The China Guardian 2012 spring auction will be held from May 12 to 15 at the Beijing International Hotel Convention Center. The preview of the auction will be held from May 8 to 11. Auction items include Chinese painting and calligraphy, porcelain, jade and works of art, furniture, Chinese oil paintings and sculptures, rare books and manuscripts, important watches, clocks, jewelry and jadeite, stamps and covers, coins, banknotes and bronze mirrors.
In the 2012 spring auction, China Guardian will launch ink character painting session for the first time. It's good news for collectors who are fond of such works. In addition, China Guardian will introduce seven Zao Wou-Ki's works in a contemporary painting session. These works will show a the big picture of Zao Wou-Ki's art exploring road. Moreover, a China Red Classic painting, Shen Yaoyi's revolutionary ideals higher than heaven, will be debuted. This painting is perhaps the largest China Red Classic Painting that has appeared in the auction field in recent years.
Qi Baishi's ink character painting
In 'On the Earth - Modern Chinese ink character painting history' session, China Guardian will present more than 100 pieces of ink character painting with outstanding quality which will be painted by dozens of artists. The session is trying to review Chinese character painting history in the 20th century, showing the colorful and excited development of Chinese character painting. The most concerned works are Qi Baishi's four paintings.
Zao Wou-Ki's 1.5.70
The 2012 spring auction assembled seven Zao Wou-Ki's works that were painted from the 1940s to 2000. The most important painting is 1.5.70, which is the pinnacle abstract landscape painting of him. The valuation of 1.5.70 is unknown now. The other two works that were painted in the 1990s received high valuation. The 13.2.92 is worth 10 million to 15 million yuan and 24.09.99 is worth 6 million to 10 million yuan.
Zao Wou-Ki's works influenced by Paul Klee, are orientated to abstraction. He names them with the date in which he finishes them, and in them, masses of colors appear to materialize a creating world, like a big bang, where light structures the canvas. He often works big formats in triptychs and diptychs. While his work is stylistically similar to the Abstract Expressionists whom he met while travelling in New York, he is also influenced by Impressionism. Zao Wou-ki himself has stated that he has been influenced by the works of Matisse, Picasso, and Cézanne.
Shen Yaoyi's Revolutionary Ideals Higher than Heaven
The Chinese red classic painting, Revolutionary Ideals Higher than Heaven, was painted by Shen Yaoyi from 1975 to 1976. The painting's size is large (185×375cm). When he started the creation of the painting, he was young and full of energy. Because of his infinite longing and worship to the Red Army spirit, Shen chose the Long March theme to start his creation in 1975. In order to seek inspiration, he took three months to re-take a trip to the Long March Road. When he came back, he drew a comic called Follow Chairman Mao's Long March. After that, Shen Started painting large oils of the Revolutionary Ideals Higher than Heaven and Start of the Long March. The second one, Start of the Long March, was collected by the National Art museum of China. The painting, Revolutionary Ideals Higher than Heaven, was completed in the summer of 1976. However, in the review of the Tianjin Fine Arts Exhibition, the painting was excluded by the Gang of Four's minions. Moreover, they also banned journalists and publishers to shoot the photo of the painting. In November 1976, the Gang of Four fell, teachers and students of Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts nailed the painting on a stretcher and then carried it to the street. They used a special way to celebrate the big day. This was the first time audiences met the painting.