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C reated in the midst of their friendship, Sunshine After Rain (1965), Blooming Lotus (1966), and Boating by Lush Mountains (1967), were gifted by the great modernist painter Chang Dai-chien (Zhang Daqian) to his dear friends, Jen and Chiao Chiao Wang, as a gesture of gratitude for their unwavering support and friendship.
The remarkable connection between Chang and the Wangs began in West Germany in 1964, when the renowned pioneering Chinese photographer Long Ching-san, father of Jen's sister-in-law, introduced them. Chang was planning an exhibition in West Germany and the Wangs – who had arrived from China just two years earlier – came to his aid, helping Zhang secure an exhibition venue in Cologne and introducing him to the local art community.
When the Wangs relocated to California in late 1964, their friendship with Zhang deepened further. In 1967, he sought their help with another exhibition. The Wangs arranged showings at both Stanford University and Laky Gallery in Carmel. During this visit, Chang fell in love with the dramatic landscapes of the Monterey Peninsula and decided to make it his home. The Wangs made frequent trips from their home in Newark to visit Chang, bringing him tofu from San Francisco's Chinatown and driving him to various events. Family photographs capture the essence of their bond – the long-bearded Chang in his flowing robes beaming while carrying the Wangs' eldest son, and countless gatherings around tables filled with friends and admirers. That same year, Jen started a premium-camera retail and repair business called Photronics in Oakland.
The Wangs eventually moved their family to Orinda, CA in 1972. Jen passed away in March, 1991 and was survived by his wife and three sons.
This April, Sotheby's is delighted to bring these masterpieces and their story of abiding loyalty and friendship to a new generation of collectors.
It was our privilege that my late husband, Jen, and I experienced not just one, but two periods in our lives when we interacted with the great painter Chang Dai-chien. The first time was in West Germany in 1964. We were introduced by the renowned photographer Long Ching-san, who was a good friend of Chang Dai-chien. Long Ching-san told us that Chang Dai-chien was planning to come to West Germany to hold a painting exhibition and needed help from someone he could trust. We ended up handling the entire exhibition, including picking them up from the airport, introducing them to the art community, and finding the right location. As a result, he had a very successful exhibition.
We moved to the United States in December 1964. We had our first son, Fred, in 1966. In 1967, Chang Dai-chien contacted us and told us he wished to come to the USA for another painting exhibition and asked for our help. We reached out to Stanford University and arranged for his paintings to be exhibited in their student center. Later, we contacted the owner of Laky Gallery in Carmel to arrange another exhibition. He fell in love with the Monterey Peninsula and decided to live there.
During that period, we not only handled his business affairs (with no money involved), but also helped with many aspects of his personal daily life. For example, he would call us when he wanted tofu for dinner and asked us to find some for him. We would drive to San Francisco’s Chinatown to buy tofu and then drive down to Monterey/Carmel for him. We dined with him and his wife many times; he was also a good cook, and I learned a few dishes from him. He was a very generous and hospitable person. No matter where he went, there were always many people around him. At mealtimes, it was always a large round table full of people dining with him. When we went out to eat at restaurants, many times after the meal, he would turn around and ask my husband, Jen, to pay the bill.
These paintings, along with others we have sold in the past, were gifts from Chang Dai-chien to us in appreciation for all the work we did for him and the help we gave him.
– Chiao Chiao Wang
