At Chinese Classical Art Auctions, One Belgian Couple Has a Magic Touch

By Louise Chen

Originally published on artinfo.com, July 06, 2010

http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/35017/at-chinese-classical-art-auctions-one-belgian-couple-has-a-magic-touch/

This spring, the Asian market for ancient Chinese artworks, which languished during the worldwide recession, rebounded dramatically, with numerous lots setting new records. However, amid all of that action, one set of lots, sold from the Guy & Myriam Ullens Collection at Beijing Poly International Auction Co., Ltd. last month, stood out. All 12 lots on offer from that collection — an assortment of works by ancient and modern Chinese artists, including seven antiquities that were exhibited at Beijing's Palace Museum in 2002 — sold, fetching RMB 146.2 million ($21.4 million).

The success of the auction was not entirely unexpected, considering that the Ullenses — a Belgian couple who started collecting rare ancient Chinese artworks in the 1980s and founded the nonprofit Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in 2007 in Beijing — are among the most prominent collectors of Chinese art worldwide. Last year, in Poly's fall sale, the Ullens' two lots — Ming court painter Wu Bin's 1615 Portraits of Eighteen Arhats (which the couple purchased in 1992 for only $620,000) and Letter Leaf by scholar Zeng Gong, who is considered one of eight greats of the Tang and Song dynasties — were respectively sold for RMB 16.9 million ($24.7 million) and RMB 10.8 million ($15.8 million), breaking records in ancient Chinese painting and calligraphy.

While questions about the Wu Bin work's attribution were raised by some Chinese art collectors before the painting headed to China, it was later authenticated by Poly auction specialists based on an inscription in the distinctive handwriting of Qing dynasty Emperor Qianlong, who was known for his connoisseurship.

Ambitious collectors and the newly-moneyed class in China are awaiting the next surprise from the Ullenses, who own an unknown amount of rare classical works.

Tagore Works Lead Sotheby's South Asian Art Sale to $8.2 Million

Published by Louise Chen

Originally published on artinfo.com, June 19, 2010

http://www.blouinartinfo.com/market-news/article/34923-tagore-works-lead-sothebys-south-asian-art-sale-to-82-million

Indian Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore headlined the South Asian Art Sale in London last night, not with his famous manuscripts, but with 12 paintings that fetched £1.6 million ($2.37 million), massively exceeding their £250,000 ($370,000) estimate. The evening sale, which also featured works by prominent South Asian artists Raza, Souza, and Chandra, managed a 78 percent sell-through rate and brought in £5.5 million ($8.2 million) for the house.

Other highlights of the auction included Haider Raza's Rajasthan,which went for £527,250 ($780,000). Last week, Christie's London sold Raza’s Saurashtra for an artist-record $3.4 million.

Of the 12 Tagore lots on offer from the Dartington Hall Collection of Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst,Portrait of a Woman went for £223,250 ($330,000), resetting the artist record achieved when his Death Scene sold for £144,500 ($214,000) at Sotheby's in 2008. The ink-on-paper work Lady with a Fan — purportedly a portrait of Lady Ranu Mukherjee, a famed Indian socialite and a close friend of Tagore in his twilight years — earned £103,250 ($153,000).

Originally a gift from Tagore to the Elmhirsts 71 years ago, the paintings had been kept in their Dartington Hall Trust in Devon since then. The announcement of the sale generated political tension, due to the belief of some Indian art organizations that the paintings should be returned to India. Before the sale, a senior official from India’s Culture Ministry went to London to press the issue, but Sotheby's officials argued that the Indian government had no legal claim on the paintings. The Indian government did not bid in the auction.

A prominent family with a 300-year history in the country’s culturalrealm, the Tagores played a significant role in the Bengal Renaissance, a social reform movement that began in the late 19th century and ran through the early20th century. A quintessential polymath, Tagore produced 2,000 paintings, composed 2,230 songs, and penned the national anthems for both Bangladeshand India.

After dropping out of law school at University College London, Tagore returned to India, founding the publication Sadhana while managing his family's estate between 1891 and 1895. After achieving success in the arts, he traveled the world as a cultural emissary, influencing authors from Japan's Yasunari Kawabata to France's Andre Gide.

India is currently staging a yearlong celebration of Tagore's 150th birthday, which has triggered a surge in sales of his literary worksin India. In New York, meanwhile, his family name continues on in the form of the Sundaram Tagore gallery in Chelsea, whose eponymous owner, a former director at PaceWildenstein (now Pace), is a descendant of Rabindranath Tagore.

MENASA Fair Debuts in a Crowded Regional Art Market

By Louise Chen

Originally published on artinfo.com, July 15, 2010

http://www.blouinartinfo.com/contemporary-arts/article/35219-menasa-fair-debuts-in-a-crowded-regional-art-market

Building on the early successes of fledgling Middle-Eastern art fairs like Art Dubai and Abu Dhabi Art, the inaugural edition of MENASART Fair opened in Beirut on Tuesday — the latest attempt to promote the region's artists and cultivate the growing interest in contemporary-art collecting among wealthy buyers in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. 

The fair, which was sponsored by Lebanese financial groups MENA Capital and Al-Mawarid Bank, concluded yesterday at the Pavilion Royal in Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Center. Among the 30 exhibitors the fair attracted were the U.K.’s Waterhouse & Dodd and Beijing-based nonprofit Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, which presented Zhang Huans large-scale stainless panda sculptures, previously seen at the Shanghai World Expo.

The fair also hosted conferences for dealers, collectors, and curators to address issues such as recent trends for contemporary art inSouth Asia and challenges for emerging Middle Eastern artists in light of globalization.

The board of the fair includes Laure d’Hauteville, who created Beirut's first contemporary art fair, ArtSud, in 1998, and helped the ArtParis fair expand to Abu Dhabi, and Jean-Marc Decrop, who is a former French cultural attache in Paraguay. "This fair is designed to represent art from the cradle of civilization," said MENASART artistic director Pascal Odille in a statement, "and boost the political, social and artistic representation in the region."

Poly Auction Sells a Hand Scroll for $63.8 Million, Shattering a Record

BY LOUISE CHEN

Originally published: June 09, 2010

http://fr.blouinartinfo.com/market-news/article/34833-poly-auction-sells-a-hand-scroll-for-638-million-shattering-a-record

Auction houses across Asia have enjoyed major triumphs in Chinese classical sales so far this month, and last night proved especially memorable, as Poly Auction — leading, army-founded auction house in mainland China — reset the record for an individual ancient Chinese workat auction, selling a 15-meter-long calligraphic hand scroll by Song Dynasty master Huang Tingjian for RMB 436,800,000 ($63.8 million)in a packed auction room.

The longest extant calligraphic hand scroll by Huang Tingjian boasts an unparalleled history and provenance. Completed in 1095, it wasextended from the original length of 8.24 meters to 15 meters over the span of 800 years as owners — from prominent ancient Chinese literati and royal court officials — added additional inscriptions to the piece. The work is also believed to hold significant value for the study of Chinese history and literature, as it bears an eloquent essay on the morality and justice exemplified by legendary Tang Dynasty statesman Wei Zheng.

Starting at RMB 80,000,000 ($11.7 million), the bidding price quickly jumped to RMB 200,000,000 ($29.3 million), climbing by increments of RMB5,000,000 ($730,000). A vicious duel ensued between a collectorin the auction room and an anonymous telephone bidder. The latter eventually won the lot but only after 70 bids had been logged over the course of the fierce 30-minute battle.

The evening sale of ancient Chinese works totaled RMB 2,560,000,000 ($375 million). Now, all eyes are on the upcoming auctions at Poly, which continue through June 5 and offer the house a chance to outshine its rival Christie’s Hong Kong and celebrate its fifth anniversary in high style.

- See more at: http://fr.blouinartinfo.com/market-news/article/34833-poly-auction-sells-a-hand-scroll-for-638-million-shattering-a-record#sthash.YPbgBKS8.dpuf


How a Chinese Teapot Fetched $2 Million

By Louise Chen

Originally published on Artinfo.com, June 22, 2010

http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/34957/how-a-chinese-teapot-fetched-2-million

In addition to a cultivated taste for tea, the Chinese also have a penchant for teapots. Last month, a 1948 purple clay Yixing zisha teapot by the master ceramicist Gu Jingzhou sold for nearly $2 million at a China Guardian auction in Beijing, topping the list of the most expensive Yixing teapots in the world.

A living legend at almost 100 years old, Gu has honed a sophisticated craftsmanship that can measure up to that of Ming court artisans of the 14th century. This teapot is made from a clay that can only be found in the town of Yixing in China, where the zisha clay usually comes in five natural colors — of which purple is the rarest, containing no lead but a variety of minerals that are healthy for tea drinkers.

Yixing teapots often interest buyers for their engagement with ancient Chinese literature, as poems and designs are engraved on them by calligraphers and artists. This multimillion-dollar pot is adorned with notable calligraphic engravings by modern master Wu Hufan and bamboo carvings by painter Jiang Handing.

Though historically they are most often coveted by Chinese collectors, a few teapots have also been purchased by foreign collectors at auctions at Christie's and Sotheby’s in Hong Kong. If $2 million dollars seems extravagant for a clay pot, just wait until another Yixing piece comes up for auction — the prices of these vessels are expected to continue to rise.