The Big Picture: Outsized prices for outsized art by Zao Wou-ki

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Zao Wou-ki, the renowned Beijing-born abstract artist, achieved considerable success while he was still around to enjoy it. Since his death in 2013, however, his stock has risen still further, a fact that was underlined when one of his paintings – Juin-Octobre 1985 – sold for US$65 million in September 2018, making it the most expensive artwork ever auctioned in Hong Kong.

Since then, other Zao Wou-ki artworks have gone on to command equally impressive valuation, most notably his Triptyque 1987-1988, which went for an eminently respectable US$22.8 million at a Christie’s auction in Hong Kong earlier this year. It is one of seven monumentally-sized triptychs the artist produced between 1980 and 1990 – and only the second ever to come up for auction. Comprising three 200cm x 162cm panels, this particular triptych is seen as representing something of a transition point between the dark tones that defined his work throughout the ’60s and the brightness that crept into his later pieces.

Speaking of his love of working on outsized canvases, Zao Wou-ki once said: “The large surfaces inspired me to battle with space. I had to fill this surface, bring it to life, give myself to it.” Now it seems safe to say that the value put on his works is nearly as great as his initial artistic vision.

Juin-Octobre 1985 by Zao Wou-ki broke all records at recent auction

Zao Wou-ki (1921-2013) has long been regarded as one of China’s pre-eminent modern artists whose massive masterpieces are only dwarfed by the huge prices they command (read more here).

Now, one particular item from the grandmaster’s oeuvre – Juin-Octobre 1985 – created quite a buzz when it came up for auction at Sotheby’s Modern Art Evening Sale, with its eventual price estimated to be around US$44 million. It ultimately went on to set new auction records by getting sold for US$65 million.

Constructed as a three-panelled triptych – a format greatly favoured by Zao – the central canvas measures a whopping 280cm x 400cm, and is flanked by two further 280cm x 300cm panels. Commissioned by the renowned architect IM Pei – a lifelong friend of Zao’s – it hung in Singapore’s Raffles City complex until 2005, when it was auctioned by Christie’s, with the winning bid said to be in the region of HK$18 million.

Putting the artist’s work into perspective, Vinci Chang, Sotheby’s Head of Modern Asian Art, said: “Zao’s paintings are held in the same regard as those of Western masters. As a consequence, we are deeply honoured to be able to present Juin-Octobre 1985, the largest painting in the artist’s oeuvre and without a doubt, a singular masterpiece and one of unparalleled importance.”

With the value of his paintings set to soar even higher as the posthumous reputation of Zao Wou-Ki continues to build, his works seem to offer that rarest combination – aesthetic delight and escalating investment value.

Text: Tenzing Thondup

Zao’s Wows: Abstract works by Zao Wou-Ki go for unrecognisable figures

One artist above all dominated proceedings at Christie’s Hong Kong’s 20th Century Asian & Contemporary Art Sale – Zao Wou-Ki, with many of the esteemed abstract master’s works going for well beyond their original estimates.

One such piece was the enigmatically titled 14.12.59, which eventually went for a remarkable US$22.5 million, nearly double its initial estimate. Tellingly, even those unsteeped in the arcane nuances of the fine arts world confessed themselves drawn by the primeval force of this painting by Zao Wou-Ki, with its bold red and black hues embodying passion, fire, blood and life itself.

02.11.59, another of the Beijing-born artist’s classic works in oil, which sold for US$12 million, again reflects the battle between the light and the dark, one of Zao’s most abiding motifs. With both works completed in 1959, part of their value is derived from the rare insights they offer into the late painter’s more mature artistic vision. With the value only set to soar as the posthumous reputation of Zao Wou-Ki continues to build, his works seem to offer that rarest combination – aesthetic delight and escalating investment value.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Zao’s Wow Factor: Pretty pastels command high price

The majestic two-panel painting entitled 24.12.2002 – Diptyque II, by renowned Chinese artist Zao Wou-Ki, was expected to fetch an estimated HK$25 million at the time of print. The work went on the block at Christie’s recent autumn auctions in Shanghai. Diptyque II’s sale comes only months after 29.09.64 – another of the artist’s acclaimed oil paintings – sold in Hong Kong for a record-breaking HK$154.2 million.

Notable for his affiliation with abstract expressionists of the École de Paris, Zao was celebrated for his inimitable style of gestural painting which combined calligraphic brushwork with large-scale abstract compositions.

Although Zao’s works have always referenced the convergence of Chinese and European aesthetics, his creative output in the 2000s was characterised by a “bolder and freer” technique, peaking with the completion of Diptyque II in 2002. Grace Zhuang, a senior specialist of Asian art at Christie’s, says, “This diptych, sourced from a European collection, is certainly a masterpiece of his late period.”

The auction of Diptyque II echoes a sustained increase in demand for contemporary Chinese art. Christie’s spring sales in Hong Kong totalled $HK2.47 billion, so it would be no surprise if one of China’s most celebrated 20th-century painters exceeded market expectations.

Note: Diptique II set the record for most expensive artwork ever sold at Christie’s in Shanghai. The final hammer price was 33.6 million yuan.