Sotheby’s, one of the first Western auction houses to start trading in Asia, held its first auction in 1973 in Hong Kong. At that time, the category of works of art was limited only to Chinese ceramics. But with the passage of time, 50 years later, thanks to the unprecedented economic growth of China, as well as the rest of Asia, the categories that Sotheby’s includes go far beyond Chinese ceramics, ranging from Chinese paintings, wine and jewellery to Western art. In this way, Hong Kong has become an important art centre in Asia, as well as an important part of Sotheby’s auction hub alongside New York and London.
The grand 50th anniversary auction will take place on 5 April 2023. The first highlight of the sale is Zhang Daqian‘s “Pink Lotuses on Gold Screen“, which makes its debut at the auction as the painting was acquired from the artist himself by the art collector C.S. Loh. The painting was a symbol of the Loh family and Zhang Daqian and the family had never sold the work until now. The painting is expected to fetch HKD 200 million.
Other highlights of the auction include Pablo Picasso‘s “Femme Dans Au Fertuil“, which depicts Françouise Gilot, one of Picasso’s muses, and has an estimate of HKD100 million. The painting was painted in 1948 and completed on Christmas Day of the same year. In the contemporary auction, Yoshimoto Nara‘s “In the Milky Lake” is expected to lead the sale with an estimate of HKD 80 million to 120 million. This work, as well as others by Nara, was partially inspired by the cover image of folk singer John Hiatt’s album “Overcoats” (1975). After the 2011 tsunami, Nara turned his work around and engaged with local communities to reflect on his work and himself. A year later this painting was finished.
In a different auction, but comparable in terms of value, an imperial “falangcai” bowl is offered. This beautiful piece was sold for HK$151 million – or US$19.3 million- in 2006. It is now being offered again for HK$200 million, which means that despite the rise of billionaires in mainland China and Asia-Pacific, its pre-sale estimate has not risen much.
Japan Art Expo (JAE) is a unique two-day event in the heart of Europe. At once an art fair and educational conference, which will showcase the best of Japanese craftsmanship. There will be an international array of dealers from Europe and Japan specializing in various fields across Japanese Art. Dealers will be joined by scholars and specialists to bring their passion and expertise to professionals, collectors and hobbyists alike, all under one roof.
The continued enthusiasm for Japan in Europe has seen a growth in audiences who are looking for a deeper dive into Japanese culture. JAE is the first major expo solely dedicated to Japanese arts and culture, and the event’s director coordinated the event with this in mind. The director regularly collaborates with embassies, educational institutions and museums to host talks and exhibitions. He is also the director of Japanese Gallery Kensington. When looking at how to shape the expo, Mr. Wertheim considered that “there are many times where lectures and symposiums show artworks to audiences without being able to interact with the object itself. But at Japan Art Expo it is an integral part of the event. It will maximize learning opportunities through real world examples”.
Visitors will be able to engage with art through educational lectures, symposiums and handling sessions, breaking the barrier between artwork and audience. It is an exciting opportunity to engage with, learn about and collect Japanese works of art across a broad spectrum of disciplines. The variety of attendees’ areas of work and specialisms make JAE a hub for exchanging knowledge and ideas, as well as forging new connections within the industry.
Specialist Japanese art scholars from prestigious societies will be on hand to provide visitors with industry knowledge. It will benefit both seasoned collectors looking to buy items directly with peace of mind and for new collectors to feel empowered in an unbiased, knowledge driven environment.
Dulwich Picture Gallery pays tribute to Berthe Morisot, the grand dame of Impressionism
From 31 March to 10 September 2023, the Dulwich Picture Gallery presents “Berthe Morisot: Impressionism and the 18th Century”, the first major UK exhibition of the renowned Impressionist since 1950.
Source: Dulwich Picture Gallery · Image: Berthe Morisot, “Eugène Manet on the Isle of Wigh”, 1875
In partnership with the Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris, it brings together 40 of Morisot’s most important works from international collections, many never seen before in the UK, to reveal the artist as a trailblazer of the movement as well as uncovering a previously untold connection between her work and 18th century culture, with around 20 works for comparison.
A founding member of the Impressionist group, Berthe Morisot (1841-1895) was known for her swiftly painted glimpses of contemporary life and intimate domestic scenes. She featured prominently in the Impressionist exhibitions and defied social norms to become one of the movement’s most influential figures. Now, in a bold new retelling of Morisot’s story, Dulwich Picture Gallery draws on new research and previously unpublished archival material from the Musée Marmottan Monet to trace the roots of her inspiration, revealing the ways in which Morisot engaged with 18th century art and culture, while also highlighting the originality of her artistic vision, which ultimately set her apart from her predecessors.
Highlights include “Eugène Manet on the Isle of Wight” (1875), painted while Morisot was on honeymoon in England, and her striking “Self-Portrait” (1885), which will appear alongside Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s “Young Woman” (c.1769) from Dulwich Picture Gallery’s collection. “Apollo revealing his divinity to the shepherdess Issé, after François Boucher” (1892), “In the Apple Tree” (1890) and “Julie Manet with her Greyhound Laerte” (1893), are among nine paintings on loan from the Musée Marmottan Monet, many receiving their first ever showing in the UK.
Jennifer Scott, Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery, said: “Morisot was an innovator and a leader of the Impressionist movement. We are excited to be working in partnership with Musée Marmottan Monet to bring a remarkable body of Morisot’s work to UK audiences, and to present ground-breaking comparisons to reveal the inspiration behind Impressionism itself.”
Beginning with an Apprentice-style dating show, a flurry of television shows will follow the lives of affluent dealers as they navigate the choppy waters of the art world
The art of revealing a straight line within a curve
Didier Guenard is a known artist, furniture maker, and restorer from France that specialized in wooden art and décor. His signature creations are works of fine furniture made from vintage and antique oak barrels. Didier uniquely repurposed, perfected, and mastered the wood of these vessels, teaching the world – the art of revealing a straight line within a curve.
For centuries oak barrels have been used to store and transport wine and spirits, but they also have a second life as a material for making artistic furniture. The sturdy and durable oak wood can be transformed into unique and beautiful pieces that add a rustic and vintage charm to any space. The process of making artistic furniture from these barrels is a creative and innovative endeavor that requires a skilled craftsman. Here’s what Didier Guenard says about this process:
An oak barrel is made up of a certain number of wooden staves. The sum of their angles comes to 360°, which means they form a circle. If the angle is increased inside the barrel, less staves are needed to reach 360°; the diameter decreases, and the shape becomes like an elongated rugby ball. If the angle is inverted the shape is like a tam-tam, and the inside of the barrel becomes the outside.
After roughing out the wood with a mechanical saw comes the truing up, which creates perfectly flat surfaces. They are then adjusted into a coherent whole in order to clamp them during gluing and forced bending. The staves are often re-machined and glued in a series of steps as they take on other shapes. Next comes the moment of assembling the different elements. This is the most difficult and tricky stage, when two ‘beings’ are invisibly linked together.
Chairs and benches are fairly popular pieces of furniture to be made from oak barrels, yet few take the effort to make a throne like this! Didier’s Stingray design shows his ability to use the curved shapes of the barrel staves in the most complex and exotic ways.
And what colors! The wood fibers, aged by the passing years, acquired their colors through contact with red wine, giving this throne a rich, luxurious look. All parts are merged together to create a comfortable and sturdy seat that is ideal for any occasion. Again, I’ll let its maker speak of himself:
A combination of wood and metal makes this design possible: hidden inside the hollow body of solid oak, a skeleton of square steel tubing strengthens the pieces and limits the sideways shrinkage of the wood. The framework also enabled me to attach the legs and the tail and to reinforce the fins. It includes a system of springs that creates constant traction, adapting to the wood’s reactions to humidity changes and strengthening the delicate structure. The legs are solid: they are filled with a glued assemblage of several kinds of wood. A single unscrewable split peg holds each leg in place in its metal housing.
In addition to its aesthetic appeal, furniture made from old barrels is eco-friendly and has a strong sustainability aspect to it. By repurposing oak barrels, artists like Didier aren’t just functionally and artistically enriching our dwellings, they are helping to reduce waste and preserve the environment on the only planet that we call Home!
So save the world with style and comfort. These vintage barrels have that unforgettable cozy feel and result in surprising ergonomics. Let yourself be carried away by this sensuous creature of the deep whose tactile and visual contrasts create a unique sensory impression.
Didier Guenard on Stingray Throne’s fine finishes:
The contrasting finishes were obtained through alternative masking, which resulted in two different surfaces. The matte, non-fibrous elements are like the skate’s skin, and the other elements were glazed, polished, and bleached with hydrogen peroxide. The grain was highlighted with Blanc de Meudon, and an ultra-brilliant varnish containing mother of pearl was applied. Between the gills, under the seat, a discreet split peg activates a latch that opens a hatch leading to an empty area that allows one to access part of the inner mechanism, and a bolt that enables the seat and tail to be removed. Simultaneously sliding two lock bolts hidden under the bottom of the point makes the white polished chair back recline. It masks the metal structure of the seat back, the screw that enables the wooden back to be removed from its metal spinal column, the year the piece was built, and my lo go, which was hot-stamped into the wood: the words “Metamorphose Didier Guenard” placed on an infinity symbol.
To conclude the story of this stunning stingray, it is worth saying that acquiring artistic furniture from oak barrels is a creative and sustainable way of adding valuable works of fine wooden art to your home or office. The process of making such unique pieces requires skill, talent, creativity, and patience, but the end result is a one-of-a-kind artifact that is full of character and history!
The British artist's latest venture, a tech-heavy development of the Spin Paintings launched in 1992, touches all the tech buzzwords as collectors order one-off NFTs from a dashboard menu
The American artist re-examines the myth of the Wild West in her new painted textile works—and shows a fabric figure from her co-creation of the legendary "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album cover
