534
534

PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF THEODORE J. FORSTMANN

Wu Dayu
UNTITLED - 16
Estimate
2,500,000 — 3,500,000
HKD
LOT SOLD. 4,580,000 HKD
JUMP TO LOT
534

PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF THEODORE J. FORSTMANN

Wu Dayu
UNTITLED - 16
Estimate
2,500,000 — 3,500,000
HKD
LOT SOLD. 4,580,000 HKD
JUMP TO LOT

Details & Cataloguing

20th Century Chinese Art

|
Hong Kong

Wu Dayu
1903-1988
UNTITLED - 16
executed circa 70s.
oil on canvas mounted on paperboard
54.5 by 39.5 cm. 21 1/2 by 15 1/2 in.
Read Condition Report Read Condition Report

Provenance

Christie's Hong Kong, May 24, 2009, Lot 525
Acquired at the above sale

Exhibited

Beijing, Lin & Keng Gallery, Grand Opening Exhibition, April 21 - May 21, 2007

Literature

Wu Dayu, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, 2006, p. 58, 59, illustrated in colour
Lin & Keng Cultural Subjectivity of Oriental Aesthetics, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, p. 76, illustrated in colour

Catalogue Note

Untitled - 16 belongs to Wu Dayu's Beijing Opera Series. On the surface, he absorbed surrealist and abstract elements, creating an exaggerated bust made up of freely wielded colours and lines. Pine green and sapphire colours are tightly arranged like inlaid gems, creating a vibrant and pleasing effect. Wu's canvas appears joyful, vivacious, even humorous. From another perspective, Untitled -16 seems to portray a genteel couple in profile: They stand together, holding hands, looking at each other with deep feelings. This composition, itself an optical illusion, is also akin to Yituanheqi by Ming Dynasty Emperor Xianzong (Zhu Jianshen), a testament to Wu Dayu's personal Buddhist enlightenment.

The Bronze Age constitutes another artistic inspiration associated with Untitled - 16. The supernatural aura imbued with Bronze Age artifacts matches beautifully with abstract expressionism, apt for a philosophical vehicle characterized by a strong whiff of religious fervour. Wu's Untitled - 16 combines three major elements: He has injected the weightiness of bronze vessels and added ancient ritual abstract symbols into the bright hues of abstract expressionism, finding that perfect point where Chinese tradition and modern abstract art intersect.

Fig. 1

畢卡比亞（Francis Picabia）《黑人舞蹈》油彩木板，一九四七年作。此為西奧多．福斯特曼（Theodore J. Forstmann）藏品，於二○一二年五月紐約蘇富比印象派與現代藝術夜拍上，以1,762,500美元成交

Francis Picabia, Bal nègre, 1947, Oil on Panel. From the Estate of Theodore J. Forstmann, this work was sold for 1,762,500 USD at Sotheby's New York Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale, May 2012

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20th Century Chinese Art

|
Hong Kong