Huayi 2026 Spring Auction's Modern and Contemporary Art section delves into the diverse landscape of Chinese and international modern and contemporary art through three thematic sessions. Together, these sessions form a three-dimensional "art history" spanning from the 20th century to the present day, from the West to the East, and from small pieces to grand works.

Contemporary in the making

Artistic Practices in Diverse Perspectives

"Contemporary" is not a completed historical stage, but rather a continuous process of generation, flow, and reshaping through the practices of countless individuals. With the deepening of global cultural exchange, the expansion of media boundaries, and the constant evolution of social experience, contemporary art has gradually formed a multi-centered and multi-path development pattern. Artists are no longer confined to a single regional tradition or established paradigm, but rather explore new relationships between humanity and the world at the intersection of different cultural backgrounds, historical experiences, and personal perceptions. From social reality to private experience, from bodily perception to the spiritual world, from traditional media to cross-media practices, art constantly responds to the changes of the times and generates new modes of expression.

"Contemporary Emergence: Artistic Practices in Diverse Perspectives" brings together the creative explorations of artists from different cultural contexts, showcasing how they establish a visual language belonging to their own era through various media such as painting, video, and sculpture. These works both continue the formal explorations in art history and break through the boundaries of existing ways of seeing; they not only focus on the complexity of the real world but also delve into the subtle experiences of the individual's inner world.

This special feature brings together works by nineteen artists from China and abroad, including Ai Xuan, Zhou Chunya, Zhang Enli, Yang Fudong, Tu Hongtao, Kang Haitao, Wei Jia, Chen Ke, Song Kun, Ouyang Chun, Xiang Jing, Jason Fox, Tomoko Kashiki, and Zhang Zipiao. It attempts to examine the diverse evolution of artistic practice across different cultural backgrounds through a juxtaposition that transcends time and geography. The works not only reflect the expanding visual experience of Chinese contemporary art over the past forty years but also, through mutual reflection with international art, present the multifaceted nature of contemporary art within a global context.

LOT 810

Ai Xuan (b. 1947)

Daybreak in Wasteland

2007

Oil on canvas

110×110cm

Signature: Aixuan 2007 (bottom left)

Estimate:RMB 2,600,000-5,600,000

publishing:

1. A Collection of Famous Contemporary Chinese Oil Paintings - Ai Xuan, People's Fine Arts Publishing House, 2008, p. 124.

2. Chinese Realist Painting School 2008 - Fifth Anniversary Commemorative Edition of Chinese Realist Painting School, Jilin Fine Arts Publishing House, 2008, pp. 15-16.

3. "Dajia" (Everyone), 2008, Issue 1, back cover.

4. "Everyone", 2009, page 28.

5. AI XUAN: FOR A SILENT DREAMLAND FROM A MASTER'S HEART, Ji Feng Fine Arts Publishing House and Rizzoli International Publishing House, 2019, pp. 148-149.

exhibition:

1. China Realist Painting School 2008 Exhibition, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, 2008, won the grand prize.

2. Art Beijing Fair, National Agricultural Exhibition Center, Beijing, 2012.

LOT 818

Zhou Chunya (b. 1955)

Green Dog with Peach Blossom

2009

Acrylic, resin, sculpture

70×36×20cm

Signature: 2009 Zhou Chunya 2/8

Version number: 2/8

Estimate:RMB 200,000-400,000

LOT 821

Zhang Enli (b. 1965)
Ginkgo Tree 
2011
Oil on canvas
99×80cm
Signature: 2011 Enli (bottom right)

Estimate:RMB 650,000-900,000

publishing:Life Monthly, April 2011, cover.

LOT 827

Yang Fudong (b. 1971)

The Coloured Sky: New Women II, 4

2014

Color inkjet printing, Hahnemuhle 305g ultra-smooth paper

120×180cm

Version number: 7/10

Estimate:RMB 100,000-150,000

publishing:

"Chinese Photography Book Collection Series - Yang Fudong", Beijing United Publishing Company, 2016, page 67.

exhibition:

1. Colorful Sky: New Women! Yang Fudong Solo Exhibition, Marianne Goodman Gallery, Paris, 2015. (Not the same edition)

2. Going South by Driving North – Yang Fudong Exhibition, Yuz Museum, Shanghai, 2015. (The exhibited work is a five-frequency video installation of the same name as the auction item.)

LOT 828

Tu Hongtao (b. 1976)

The Red Stage

2005

Oil on canvas

150×210cm

Signature: Tutu 2005. (Part 2)

Estimate:RMB 100,000-150,000

LOT 829

Kang Haitao (b. 1976)

Beyond the Memory

2019

Acrylic on paperboard

130×95cm

Signature: Haitao K.H.T 2019 (bottom left)

Estimate:RMB 350,000-550,000

publishing:

Gentle as Night: The Art of Kang Haitao, Mark Rothko Art Center, Daugavpils, Latvia, 2022, Plate 12.

exhibition:

1. Gentle as Night: The Art of Kang Haitao, Cromwell Square, London, 2022.

2. Gentle as Night: The Art of Kang Haitao, Mark Rothko Art Center, Daugavpils, Latvia, 2022.

3. Kang Haitao: The Astronomy of Landscape, Piercing Gallery, Beijing, 2021.

LOT 831

Wei Jia (b. 1975)

What I Saw Upon Arrival II

2011

Acrylic on canvas

100×180cm

Signed: "What I Saw When I Came" 100×180cm Acrylic on canvas Wei Jia 11' (back)

Estimate:RMB 350,000-550,000

exhibition:

NEW AND PAST I, Gu Mansion, Taipei, 2012.

LOT 832

Chen Ke (b. 1978)

Frida in Meditation

2012

Acrylic on canvas

45×34cm

Signature: 2012 (bottom right)

Estimate:RMB 300,000-400,000

LOT 833

Song Kun (b. 1977)

Taboo - Lip Seal No. 2 No-No-Keep in Silence No. 2

2018

Oil on canvas, laser-engraved leather strap, and acrylic case

60×45cm

Signature: Song Kun. 2018 (Back)

Estimate:RMB 150,000-300,000

publishing:

1. Song Kun 2001-2024, Independent Publisher, 2024, p. 277.

2. Painting: Macro, Guangdong Museum of Art, 2020, p. 51.

exhibition:

1. Cover, Enclave Art Space, Shenzhen, 2021.

2. Painting: Hong, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, 2020.

3. Concealing the Edge and Reducing the Sharpness: A Group Exhibition of Figurative Paintings, Pianfeng New Art Space, Beijing, 2019.

LOT 836

Ouyang Chun (b. 1974)

Prisoner, Halloween Costume

2008

Oil on canvas

50×35cm (left), 50×40cm (right)

Signature: Prisoner Ouyang Chun 2008 (back); Halloween Costume Ouyang Chun 2008 (back)

Estimate:RMB 150,000-250,000

LOT 840

Xiang Jing (b. 1968)

Yawning Boy

Bronze sculpture

63×33×14cm

Signature: Xiang Jing

Estimate:RMB 30,000-50,000

LOT 824

Jason Fox (b. 1964)

Final Season

2019

Oil, acrylic, and pencil on canvas

229.2×157.5×3.8cm

Estimate:RMB 250,000-400,000

exhibition:

1. Jason Fox Solo Exhibition "Floating Charm", Cc Foundation, Shanghai, 2025.

2. Jason Fox Solo Exhibition, David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, 2020.

LOT 834

Tomoko Kashiki (b.1982) TOMOKO KASHIKI

His favorite green dress

2018-2019

Acrylic, pastel, silica sand, linen, wooden panel

227×182cm

Signature: KASIKI TOMOKO (back)

Estimate:RMB 120,000-250,000

exhibition:

The Story to Be Told Tomorrow, Ota Hideaki Gallery, Shanghai, 2019.

LOT 835

Zhang Zipiao (b. 1993)

Wild Bluebell

2020

Oil on canvas

230×190cm

Estimate:RMB 250,000-400,000

Journey and Return

20th Century Chinese Modern Painting

20th-century Chinese art was essentially a long journey traversing Eastern and Western cultures. "The journey and the return" not only refers to geographical departures and returns, but also metaphorically represents the activation and reconstruction of cultural genes amidst turbulence.

This special feature focuses on four artists—Wang Jiyuan, Xu Jianbai, Tang Xiaoming, and Wu Guanzhong—who, despite their different paths, converged on this journey of exploration. Some personally crossed oceans, such as Wang Jiyuan, Wu Guanzhong, and Xu Jianbai, who went to the United States and France to study the essence of Western painting; others rooted themselves in local traditions while deeply absorbing Western modeling traditions, such as Tang Xiaoming, who used layered brushstrokes to sculpt the volume of figures. Regardless of where their steps led, they ultimately chose to return to the spiritual homeland of Eastern aesthetics, using their brushes to write a modern footnote to Chinese painting between oil paint and ink.

Wang Jiyuan blended the shimmering light and shadow of Impressionism into the misty atmosphere of ink painting. Even in his later years, living far away in New York, his brushstrokes still flowed with the tranquility of Jiangnan and the spirit of literati. Xu Jianbai boldly wielded oil paint with a feminine touch, concealing the warmth of Lingnan and the inner tension of life beneath the rough texture. Tang Xiaoming's sculpting of the human body exuded a romanticized personification. Wu Guanzhong, with his philosophical concept of "a kite with an unbroken string," transformed landscape painting into a visual language about form, spirit, and cultural identity.

"Journeys and returns" are the shared trajectory of this generation. They explored outwards and searched inwards, traveling back and forth between East and West, ultimately establishing the unique character of modern Chinese painting.

LOT 805

Wang Jiyuan (1894-1975)

A Fine Steed

Oil on Fiberboard

63.5×76.7cm

Signature: C.Y. (top right)

Estimate:RMB 100,000-150,000

publishing:

Travel Notes: The Art of Wang Jiyuan's Paintings, Lingnan Fine Arts Publishing House, 2022, p. 211.

exhibition:

1. Exhibition of paintings by the Chinese American Academy of Fine Arts, New York, 1950s-1960s.

2. Travel in Brush and Ink: The Art of Wang Jiyuan's Paintings, New Art Space, Shanghai, 2024.

3. Returning Home: Wang Jiyuan's Painting Art Exhibition, Changzhou Museum, Changzhou, 2025.

LOT 807

Xu Jianbai (1925-2017)

Landscape

1984

Oil on canvas

53×74cm

Signature: Jianbai 1984 (bottom right)

Estimate:RMB 80,000-150,000

LOT 808

Tang Xiaoming (1939-2022)

Human body Nude

1997

Oil on canvas

59×79cm

Signature: Xiaoming97 (bottom right)

Estimate:RMB 100,000-200,000

publishing:

Tang Xiaoming's Collection of Treasures, Lingnan Fine Arts Publishing House, 2005, p. 59.

LOT 809

Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010)

Fishing Harbour

1962

Oil on wood panel

49×69cm

Signature: Tu Liu Er (lower left)

Estimate:RMB 1,500,000-2,800,000

illustrate:

It was confirmed as an authentic work by Mr. Wu Guanzhong on October 21, 2005.

publishing:

"My Own Country: A Collection of Works Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Wu Guanzhong's Birth", Rongbaozhai, Beijing, 2019, pp. 118-119.

exhibition:

"My Own Landscape: An Exhibition of Works by Wu Guanzhong to Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of His Birth," Rongbaozhai Building, Beijing, 2019.

Frame Hidden · Starting Point

No Reserve Artworks Special

The beginning of collecting often stems from a single viewing experience.

"Frame Preservation: The Beginning" opens a light and airy entrance. A "frame" is a single frame in a film, a moment captured in the flow of time, and also a way of seeing. Each work is a slice of the artist's creative process: it condenses the thoughts, experiences, and inspirations of a certain moment, like taking a frame of an image from time and preserving those unnamed yet vivid moments.

This no-reserve art collection breaks down the preconceived notions of price regarding artistic value, allowing the artworks to return to the act of viewing themselves. This collection focuses on two categories of works of special significance. One category comprises small-scale works from the artist's early creative period. These works retain the artist's keenness and frankness in searching for their own artistic language, presenting precious fragments of the process of developing their artistic style.

LOT 802

Feng Fasi (1914-2009)

Lijiang Landscape

2004

Oil on canvas

52×65cm

Signature: Feng Fasi, 2004 (bottom left)

No reserve price

publishing:

The World Art Collection Dictionary, Repin Academy of Fine Arts Collection Edition, World Book Publishing House (published by the Repin Academy of Fine Arts), page 26.

source:

It was obtained from the artist's family.

LOT 793

Liang Hao (b. 1988)

Ink Bottle

2010

Watercolor on paper

72×50.5cm

Signature: Lianghao2010.4 (right)

No reserve price

LOT 794

Song Yuanyuan (b. 1981)

Realm

2011

Oil on canvas

50×60cm

Signature: Syy.11 (bottom right)

No reserve price

exhibition:

Test Objects—Song Yuanyuan Solo Exhibition, Platform China, Beijing, 2011.

LOT 795

Jiang Pengyi (b. 1977)

Everything is Illuminated. (No. 10)

2012

Giclée Print (Color Art Printing)

87×63cm

Signature: Jiang Pengyi, 2012 AP 1/6

Version: AP 1/6

No reserve price

exhibition:

ON | OFF: Concepts and Practices of Young Chinese Artists, UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, 2013. (Different edition)

LOT 792

Liu Haichen (b. 1988)
Then Where No. 1 (part of the "Then Where" series) 
2010
Copperplate
43×60cm

Signature: 7/30 "Where Were We Then?" Part 1 Liu Haichen November 2010 (Part 2)
Version number: 7/30
No reserve price

LOT 796

Cai Dongdong (b. 1978)

The Man With Wine

2014

Photography

60×40cm

Signature: CDD2014

Edition Number: Exclusive

No reserve price

Another category comes from artists who have long been engaged in art education and creative work. Their public artistic profile is comprised of classic works that have been written into art history, collected by museums, and repeatedly studied. These more intimate creations, however, reveal another side of the artist—a return to everyday observation after leaving behind grand narratives. Perhaps it's a landscape sketched from nature, or a fleeting feeling in a particular season; they don't bear a historical mission, but because of their sincerity and directness, they present a more personal and moving warmth.

These works document how artists establish their own visual language and reflect the evolution of aesthetic experiences in an era. Size does not determine the weight of a work, and market price is not the sole measure of artistic value. The true significance of a work often lies in how it establishes a unique and lasting connection with the viewer.

"Frame Collection" – it's not just about collecting the artwork itself, but also the frozen time and fleeting inspiration within it. No reserve price doesn't mean a lack of value, but rather an open invitation – allowing the artwork to be viewed again, making each encounter a new beginning.

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