Wooden Sculpture

51×71×30 cm （left）； 45×33×34 cm （right） 20 1/8×28×11 3/4 in （left）； 17 3/4×13×13 3/8 in （right）

PROVENANCE
Kalos Gallery， Taipei
Private collection， Asia

This work is accompanied by a Certification of Authenticity issued by Kalos Gallery， TaipeiThe Advance of Master Sculptor Ju Ming
From Nativist to Taichi

As a leading contemporary Chinese sculptor， Ju Ming has always strived to recreate a variety of social commentaries and ideologies in his work， whether through his most representative Taichi or manifestations of the phenomena around him in Living World. His skillful use of sculpting materials has led to the production of timeless multi-dimensional carvings that reveal a wealth of spiritual treasures precipitated from the birth of Chinese society all the way through to its most modern developments.
Born in Miaoli County， Taiwan， Ju Ming was apprenticed to carver Lee Chin-Chuan， carving wood by day and painting at night. After mastering wood carving， in 1968， the then 30-year-old decided to give up his steady income and headed north to re-apprentice himself under famous artist Yang Yu-Yu， something that continued for eight years. His intention was to remove himself from the fate of the traditional carpenter and get back to the roots of artistic creation. During this time， he successively produced sculptures embracing rich creative themes such as Nativist， Taichi， and Living World. Beginning in the 1970s， he held important solo exhibitions at the National Museum of History in Taipei， the Tokyo Central Art Museum， the Max Hutchinson Gallery in New York， and the Hanart TZ Gallery in Hong Kong， where he had the opportunity to display his widely recognized and comprehensive array of artistic pieces. Rather than resting on his laurels， the artist continued to make breakthroughs in his art， with each new work bringing people further away from a stereotyped understanding of the world and allowing the Orient to shine on an international stage.
In this autumn auction， Guardian Hong Kong has collected seven creative works of differing mediums by Ju Ming， rounding out a special series of works from his blossoming and peak period from the 1970s to 2000s.
Family （lot 809） depicts a rooster and a hen. The rooster is erect and confident， displaying valiance and an unwavering spirit. The hen lies low to the ground， a number of newly born chicks hiding under her body， calling back to what it is like to reunite with family. The sculpture shows the artist’s unrivaled skill in carving and his great familiarity of the nativism themes， and at the time of the work’s creation， Ju Ming was no longer limited by technical shortfalls and was finally flawlessly able to exhibit each piece of material’s natural texture.

Price estimate:
HKD: 1,000,000 – 1,800,000
USD: 128,200 – 231,700

Auction Result:
HKD: 1,180,000