Oil on canvas

52 x 85 cm. 20 1/2 x 33 1/2 in.

Signed in English on upper left
EXHIBITED
28 July – 24 Aug 2018, Drawn To Satire - The Cartoons of Morgan Chua, SooBin Art International, Singapore

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Asia

Superman — Full Speed Ahead!
A microcosm of the times, as painted by Morgan Chua
Morgan Chua was born in Singapore in 1949. Chua rose to prominence early, recruited at the age of twenty-one by the renowned Singapore Herald, where he immediately became its chief editorial artist. During this period, he drew caricatures of many famous contemporary politicians, including Lee Kuan Yew （prime minister of Singapore, 1959–1990） and Benjamin Sheares （president of Singapore, 1971–1981）. His humorous, satirical style gained a large and admiring following among the paper's readership, and after the Singapore Herald's publishing license was subsequently suspended for political reasons, Morgan Chua moved to Hong Kong and joined the influential Far Eastern Economic Review, where he again assumed the position of chief editorial artist. The work for sale in this auction, Superman Li, is a cover image that Chua drew for the July 1981 edition of the Far Eastern Economic Review. Li Ka-shing himself personally wrote a letter praising Chua for his artistic abilities. This piece is highly representative of the politically and socially-themed works he has created over the years.
On this Far Eastern Economic Review cover, Morgan Chua depicts the immensely wealthy Hong Kong businessman Li Ka-shing, who had recently turned fifty, but whose business empire was still rapidly expanding. Chua faithfully captures Li's iconic black-rimmed glasses and elongated face. With an eye-catching photo of Hong Kong's Victoria Peak in the background, the protagonist — wearing a Superman-style costume, with his hands stretched upwards — suggests irresistible momentum and unstoppable drive. Hong Kong's Superman, included in the current auction, is an oil painting that Chua created twenty-five years later, a reminiscence and reflection upon the older work that once graced the cover of the Far Eastern Economic Review. Given the Chinese government's continuous development of Hong Kong, the night view of Victoria Harbour — situated between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon — is even grander here than it was on the original cover, a triumphantly modern scene of shimmering lights and highrise towers. Li Ka-shing remains virtually unchanged, but the artist's rendering is more precise and detailed, adding age-induced wrinkles to Li's face and neck, texture and creases to his “Superman” costume. The English word “Superman” is written underneath. Comparing this painting to the original magazine cover, people cannot help but sigh at the relentless passage of time. However, Hong Kong is as busy and lively as ever, and Li Ka-shing is still the same unyielding “Superman” in people's hearts and minds!

Price estimate:
HKD: 60,000 - 80,000
USD: 7,600 - 10,200

Auction Result:
HKD : 94,400