Acrylic on canvas

61 x 51 cm. 24 x 20 in.

Signed in pinyin and dated on bottom right

LITERATURE
2017, Benrui Huang, China National Photographic Art Publishing, Beijing, p.61 and 100
EXHIBITED
3 – 25 Jun 2017, In the Name of Flower, Eslite Bookstore Suzhou Exhibition Hall, Suzhou

PROVENANCE
Eslite Gallery, Taipei
Private Collection, Asia

This work is accompanied by a certification of authenticity signed by the artist, issued by Eslite Gallery, Taipei

A Beautiful and Tender Existence
Benrui Huang's Nini

Huang Benrui was born in 1959 in Taiwan. After more than 20 years of working as an illustrator in New York, she turned to the field of pure art. She created the rabbit Nini (which is her own incarnation) to express her childhood memories and her longing for Taiwan. Since 2009, Huang Benrui has held seven exhibitions at the Eslite Gallery. There was also the successful Benrui Huang — In the Name of Flowers exhibition at Eslite Spectrum Suzhou in 2017, with Suzhou coincidentally being the hometown of her ancestors. The public's response was enthusiastic, to say the least.

Magic of Love, Spring Practices
Spring Practices-3 (Lot 5) was created in 2015. It features Nini sitting in a yellow flower in front of a quiet lotus pond, which is surrounded by bright tulips. The sky above her looks like a classroom blackboard: there is a cute rabbit girl drawn on it with chalk as she floats in the air toward a rabbit boy, who is ready to catch and hug her among the swaying wisteria flowers, reminiscent of Marc Chagall's depiction of young lovers. There is a watering can in the lower right corner of the blackboard-like object, filled with the magical water from the spring of love and used to irrigate the tulip-encased pond in front of Nini.

Silent Companion, a Source of Comfort
The sculpture Pink Nini (Lot 6) was created in 2015. The protagonist sits quietly on her side, hands on her lap, eyes looking at the viewer, with a gentle, friendly expression. Another portrayal of Nini has garnered a high price of HK $340,000 as part of the 2018 Guardian (Hong Kong) autumn auction, making it the highest transaction price achieved by Huang Benrui in the auction market to date. The Pink Nini featured in this auction is also a precious work, as it seems to help people find a moment of peace in their busy lives.

Price estimate:
HKD: 50,000 – 100,000
USD: 6,400 – 12,800

Auction Result:
HKD: 68,440