Acrylic and Chinese ink on rice paper

179 × 98.6 cm. 70 1/2 × 38 7/8 in.

Stamped with artist's seal on upper left
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, U.S.A

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Walasse Ting Estate Archive in New York and signed by the relatives of the artist

Desires and Innocence
The Carefree World of Walasse Ting

Walasse Ting, the self-proclaimed “flower-picker” and “flirtatious gentleman”, led an exciting life, with a bold and avant-garde painting style that reveals his lifelong amorous and romantic nature.

He lived in France, the United States, and the Netherlands. In the early 1950s, he shared his interest in the European COBRA and held exhibitions in Paris and Brussels. He became an important forefront artist of the Pop art movement in 1958 along with Andy Warhol. Walasse Ting held over 100 exhibitions in New York, Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, etc. His works have been collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Guggenheim Museum, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, and the Shanghai Art Museum, and he is one of the most representative artists of the 20th century. Looking back at the different stages of his life, Walasse Ting expressed his desire for beautiful things in bold and vivid colours, full of emotions and desires, but also innocent, like a chivalrous wanderer. This time, we bring his large-size works on paper Love Me, Love Me (Lot 130) ,Two Parrots, Two Fans with Three Girls (Lot 128) , as well as his rarely seen oil painting I Love Hot Summer (Lot 129) , to enjoy Ting's pleasure and carefreeness.

Hundred Charms in a Glance

In the 1960s, Walasse Ting was inspired by New York to add Western-style fluorescent acrylics to his works. In the early 1970s, he launched his new series Love Me, Love Me. Love Me Love Me presented this time was created in 1973, is one of the artist's large-scale series. The picture is divided into colour blocks to form an abstract background, which replaces the realistic depiction and naturally shapes the sense of space. How the colours are applied inherited the splash and drip of the artist's abstract works, and the artist's yearning for youth is echoed.

In the centre of the painting, a beautiful blonde woman lies, revealing her charm. The colour blocks in her hair reflect the beauty of the woman, while her blue eyes set off her flushed red lips.

The composition of this work drew inspiration from French artist Édouard Manet's masterpiece Olympia. Unlike the restrained and distant woman in that painting, Ting's woman conveys a lively and joyful atmosphere, which is a testament to Ting's artistic inspiration of Pop art in New York.

Blushing as Flowers, Enjoying the Moment

Since the 1990s, Walasse Ting had been holding solo exhibitions in Hong Kong and Shanghai, not only using the traditional Chinese medium of rice paper but also fusing Western acrylics with Chinese ink. After travelling to Japan in the mid-1990s, he was influenced by Ukiyo-e and geisha culture and incorporated the Tang dynasty style that was popular in Japan at that time. The painting Two Parrots, Two Fans with Three Girls was created then. Three oriental women in blue robes are standing in a composition that will impress the viewer with their beauty. The woman on the left has a face of jade and carries a green parrot with a graceful and slightly tilted posture; while the one in the middle holds a peach blossom folding fan and has pink cheeks; the one on the right has purple hair, holds a parrot in one hand, and holds a fan on the middle woman's shoulder with the other hand, not knowing herself is even more delicate than the flowers. Here, the beauty of women and the artist's most beloved materials are fused, creating the gentle world of Ting's painting. The bright colours are stained on the soft rice paper, giving this work a unique blend of East and West.

The Mysterious Masterpiece after Many Deliberations

Since 1985, Ting has been living in Amsterdam, and the masterpiece I Love Hot Summer was created at that time. The painting with splashes of colours creates an overwhelming summer of cherry blossoms. A red-haired woman on the left side has her charming eyes open, giving a glimpse; while a blue-haired woman on the right side reveals her face, and her delicate pink lips echoing the flowers on her head. The two women with their bright makeup show the beauty of youth in the summer, and symbolize the artist's belief in life: “To the fullest extent”.

Price estimate:
HKD: 280,000 - 420,000
USD: 35,700 - 53,500

Auction Result:
HKD: 336,000