HONG KONG.- The China Guardian Hong Kong Spring Auctions 2019 will take place from 28 to 31 March at JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong. The sale series will present remarkable artworks from all around the globe, including Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy, Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art, Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art as well as Jewellery, Watches and Luxury Goods. Nearly 1,400 lots will be offered with a total estimate of approximately HK$ 360 million / US$ 46 million. Selected highlights will be showcased at three exhibitions in Hong Kong and Taipei ahead of the auctions.
Ms. Hu Yanyan, President of China Guardian (HK) Auctions Co., Ltd, says, “In 2018, as China Guardian celebrated its 25th anniversary in Beijing, China Guardian (Hong Kong) also proudly achieved an unprecedented annual total of HK$ 1.1 billion, a 13% increase from 2017.
“This year, we are once again delighted to present a superb group of art and collectibles sourced from around the world. China Guardian Hong Kong Spring Auctions this March will highlight Zao Wou-Ki’s masterpiece 01.03.99, emerging in the auction market for the very first time, Chu Teh-Chun’s imposing canvas Expansion measuring nearly two metres wide, Pan Yuliang’s rare ink and colour work on paper, Seated Nude, Huang Binhong’s Landscape in Calligraphic Style, Scolar under Pine Trees, a collaboration between masters including Zhang Daqian and Wu Hufan, Lan Ying’s Landscapes, a fine and rare teadust-glazed teapot from the Yongzheng period, an extremely rare white-glazed moulded ‘floral’ vase preserved in a Hong Kong family collection for four decades, as well as a dazzling 16.08-carat diamond ring of excellent colour and clarity by Harry Winston. Of outstanding quality, provenance and diversity, our line-up this season promises to offer great collecting opportunities. Ahead of the auctions we will be presenting three exhibitions in Hong Kong and Taipei. We look forward to meeting friends from the collecting community and sharing our passion in the ‘arts month’ of Hong Kong.”
Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy
This season Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy will be presented in three sales offering more than 500 lots. A group of works from two seasoned Hong Kong collectors will be offered in a sale titled “Important Collections of Fine Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy from Asia”. Thanks to the unique trading advantages of Hong Kong, these two collectors had been able to acquire superb works by master painters from Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chang’an as well as the Lingnan school over the past decades. Highlights in the sale include Orchid by Shi Lu and Travelling through the Mountains by Zhao Wangyun, both representatives of the Chang’an school of painting, as well as outstanding works by Zhang Daqian, Qi Baishi, Wu Hufan, Huang Binhong and Wu Guanzhong.
The “Modern Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy” sale will present important works sourced from around the world. Among the highlights is Scholar under Pine Trees, a collaboration between masters including Zhang Daqian and Wu Fufan, which was previously in the collection of the Tang Erho family, its long list of prefaces and postscripts by luminaries a demonstration of the thriving cultural circle at the time. Previously preserved in the collections of Tang Tianru as well as the Cathay Art Museum in Taipei, Huang Binhong's Landscape in Calligraphic Style is a remarkable work painted with dazzling gem-like colours during the master's final years.
The “Classical Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy” sale will be led by Lan Ying’s brilliant album Landscapes, as well as Xu Naigu's Lin Hejing on a Solitary Hill, which includes over 20,000 words in prefaces and postscripts by influential late Qing-dynasty and Republican dignitaries. Also notable are a group of more than 40 paintings from the Qing dynasty from a European private collection which is renowned for its Classical huanghuali furniture, a group of Ming and Qing-dynasty fan leaves from the collection of Hong Kong collector Mr. Chan Yeepong, as well as a Ming and Qing-dynasty paintings from Asian private collections.
Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art
The “Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art” sale will highlight two special themed sections, namely “Abstractionism - The Resonance of Souls” and “The Brilliance out from the Melting Pot - Chinese Artists in the United States.” The former brings together 10 modern and contemporary artists with outstanding performance in the abstract genre in the 20th Century, including Chinese artists such as Ting Yinyung, Zao Wou-Ki, Chu Teh-Chun and Richard Lin, German artists A. R. Penck and Gerhard Richter, Yayoi Kusama from Japan, as well as Rhee Seundja and Chun Kwang Young from South Korea. The latter is led by Yun Gee and Chao Chung-Hsiang, featuring 10 Chinese artists who were active in the United States and reflecting the artistic brilliance of New York in a golden era. Other notable works include the Seated Nude, an ink and colour work on paper by Pan Yuliang – the largest to appear in the market in the past decade – and the classic Self-Portrait (Stroller) from Zeng Fanzhi’s Chaotic-Strokes Series, among others.
Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art
Chinese Ceramics and Works of Arts will be offered in two sales, namely “Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art” and “Ancient Chinese Ceramics from the Tang to the Song Dynasty”, offering more than 400 lots. The former comprises around 300 lots of works of art such as jades, scholar’s objects from the Imperial Court and bamboo carvings, as well as ceramics including Jiajing and Wanli period wares, monochrome wares and late Qing Dynasty wares. “Ancient Chinese Ceramics from the Tang to the Song Dynasty” offers around 60 remarkable examples of ceramics wares, most of which were formerly in prominent private collections from Japan, United States and Hong Kong.
Jewellery, Watches and Luxury Goods
The upcoming “Important Jewels and Jadeite” sale will offer nearly 200 pieces of great variety ranging from rare and superb coloured gemstones, diamonds, pearls and jadeite jewellery to contemporary designer pieces as well as vintage jewels and works from iconic brands.
