CHEN TING-SHIH 陳庭詩 | DAY AND NIGHT #25 日與夜#25

Collection of Sheridan and Sallie Bell

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貝學仁與貝夫人珍藏

The Bell’s Collection of Postwar Chinese Art II

In July of this year, the Sotheby’s Hong Kong Modern Art Spring Sale presents the Bell Collection of Postwar Chinese Art, featuring masterworks of post-war Chinese art collected by Sheridan and Sallie Bell in the nearly 50 years since they moved from the United States to Taiwan in 1972. The collection was very well received, with each of the 26 lots sold, plus a new auction record set for Chen Ting-Shih’s work. This season’s Evening Sale and Day Sale will offer the second and final part of the Bell collection. Sheridan and Sallie Bell had a very close connection with the artist while they were living in Taiwan, and so Chen’s work makes up the richest part of their collection. In an interview with Sotheby’s specialists, the Bells said, “Cosmic power is invoked by Chen Ting-Shih—the themes of creation, cycles, human will—and only abstract art can do [it] justice.” Chen was best-known for his prints. From 1959 to 1972, Chen Ting-shih was selected for the Bienal de São Paulo in Brazil five times, and in 1970, he won First Prize at the First International Print Biennial in South Korea. Chen’s notable achievements in post-war Chinese art were made on the foundation of his prints. Day and Night #25 (Lot 1036) and The First Crack of Thunder (Lot 1037) could be considered some of Chen’s most important pieces. The Bells purchased them for their collection in the 1970s and the works have been with them for close to 50 years, traveling from Taipei and Taichung to Bologna, Paris, Beijing, Geneva, and Wilmington. Old photographs of Chen and the Bells together with friends highlight the historical value of the collection. The Bell collection includes outstanding works by Chen Ting-Shih, Chuang Che, Shiy De-Jinn, Hu Huaishuo, Chu Weibor, Wu Hao, Wu Hsueh-Jang, and Wen Chi which will be offered at the Modern Art Day Sale, representing an important chapter in Chinese post-war art.