Oil on paper

76.5 × 52.5 cm. 30 1/8 × 20 5/8 in.

Signed in Chinese and dated on bottom right

LITERATURE
2008, Road – Mao Xuhui's Paintings (1973-2007), Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House, Shanghai, p.137
PROVENANCE
Important Private Collection, Asia

The Soul Rooted in the Ground, the Spirit Refined from Life
Mao Xuhui's Self-Portrait, the Early Reflection on His Profound Life

Mao Xuhui is a very special existence in the Chinese contemporary art development. As a leader of the “85 New Wave” movement, he opposed superficial and propaganda creations and found no interest in the straightforward political pop irony. Instead of following in the footsteps of most artists of his generation who were active in Beijing, he lived and created in Kunming, a southwestern capital of China. The regional characteristics of the Yunnan Plateau are seemingly conservative yet strong and lively, which was internalized by Mao as the most profound source of creation. The paintings are his sincere expression of life experience and emotional transition in the changing social environment. Therefore, the art world highly values his creations and selects him as one of the 100 most powerful figures in the Chinese contemporary art circle.

Self-Expression and Exploration

Like many great artists in history, at his early stage of creation, he realized that depicting one's own image is a way to explore the inner spirit of oneself, which could even hide deep thoughts about the evolution of the times and traditions. Self-Portrait, completed in 1988, undoubtedly implies Mao's resistance to the external living environment and active pursuit of internal emotions. The thirty-year-old painter put himself in a deliberately simplified diamond-shaped head in the painting, paired with black clothes, strengthening his thin and young face. The sharp cone-like head depicts his strong intention to break through the repressed state of existence, reminding viewers The Scream of Edvard Munch, but containing a denser and more restrained visual tension.

This piece not only sets a forerunner for his future Patriarch series, but it can also be regarded as one of the most powerful witnesses of the times. Even Zhang Xiaogang, who belonged to the Southwest art group as well, has been influenced by the self-portrait a lot when he developed his Bloodline series and Big Family series. The reappearance of this important representative work of Mao, an early work reflecting his deep loneliness, deserves our great attention.

Price estimate:
HKD: 300,000 - 500,000
USD: 38,500 - 64,200

Auction Result:
HKD: 540,000