2021 Hong Kong Spring Auctions | Museum Masterpieces by Sanyu and Picasso estimated over Hundreds of Millions up for Sales at Sotheby’s
After the debut of Chu Teh-Chun’s masterpiece Snow Scene in early march, Sotheby’s Hong Kong announced that the brand new “Ultra Limit: Modern Art Night Sales” is to be led by Sanyu’s Nude with Peking Dog and Pablo Picasso’s Matador. The Sales collect Chinese and Foreign masterpieces of several modern masters, well building a space of imagination across the east and the west, and extending the regional concept of Asian modern art to global scope to redefine the standard of modern art. These two masterpieces will make their debut at the Preview of Spring Auctions of Sotheby’s Shanghai.
Sanyu and Picasso | Centurial “Meeting” of Greatest Talents
In the first half of 20th century, art learners from all over the world gathered in Paris, among which there were Sanyu and Picasso, with close ties: well-known French novelist and collector Henri-Pierre Roche became Sanyu’s agent since late 1920s, while Roche acquainted Picasso early in 1905. Therefore, Sanyu and Picasso might know each other via Roche.
On the artistic level, Sanyu, who was also in a foreign country away from home, was strongly identified with Picasso’s insistence in idealism of art. Picasso’s artistic and life attitude of loyalty to heart and his bravery to break the tradition also set Sanyu’s aesthetic tone of uninhibited and lonely.
Sanyu’s Nude with Peking Dog | A Rare Museum Masterpice
Nude with Peking Dog, a masterpiece with the theme of naked woman by Sanyu at 1950s, redefines the profound meaning of life and guard by depicting the intimate relation between the naked woman on her stomach and the little dog. According to a complete record of Sanyu, there are only three oil paintings by him with the theme of naked women and dog, among which Nude with Peking Dog is the only one with the naked woman lying on her stomach and a post-war abstract background composition. The body of the naked woman also directly echoes with Two Beauties on the Red Carpet collected by Taipei History Museum – a real rare museum masterpiece.
In recent years, Sanyu’s nude themed works have performed well in the market. For instance, his Four Nudes present by Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2019-2020 sold for $258m HKD, while Nude with Curved Leg sold for $198m HKD. His animal themed works also enjoy increasing heat, while works combining these two themes of naked women and animals offer remarkable artistic achievements and academic value, setting the best combination of Sanyu’s market benchmark. Making its debut at sales, Nude with Peking Dog is bound to continue Sanyu’s market leading position, and it’s also an opportunity of a lifetime to collect his orphan work
Pablo Picasso’s Matador | Legendary Master’s Final Chapter of Life for Art Enthusiasm
Matador is the first of Picasso’s final Series of matador works created since the late September of 1970, inspired by a bullfight he watched at Fréjus at the end of the summer of the same year. This represents the last time of the artist to pick up the matador theme in his creative life with great historical significance. At the age of nearly 90, Picasso was not hindered by age. His rough fate and the influence of the era and history aroused his strong passion for creation. He expressed the belonging and attachment towards culture and tradition through bullfight ceremony representing Spanish passionate culture, and revitalized the national honor through the brave swordsman spirit of the bullfighter.
This picture has a rich experience of exhibitions, which has participated in several important solo exhibitions of the artist held by French and American museums and organizations, and has been included in the corresponding exhibition catalogues. Among them, the Retrospective (Picasso 1970-1972) at Palais des Papes, Avignon is particularly important that it was planned by Jacqueline alone, demonstrating the masterpieces of the artist from 1970 – 1972. Three small pieces of head feature paintings were on display alongside, also painted at the same day with this masterpiece. For both the composition and the color of the three small ones echo with the piece, they could be regarded as the first draft of the painting. One of the three was even the private collection of Jacqueline’s. This masterpiece, with the best three drafts gathered, symbolizing the final chapter of the life of the legendary master who was fanatical for art, with incomparable significance and weight.
ArtPro will continue to focus on the latest news of 2021 Spring Auctions, please stay tuned for more.