Gold foil and watercolour on paper

131 × 194 cm. 51 5/8 × 76 3/8 in.

Titled in Japanese, signed in English and dated on the reverse
PROVENANCE
28 Nov 2016, Est-Ouest Tokyo Hong Kong Autumn Auction, Lot 160
Acquired directly by present important private European collector from the above

This work is accompanied by an information card issued by Japan Art Copyright Center. Ltd

Shining and Glistening Brightly, Reflecting the Presence of Human Nature
The Debut of Nobuo Sekine's Gold Foil Painting

“I wish to defy the perceptions and conventional beliefs about objects, exhibiting the objects' most organic forms.”

――Nobuo Sekine

As the leader of the "Mono-ha School", Nobuo Sekine challenged the materialistic worldview with his exploration of the essence of objects. With an unpolished style, Nobuo Sekine used space, materials, and theories to explore philosophy of existence. In 1970, he represented Japan in the "Venice Biennale", which sparked his fame early on in his artistic career. In 2001, Tate Modern of London included Sekine's work in the "Century City" exhibition in recognition of his contribution to modern art.

The Debuting Gold Foil Painting Piece Has Arrived at This Auction

In 1987, Nobuo Sekine reunited with Lee Ufan, Sugagi Shio, Yoshida Kron and other members to host the "Post-Mono-ha School Exhibition" at the Seibu Museum of Modern Art in Japan. The group took this opportunity to discuss the members' new ideas on painting developed in the past ten years. That year, Nobuo Sekine officially started to use gold foil as the main medium for his paintings. The G120-10 Neighborhood presented this time was completed in the same year of the exhibition. The work is one of the earliest gold foil paintings currently available on the market and it signifies a new chapter to a style of creation that will become a very prestigious painting form in the future.

The artist painted with gold foil on a two-meter canvas, which brings great visual stimulation and satisfaction to its viewers. The bright and smooth gold foil shines and glistens on the traditional Japanese washi paper, transforming the three-dimensional gold material into a minimalistic two-dimensional image. By procreating the paper, small black holes are made to highlight the contraction and expansion movements; showing the "empty and full" dichotomy. The layers of space expressed in the concave and convex of the pores and the smooth surface establishes a world of "materiality" that is different from traditional trends.

The Imperfect Perfection

Visually, the finely crafted luxurious gold foil contrasts sharply with the creases, holes, and scratches on the piece's surface. By deliberately destroying the surface, Nobuo Sekine revealed the fragile properties of the gold foil. The dots, lines, and surfaces are sometimes smooth, sometimes mottled, and sometimes “empty”. The subtle relationship between "perfection” and "signs of aging" of the gold foil is presented as part of the creative process. Nobuo Sekine revealed the abundance of physical beauty of the gold foil through a minimalist picture, making the work a memorable piece.

Price estimate:
HKD: 200,000 - 300,000
USD: 25,500 - 38,200

Auction Result:
HKD: 264,000