,300 - 15,400

Acclaimed performance artist Lin Yilin’s Safely Maneuvering Across Lin He Street, a video documentation of a performance, has been exhibited in China and abroad numerous times. In the performance Lin Yilin quickly moves a makeshift wall of grey cinder blocks across a busy street in Guangzhou. Through the process of repeated construction and deconstruction, he safely arrives at the other end of the crossing, which happens to be the Sky Central Plaza, itself in the midst of construction. Created at the beginning of China’s

economic boom, Safely Maneuvering Across Lin He Street is filled with a sense of absurdity and a satire of the powerlessness

of people in face of rapid urbanisation.

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Qiu Zhijie (b. 1969) Ten Tang Poems, 1999

Est. HK$350,000 – 450,000 / US$ 44,900 – 58,000

One of China’s foremost video pioneers, Qiu Zhijie curated a video art exhibition in China back in 1996, entitled “Image and Phenomena: Video Art in China”. In 1999, he started wielding calligraphy in his art. Ten Tang Poems includes ten scrolls of calligraphy and one video segment, depicting the writing of ten Tang-dynasty poems. The artist deliberately reversed the calligraphic strokes while writing the poems. The writing action was recorded and played backwards, creating the

visual effect where the calligraphic strokes seemed to disappear into the writer’s brush. This work prompts the viewer to deconstruct calligraphic art and consider it from a new perspective, even to eradicate the meaning of the poems, eventually offering a pure display of the physical action of calligraphy.

Cui Xiuwen (b. 1971) Lady’s, 2000

Est. HK$70,000 - 90,000 / US$9,000 - 11,600

Created in 2000, female artist Cui Xiuwen’s Lady’s launched her name in the art scene when premiered at the inaugural Guangzhou Triennial in the same year. The artist placed her video camera facing the mirror in the ladies’ restroom of legendary nightclub Heaven on Earth, documenting the actions and attitudes of women during China’s economic boom: fixing their bras, makeup and hair, counting money, talking on their mobile phones and engaging customers,

exposing the changing images of women in the face of rampant development in the country.

III. IMPORTANT EARLY WORKS OF ESTABLISHED CONTEMPORARY CHINESE ARTISTS

Zeng Fanzhi (b. 1964) Masks Series 1998 No.26, 1998

Est. HK$15 - 20 million / US$1.9 - 2.6 million

Zeng Fanzhi created his critically acclaimed Mask Series between 1994 and 2002, reflecting his apprehension and alienation vis-à-vis Beijing city life based on his personal experience, as well as chronicling an often neglected side of society as China’s economy took flight in the 1990’s. The mask hides real emotions, representing a barrier between the individual and the society. The present example embodying the essence

of the entire series is, therefore, an extremely rare gem. The man in the painting tilts his head toward the mirror, and yet

sees only his masked self. The dog that appears on his side only exists in the mirror, symbolising the loneliness of modern

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living. In comparison with other works in the Mask Series, this painting delves deep into the narrative unearthing more profound insights and is, therefore, emblematic of the entire series.

Liu Ye (b. 1964) Portrait of Qi Baishi, 1996

Est. HK$7 - 9 million / US$900,000 - 1.2 million

Qi Baishi is the only Chinese artist to have ever been portrayed by Liu Ye in his paintings. For Liu, an advocate of Western classical drawing, this is a rare subject. Compared to other contemporary Chinese artists who focus heavily on social and political themes, employing irony and condemnation in their works, German-educated Liu has opted to transcend political criticism, searching instead for an even more personal way of expression. Liu has been influenced by European classicism, especially the Dutch school of painting, in his pursuit of the timelessness and tranquillity of classical art. At the same time, Liu is also inspired by surrealism, capturing a unique sense of mystery within a composition rich in philosophical meanings. In the Portrait of Qi Baishi, the master in Chinese

ink painting appears kind and gentle, standing in front of a mountain range at dusk, carrying with him a double gourd and a walking stick. His face is slightly angled to the right, looking at an airplane that has fallen from the sky: a recurring symbol in Liu’s early works, representing what the artist saw and experienced as a young boy during the Cultural Revolution.

Zhou Chunya (b. 1955) Red Hugging Lovers, 1998

Est. HK$3.5 - 4.5 million / US$450,000 - 580,000

From his Green Dog to the Peach Blossom series, sex and erotica have been recurring themes in Zhou Chunya’s output, among which the Red People series is Zhou’s most prominent in his probing into the topics of sex and desire. The present lot, Red Hugging Lovers, fully encapsulates the essence of the Red People series – it portrays a naked couple holding each other tightly, accentuated by the red hues and expressionist brushstrokes that are filled with tension and passion, captivating the basic sexual instinct of man, epitomising the most natural of all human states. One of the earliest works of the Red People series, this painting represents the artist’s first head-on attempt at exploring the subjects of sex and erotica.

IV.SHANGHAI ARTISTS

Long holding its name as a true international metropolis, Shanghai is considered the earliest and most daring of Chinese cities that embraced Western art. When China opened up with its economic reform in the 1980’s, Shanghai artists could hardly wait to catch up with lost decades in their avant-garde art, making Shanghai the centre of Chinese abstractionism and minimalism. Works by Yu Youhan, Li Shan and Ding Yi are representative of this group.

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Yu Youhan (b. 1943) Circle 1986-8, 1986

Est. HK$2 - 3 million / US$260,000 - 390,000

Yu Youhan began exploring abstract drawing in the 1980’s; he stands among the few Shanghai artists dauntless in embracing the Western tradition. Although abstract art originated in the West, Yu’s Circle 1986-8 evokes traditional Chinese ink painting in its composition, revealing the artist’s determination to express universal ideas that transcend cultural definitions. The dots and lines on the canvas flow freely within the large circular form, sometimes appearing only as small circles, at other times combining with points

and lines to simulate free flowing air currents, representing a universe that is both vigorous and vivacious. The circle symbolises both the beginning and the end, as well as never-ending continuity. At the same time, it also embodies the concepts of both “being” and “nothingness.” The artist once said, “I hope the circle is a symbol of the universe itself and the embodiment of the universal spirit.” Featured in numerous important exhibitions, the Circle series is an iconic part of Yu’s creative output in the 1980s, and this particular work of impressive dimensions is, therefore, extremely rare and valuable.

Ding Yi (b. 1962) Appearance of Crosses 2001.08 (triptych), 2001

Est. HK$1.2 - 1.8 million / US$150,000 - 230,000

Ding Yi is the first artist in China to embrace American minimalism, using crosses that are seemingly devoid of meaning to probe the multifarious possibilities of pure visual expression. Appearance of Crosses 2001.08 is a rare large-scale work on tartan structured as a triptych, using green as the primary colour. Unlike other works featuring the same motif, this painting has one third of the middle panel of the triptych dominated by yellowish green, clearly

separating the panels to its left and right, achieving a sense of visual balance, making the piece a rare variation of the series

and therefore truly remarkable.

Li Shan (b. 1942) Rouge Series No. 4, 1989

Est. HK$1.5 - 2.5 million / US$190,000 – 320,000

Li Shan is among the first Chinese artists to base his creations on the image of Mao Zedong. In Rouge Series No. 4, he depicts former American President George Bush and former Soviet Union Chairman Mikhail Gorbachev, both exceptional subjects in their own right. It was Gorbachev and his revolution that led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and heralded the end of the Cold War. This move was lauded by the West, as represented by President Bush in the lead. Li employs his

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signature floral motifs and pink hues in this painting, generating suggestive dynamics between the two, providing endless room for interpretation.

*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium

NOTES TO EDITORS

Images available upon request

Press releases are now available at sothebys.com

I. Sotheby’s Hong Kong sale of The Ullens Collection – The Nascence of Avant-Garde China

Sotheby’s Hong Kong set a Record for a Single-Owner Sale of Contemporary Chinese Art At Auction when its offering of

105 masterpieces from The Ullens Collection – The Nascence of Avant-Garde China achieved a sell-through rate of

100%, bringing a total of HK$427,239,250 / US$54,774,263 against presale estimates of HK$100 million to HK$130 million / US$12.7 million to 16.7 million. Zhang Xiaogang’s Forever Lasting Love (Triptych), a monumental museum- quality work from a defining period of the Chinese avant-garde, set an auction record for Contemporary Chinese Art and for the artist when it sold for over HK$79 million / US$10 million (est. HK$25-30 million). World auction records were also set for Zhang Peili, Geng Jianyi, Yu Youhan, Ding Yi, Guan Wei, Liu Wei and many others.

II. Sotheby's Hong Kong Autumn Sales 2011 Calendar ^Two salesrooms for concurrent bidding

Auction Date	Auction Room	Category	Exhibition
1 Oct
12pm	Room 2	Wine – The Classic Cellar from A Great American Collector VIII	--
2 Oct^
10am 7pm	Room 2 Room 1	Wine – Fine & Rarest Wines, Including The Ultimate Nine from the Bordeaux Winebank Collection The Ullens Collection - Experimentation and Evolution	-- 1-2 Oct (until 5pm)
3 Oct
10am 2:30pm 6pm	Room 1 Room 1 Room 1	Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings 20th Century Chinese Art Contemporary Asian Art (Various-Owner Sale)	1-2 Oct 1-3 Oct (until 1 pm) 1-3 Oct (until 4pm)
4 Oct^
10am / 2pm 3pm	Room 1 Room 2	Fine Chinese Paintings An Auction To Benefit the University of Oxford China Centre	1-3 Oct 1-3 Oct
5 Oct^
10am 11:30am /3pm 1pm 2:30pm /5:30pm	Room 1 Room 1 Room 2 Room 2	The Meiyintang Collection, Part II - An Important Selection of Imperial Chinese Porcelains Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art (Various-owner sale) Anita Mui – Jewels and Watches from the Estate Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite	1-4 Oct 1-4 Oct 1-4 Oct 1-4 Oct
6 Oct
10am / 2pm	Room 1	Important Watches	1-5 Oct

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III) Sotheby's Hong Kong Autumn Sales 2011 Exhibition and Auction Venue

Hall 3, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (New Wing)

1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

IV) Auction Previews

Date	Cities	Venue
16 – 17 Sep	Shanghai	The Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai
19–20 Sep	Beijing	The Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial Street
24–25 Sep	Taipei	Fubon International Convention Centre

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