Oil on canvas

27 x 19 cm. 10 5/8 x 7 1/2 in.

Signed in English and dated on bottom right; signed in Chinese and English, titled in Chinese, sized, dated and numbered on the reverse

LITERATURE
2015, SIGN ME/Hybrid Portraits – This is Alixe Fu in Paris, Taipei, Beijing Exhibition, LYNA Art, Paris, p.198
EXHIBITED
6 – 28 Jun 2015, SIGN ME/Hybrid Portraits – This is Alixe Fu in Paris, Taipei, Beijing Exhibition, ARTDOOR Gallery, Taipei
3 – 12 Jul 2015, SIGN ME/Hybrid Portraits – This is Alixe Fu in Paris, Taipei, Beijing Exhibition, Today Art Museum, Beijing
16 Nov – 16 Dec 2019, Bards – Alixe Fu's Postexpressionism Painting Exhibition, Amanda Wei Gallery, Hong Kong

PROVENANCE
Amanda Wei Gallery, Hong Kong
Private Collection, Asia

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Amanda Wei Gallery, Hong Kong with signature of the artist

Crane stands on the shadow, songs sung and tales told
A Flash of Alixe Fu's Reflection

Born in Taiwan in 1961, Alixe Fu graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Chinese Culture University in 1985. In the same year, he attended the first large-scale installation exhibition in the 1980s, “Avant-Garde, Installation, Space Exhibition”, which was organized by Taipei Fine Arts Museum. At the time, he started to demonstrate great talents as the youngest among the 20 participating artists. In 1987, he was invited by Centre Georges Pompidou for its' “TIAN ANMEN 4 JUIN - 4 DECEMBRE JE N'OUBLIE PAS” exhibition and Grand Palais, Paris for its' “Salon d'Automne” and “le Salon de Mai” during his study at Ecole Nationale Superieure Des Beaux-arts in Paris. Furthermore, the French Ministry of Culture awarded him a studio in Cité Van Gogh, Auvers-sur-Oise in 1991. In 2007, Fu came to Beijing. He keenly associated his life experience with the rapidly changing social environment and established his unique creative perspective. This artwork, In the Crowd, was completed in the same year of his artistic transition.

From 1998 to 2007, Fu has been discussing “Human's Variate” in his Plante-Homme • Animal-Homme series. He breaks through the conventional frameworks of heaven, earth and man and gives human limbs to animal figures. By doing so, he tries to capture the ultimate topic of “catching the soul that hides inside the body”. Shining a spotlight on this artwork, one anthropomorphic red crane is standing on the body of another in the natural background of the blue sky and the land. The red crane is looking down at his kin with his pendent hands as if he is struggling to move upward in reality but still looks back at all sentient beings. The artwork to a large extent reflects the change of lifestyle of the artist this year. Or it can be regarded as a self-portrait illustrating his continuous self-challenge and pioneering spirit that is different from his peaceful life before. Besides the red crane is a mirror, which reflects his resolution to stand straight and join the waves of time in his youth. The two images combine reality with virtuality and speak out the voice of the soul inside everyone's heart.

Price estimate:
HKD: 22,000 – 32,000
USD: 2,800 – 4,100

Auction Result:
HKD: 531,000