Painter Zeng Fanzhi is profiled in the New York Times this week, as he reflects back on his career, and his growth alongside China’s art market. “You might say I am very cunning,” he says. “I only sell my paintings to those who really like them. Then those people will help me promote my works.” (more…)
The New York Times looks at the career of Zeng Fanzhi, and poses his own development as an artist against the backdrop of China’s market explosion for contemporary art over the past decades, and more recent market crises. “The art market is something you can’t mess with,” he says. “Just take it one step at a time, develop slowly, and honestly work together with galleries to sell works to people who actually like art and not to people who are trying to speculate on art. Now that we’ve worked with a lot of international galleries and museums, artists here pretty much get it. It’s not like 2007 anymore. We needed this time to mature.” (more…)
Zeng Fanzhi is profiled in AnOther Magazine upon the occasion of his exhibition at Gagosian Brittania Street: “I am always very fascinated by delicate and micro-aspects of the world, and usually when I discover the beauty of these aspects I will amplify and multiply the effects of what I see into the paintings. This is why I make such huge paintings.” (more…)
‪‬Chinese artist Zeng Fanzhi profiled in short film by Hong Kong-based filmmaker Ringo Tang as first feature of newly launched Nowness Chinese language site, “…So how can we use the element and form of the East and combine them with the special character of Western paint materials to use lines to create space?”
Now on at Gagosian Gallery Hong Kong is a large exhibition of paintings by Chinese artist Zeng Fanzhi. Known for his representations of the human figure, this show presents many key works from the past twenty years of his career. Fanzhi’s work explores the transformations within post-Cultural Revolution China, specifically the developments in art and the art market. His paintings tackle the evolving role of Chinese history and tradition within contemporary society, and his expressionistic style makes clear that this is not necessarily a smooth transition. The paintings are tactile and frenzied both in style and subject matter. Since first being represented by Gagosian in July, this is Fanzhi’s first show at the Gagosian Gallery Hong Kong.
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The Economist: Asia accounts for quarter of global auction revenue, “lion’s share is made up of art,” painting is most desirable medium [AO Newslink]
Gagosian Gallery now represents critically acclaimed Chinese painter Zeng Fanzhi [AO Newslink]
All photos by Caroline Claisse.
Currently on view at the Punta della Dogana, housed in the magnificent Palazzo Grassi, is “The World Belongs to You.” Curated by Caroline Bourgeois, the exhibition brings together artists from different generations, geographical locations, and practices to explore history and current realities.
The Punta della Dogana became the official exhibition space of Francois Pinault‘s private collection in 2006, when he purchased the building from the city of Venice. It now houses works from internationally renowned contemporary artists such as Jeff Koons, Urs Fischer, Maurizio Cattelan, and Takashi Murakami.
Urs Fischer’s violet piano at Punta della Dogana.
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Damien Hirst, I am Become Death, Shatterer of Worlds, 2006 (est. 2.5-3.5 million GBP), via Christies.com
The Frieze Art Fair begins this week in London and is accompanied by Contemporary Art sales at the three major auction houses. This year, Phillips de Pury will kick things off with a 56 lot evening sale on October 13th, followed by a 51 lot sale at Christie’s on the 14th and a 40 lot sale at Sotheby’s on the 15th. After the dismal results of last year’s equivalent sales and the lackluster results of the summer sales, the art world is hoping that these auctions will give a stronger indication that the market for contemporary Western art is in fact recovering.
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Zhang Xiaogang, Chapter of a New Century – Birth of the People’s Republic of China II, 1992 (est. 21—23 million HKD, realized 52,180,000 HKD), via Sothebys.com
This week’s auctions at Sotheby’s Hong Kong indicated that the Chinese art market continues to show signs of growth, as both Contemporary Art sales easily passed the earnings of the equivalent sales in 2008 and 2009. Monday featured back to back auctions. First, the 20th Century Chinese Art sale realized 137,313,750HKD (est. 130 million HKD) with 29 of 38 lots sold. The afternoon Contemporary Asian sale realized 205,896,250 HKD, well above the presale estimate of 150 million HKD.
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Simon de Pury at the helm at the auction in front of the Philip Guston
Last night’s contemporary auction at Phillips de Pury fell short of its low estimate of $12.2 million, bringing in $7.7 million, with 12 of the 43 lots going unsold. The sale’s highlight, an untitled Robert Gober sculpture of a Farina cereal box valued at $2.5-3.5 million, went unsold with only one bid at $1.6 million. An untitled Anish Kapoor sculpture, estimated at $800, 000-1.2 million, also was met with no bids. However, one of the auction highlights, Philip Guston’s painting, ‘Anxiety,’ was the highest selling lot, going for $1 million, just making its low estimate. John Baldessari’s painting, ‘Person with Pillow: Desire/Lust/Fate,’ sold for $290,500, missing its estimate of $300,000-400,000. It had sold at Sotheby’s a year and a half ago for nearly double that amount. Many artists however, such as Zeng Fanzhi, whose show just concluded at Acquavella Gallery in New York and was covered by Art Observed here did break auction records (work shown below), the details of which are after the jump.
Phillips Contemporary Auction Falls Short of Estimate [NY Times]
Phillips Limps to the Finish Line [Artinfo]
Zeng Fanzhi’s ‘Little Boy’ via Phillips de Pury sold for $446,500 against estimates of $250,000-300,000
Acquavella Galleries presents Chinese contemporary artist Zeng Fanzhi’s first solo exhibition in the United States. The show consists of twenty oil on canvas works, both portraiture and landscape painting. The majority of these pieces have never been shown to the public before. Fanzhi’s oeuvre is a manifestation of personal feelings, the people that surround him and his daily encounters. Early in his artistic development, German Expressionism largely influenced Fanzhi’s aesthetic, but his more recent work draws upon more traditional Chinese practices, such as the landscape painting of the Song Dynasty. In addition, Fanzhi’s use of line recalls Chinese calligraphy and the process of attaining this art. To achieve this, Fanzhi developed a dramatically different technique in which he holds two –sometimes even four- brushes at a time, allowing him to create and to destroy form simultaneously. As a result, the paintings convey a sensation of spontaneity and sentiment. The works currently on display at Acquavella Galleries are illustrative of Fanzhi’s latest aesthetic.
Zeng Fanzhi
Acquavella Galleries
18 East 79th Street
April 2, 2009 – May 15, 2009
RELATED LINKS
Exhibition Page with Selected Press [Acquavella Galleries]
Artist Page [Acquavella Galleries]
Q & A with Zeng Fanzhi: The solo exhibition at Acquavella Galleries [ArtZine China]
Zeng Fanzhi [Saatchi Gallery]
China’s Art Market: Cold or Maybe Hibernating? [New York Times]
Chinese Contemporary Artist Zeng Fanzhi Solos at Acquavella Galleries [Artron.net]
Untitled, Yue Minjun (2005) via Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery will open its new London site on October 9th in the Duke of York’s Headquarters building on King’s Road. The gallery, founded by advertising executive Charles Saatchi, will feature contemporary Chinese artists in its inaugural exhibition: “The Revolution Continues: New Art from China.” According to the gallery’s publicists, Freud Communications, the show will feature works from 30 leading painters, sculptors, and installation artists, such as Yue Minjun, Feng Zhengjie, Zhang Xiaogang, Zeng Fanzhi, Zhang Dali, Zhang Haiying, Qiu Jie, and many more.
Saatchi’s pledge for new art gallery [Guardian]
The Revolution Continues: New Chinese Art [Saatchi Gallery]
Saatchi Gallery to Open at New London Site With Chinese Artists [Bloomberg]
Saatchi Gallery to Open at New London Site With Chinese Artists [GG-Art]
View a virtual tour of the gallery here [Saatchi Gallery]
Nine Multicolored Marilyns, Andy Warhol (1979-1986) via Phillips
Phillips de Pury & Company is holding it’s Contemporary Art Sale on June 29 and 30. The sale highlights works from Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Willem de Kooning, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Paul McCarthy, and many other distinguished contemporary artists.
Phillips Contemporary Art Sale [Phillips]
Yue Minjun, “Gweong-Gweong” via ArtNet
This weekend marked Christie’s first Hong Kong Evening Sale with artists such as Zeng Fanzhi, Zao Wou-ki, Yue Minjun setting auction records. Monday’s sale was the second day of Christie’s six-day auction of 2,400 paintings, gems and antiques that the company expects could tally HK$1.7 billion, according to Bloomberg.
Gun-Slinging Robot, Wooden Beams Mark Quiet Hong Kong Art Sale [Bloomberg]
Smiling Bombs, 101-Carat Diamond Lead Christie’s Hong Kong Sale [Bloomberg]
Picasso Women, Hirst Spots Mark Hong Kong Bid for Art-Fair Fame [Bloomberg]
Asian Contemporary Art Sets a Record [NYTimes]
Asian art records tumble at Christie’s Hong Kong auction [China Post] 5.26.08
