Zeng Fanzhi

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner in 1998

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate although the overall tonality is deeper and richer in the original. The yellow is closer to a mustard-yellow in the original. Condition: This work is in good condition. There is a 3cm. repaired tear above the figure's left shoulder, which does not fluoresce under ultra violet light and is believed to be original to the work's manufacture. There is very minor canvas draw to the top right corner and light undulation along the bottom edge. There are very faint handling marks to the top centre and a very faint vertical rub mark to the left of the figure in the sea. Close examination under ultra violet light reveals a small network of cracks which appear to be stabilized towards the centre right edge, in the sea.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Painted in 1998, Untitled belongs to Zeng Fanzhi's most iconic and celebrated body or work, the Mask Series, in which the masked solitary figure serves as a metaphor for the individual immersed in a modern Chinese society founded on outmoded ideals of collectivism.

In 1994, Zeng Fanzhi moved to Beijing after completing his studies at the Hubei Art Academy and the faceless anonymity that he encountered in the fast-changing capital directly inspired the Mask Series.  At that time, Beijing was undergoing a momentous transformation. Following the reform changes introduced by Deng Xiaoping, it became a major commercial hub and witnessed a significant influx of economic migrants from poorer regions of the country, particularly rural areas, seeking manufacturing jobs in the burgeoning electronics industry. Caught up in the fast pace of societal change, the artist found that the strong bonds of family - a sacred institution in Chinese society - were ruptured. As urbanisation strived forwards in the name of progress, historic neighbourhoods, with their communities and customs, were bulldozed and replaced by utilitarian dwellings and monotonous skylines. In Untitled, the emotionless white mask, reminiscent of the mask-like visage of Edvard Munch's infamous painting, symbolises the dislocation of the individual from the family unit and the broader community in modern China. An invisible barrier between people, the mask represents the persona behind which the individual can withdraw, concealing true emotion in an impersonally pragmatic social code. In Untitled, the dapper figure's Western suit, a sign of the influx of Western ideals into Chinese society, marks him out as a subscriber to the incoming societal model,  that of the capitalist free market economy. Compared, for example, to the uniform, functional attire worn by the protagonists of Zhang Xiaogang's paintings, the figure seems fashion conscious, affected and ultimately false. Unlike Munch's work, which represented the angst-ridden existential cry of humanity, in Untitled there is instead a pervasive sense of disenfranchisement, anomie and aloofness from society. Inspired primarily by his personal experience of Beijing, the narrative of the artist, of the individual and his isolation from the crowd, evokes the story of an entire generation of Chinese youth caught in the spiritual vacuum of modernisation.