Oil on canvas

100×65 cm. 39 3/8×25 5/8 in.

Signed in English and dated on bottom right; signed and titled in French and Chinese and dated on the reverse

LITERATURE
2022, Wheatfields' Whisper: Alixe Fu Retrospective Exhibition 1980 - 2022, Amanda Wei Gallery, Hong Kong, p.68
EXHIBITED
7 Dec 2022 – 7 Jun 2023, Wheatfields' Whisper: Alixe Fu Retrospective Exhibition 1980 - 2022, Chatham Maison Art Research & Exchange Centre, Hong Kong

PROVENANCE
Amanda Wei Gallery, Hong Kong
Private Collection, Asia

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Hong Kong Amanda Wei Gallery signed by the artist

A Colourful Heart of Innocence
The Dreamy Poetry of Alixe Fu

For nearly half a century, French-Chinese artist Alixe Fu has made a name for himself in the international art world. 1987, just after graduating from the Department of Fine Arts in Chinese Culture University in Taipei, he went to Paris to study at the National School of Fine Arts in Paris, where he was deeply impressed by the power of Surrealism and Cubism that strikes at the heart of the human being. In his works, the superimposed illusions are constantly changing like a kaleidoscope, breaking through the barriers of time and space to become a spectrum of life. His work crosses cultural boundaries, bringing liberation in gender, identity and body, and exploring the free world of human subconscious. Only four years later, as a "foreigner", Alixe Fu was recognised in Paris and awarded the permanent studio in Van Gogh Village by the French Ministry of Culture. His works have been exhibited at the Grand Palais in Paris, the Centre Pompidou in France, and the Château de Blois Museum in France, among other important institutions.

This spring auction presents Le Petit Prince, which has been selected by the artist to be exhibited in his first major retrospective in Hong Kong in 2022, Wheatfields' Whisper, which is representative and significant.

A Call to Innocence

Le Petit Prince pays homage to the French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's novel of the same name. This masterpiece explores the richness of emotions in the process of growing up through the innocent eyes of a child, satirises the greed and hypocrisy of the adult world, and evokes the readers' adherence to truth, goodness and beauty. In Alixe Fu's painting, the young prince does not have a realistic image. In the blue universe, he is as naked and pure as a newborn child. His hand is raised, as if he is sniffing the rose that represents love in the story and living in symbiosis with her. The colours of cyan, orange and black are constantly changing, creating a kaleidoscope of light and shadow on the body. On the head of the prince, eyes with different emotions are intertwined. Just like the glow on the face of travellers in search of themselves, it proves that no matter how many years they have gone through, they are still on the path of life as the defender of self-confidence.

The fox, who accompanies the prince on his journey, is painted in abstract yellow geometry and simple black lines, on which the faces of a mixture of animals are outlined in soft curves. The simple yet inspirational lines are reminiscent of one of Pablo Picasso's artistic inspirations, primitive frescoes. The fox condenses a sense of friendship and admiration for all things natural. The world shown by Alixe Fu can bring the viewers back to their childish beginnings and strike a deep chord in their hearts.

Price estimate:
HKD 80,000 - 150,000
USD 10,300 – 19,200