Bronze sculpture

96×86×40 cm 37 3/4×35×15 3/4 in

Signed in English with drawing seal， dated on bottom of the back

LITERATURE
2012, Greatness of Spirit: Li Chen Premiere Sculpture Exhibition in Taiwan, Asia Art Center, Taipei, p. 168
Edition 4/8

EXHIBITED
2012， Greatness of Spirit： Li Chen Premiere Sculpture EXHIBITION in Taiwan， Asia Art Center， Taipei

PROVENANCE
Private collection， Asia

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Asia Art Center， TaipeiLi Chen is regarded as one of the foremost sculptors in the art world. In 2007， a solo exhibition of his work was included in the 52nd Venice Biennale， making him the first Chinese artist to receive that honor. He also had major solo exhibitions at such venues as The National Art Museum of China in Beijing， the Frye Art Museum in Seattle， and Place Vendôme in Paris. He is a favorite with the public， and the Global Art Market Report by Art Price has ranked him Fouth out of All Contempory Chinese Atists who were born after 1945 in the global market.
For the present auction， The Guardian Hong Kong presents The Pure land （lot 815） and The Genuine State （lot 814）， the latter being the “flagship” piece of his Spiritual Journey through the Great series. A male figure extends his arms horizontally， palms upturned， reminiscent of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro， the mountaintop statue whose open arms symbolize brotherly love and magnanimity. Li Chen uses simple lines to build the figure， whose arms and torso form a steady cruciform in a way that brims with quiet and serenity. The figure’s corpulence， slightly closed eyes， and peaceful facial expressions evoke the Buddha and his doctrines， suggesting the artist’s desire to detach himself from worldly life. From out of the jet-black body’s head and hands rise three vaporous little figures， silvery and shapeless in their beauty， creating a stark contrast to the figure below in terms of color and defined form， a visual interpretive representation of a human being’s life force as described in an ancient Chinese text， The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor.
Pureland （1998） is one of Li Chen’s earlier pieces. The glossy surface， coated with a raw black lacquer， and the roundness and fullness of the statue create a visual tension that seems at once both heavy and light. The figure， an infant， appears to be asleep， with his legs straight and arms extending over his head， the fully stretched-out body expressing both a naïve optimism and an ease that issue from an unfamiliarity with worldly affairs. Upon closer observation， viewers will notice that the eyes are closed， the figure trying to forget all worry and avoid the troubles that always stem from outside disturbances. Through his efforts to create a spiritual space through art and a skillful application and use of material， Li Chen manages to impart in the “weight” of this small yet powerful figure both the energy of emptiness and the tranquil， detached state he seeks.

Price estimate:
HKD: 920,000 – 1,500,000
USD: 117,900 – 193,100

Auction Result:
HKD: 1,038,400