DALLAS, TX.- Imagine finding the work of a master at an estate sale and not knowing it. Every piece of art has a story, and Heritage's May 13 Modern & Contemporary Art Signature® Auction showcases works by some of the most recognizable artists of our time, but one work in particular has an especially captivating tale behind it.
The auction pushes into the spotlight Chinese Modernist artist Shiy De-jinn's Portrait of Col. Charles W. Delanoy, dated 1960. The painting has a starting bid of $40,000 and could be valued much higher, but the Colonel's portrait began its journey to Heritage as a $1000 estate-sale score.
In December 2024, Heritage's Consignment Director of Asian Art, Charlene Wang, received a call from a man in Florida phoning on behalf of his friend who had purchased the painting at military retirement community estate sale. "They had no background information — just some photos of a framed portrait of a gentleman, taken in poor lighting and at an odd angle in what looked like a warehouse," says Wang. "The distortion made the figure appear disproportionate, and I nearly passed on it."
Fortunately for collectors and bidders on this auction, and lovers of tales perfect for PBS' Antiques Roadshow, she did not pass on the opportunity. Her instincts, and those of the estate sale shopper, proved valuable. Quite literally. "Something about the painted man's expression held my attention — a confident, glowing presence, with clear and determined eyes," says Wang. While she hadn't handled his works before, her research revealed that Shiy, also known as Xi Dejin, began painting in 1931, and the pioneer of the Modernist movement in Taiwan was also the first Chinese artist to be openly gay, a bold and controversial stance in a conservative society.
While a daring artist, Shiy created portraits also known for their sensitive portrayal of people, capturing subtle emotion, desire and loneliness within cosmopolitan spaces. In this work, the rosy-cheeked colonel smiles with a soft, sentimental gaze — an expression often seen in De-jinn Shiy's figures. This particular painting depicts an American Air Force officer stationed in Taiwan, emphasizing both his elegance and spiritual presence within a specific historical context. But that didn't make it easy to identify the subject of the painting or its authenticity.
"It wasn't listed in the artist's catalogs, and the Shiy De-jinn Foundation was no longer active," says Wang. So she changed tack and began focusing on who was in the painting. Wang came across the record of another auction house's sale of another Shiy portrait featuring a woman named Evelyn M. Delanoy. The description of the work mentioned her husband was stationed in Taiwan, where Mrs. Delanoy had commissioned her portrait by Shiy. It was the twin portrait of the Floridian estate sale find. And thanks to an additional purchase made at the sale that was personalized with the couple's last name, the sitter's ID was confirmed as Col. Delanoy.
Notably, a short time following the painting of the Delanoys, Shiy was invited by the U.S. Department of State, and held a solo exhibition there in 1963. Shiy subsequently studied in Paris and maintained friendships with other major artists such as Zao Wou-Ki, Chu Teh-Chun and Zhang Daqian. His trajectory also echoed in Taiwan the prominent cultural shift via Contemporary and socially progressive movements of the United States through artists like Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol. Perhaps he's not a household name, but his work is unquestionably pivotal.
We hear stories of great works lost to attics and Goodwill. But not this portrait, thanks to a shopper who paid "full" (asking) price, simply because he liked the painting and said the sitter's eyes "follow you everywhere you go."
From answering the phone call to the process to authenticate, "all the pieces fell into place," Wang says. "It was an extraordinary journey — from a distorted photo taken in a warehouse to uncovering the identity of a sitter and authenticating a masterwork. It's a reminder that every painting has a story, and it may be worth it to follow the clues."
Find more stories in the other highlights of Heritage's May 13 Modern & Contemporary Art Signature® Auction including works by Wayne Thiebaud, Alexander Calder, Richard Diebenkorn, Ai Weiwei and others.
