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Lot Essay
Born in Guangxi, China in 1929, Li Yuan-Chia moved to Taiwan in 1949. Later in 1951, he entered the Taipei Normal School and began to study art, where he met Hsiao Chin, Ho Kan and other students from the mainland. The dissatisfaction towards conservative art education prompted Li to study under Li Zhongsheng (1912-84), and founded Tou Fon Group with other artists. In 1962, Li moved to Italy and settled in England in 1965 until his death in 1994. Li is not only a painter, but also a poet, photographer, multimedia artist, curator, and research archivist.
In 1962, Li received patronage from famous Italian furniture designer, Dino Gavina (1922-2007), who invited him to Bologna for artistic creation. Gavina even assited Li to obtain residency document in Italy. Lot 495 to Lot 502 are formerly collected by Dino Gavina from the 1960s. Apart from two works painted in 1959-1960 which belong to Taiwan period, the rest of the works are created in Bologna.
In a publication entitled "Dino Gavina Ultrazionale Ultramobile", Li works and his life in Italy are documented, together with Gavina's friendship with Lucio Fontana, Alberto Giacometti and Marcel Duchamp. Dino Gavina's furniture company was active in the 1950s-60s which has collaborated with famous designers including Mario Bellini and Castiglioni brothers.
Two abstract works (Lot 495 and 498) from Taiwan periods are expression of calligraphic strokes and lines, marking Li's rediscovery of traditional Chinese culture. The stay in Bologna from 1962 to 1965 is critical to Li's artistic development. A type of monochromatic and minimal artwork was evolved at that time. Li limited his palette to only five colors: black, red, white, gold, silver, each color is given a specific meaning.
Lot 496, Lot 499 and Lot 504 are the representative works of this period. The large blank ground becomes metaphor of the vastness of the universe, plus a small dot, or a gentle brushstrokes, representing the beginning as well as the end of all things, as Li believes everything starts at one point, from dot into line, from lines to face, therefore from one point to the entire world. Point becomes a symbol of Li art which is rich in Eastern philosophy connotation. This symbol continues to evolve in Li's later paintings and installation works. Li dare to simplify, to touch the essence of the heart. Li Yuan-chia's abstract art drew upon western modernism as well as Zen Buddhist and Daoist thinking. His works were collected by the Tate Modern in the UK.
In 1962, Li received patronage from famous Italian furniture designer, Dino Gavina (1922-2007), who invited him to Bologna for artistic creation. Gavina even assited Li to obtain residency document in Italy. Lot 495 to Lot 502 are formerly collected by Dino Gavina from the 1960s. Apart from two works painted in 1959-1960 which belong to Taiwan period, the rest of the works are created in Bologna.
In a publication entitled "Dino Gavina Ultrazionale Ultramobile", Li works and his life in Italy are documented, together with Gavina's friendship with Lucio Fontana, Alberto Giacometti and Marcel Duchamp. Dino Gavina's furniture company was active in the 1950s-60s which has collaborated with famous designers including Mario Bellini and Castiglioni brothers.
Two abstract works (Lot 495 and 498) from Taiwan periods are expression of calligraphic strokes and lines, marking Li's rediscovery of traditional Chinese culture. The stay in Bologna from 1962 to 1965 is critical to Li's artistic development. A type of monochromatic and minimal artwork was evolved at that time. Li limited his palette to only five colors: black, red, white, gold, silver, each color is given a specific meaning.
Lot 496, Lot 499 and Lot 504 are the representative works of this period. The large blank ground becomes metaphor of the vastness of the universe, plus a small dot, or a gentle brushstrokes, representing the beginning as well as the end of all things, as Li believes everything starts at one point, from dot into line, from lines to face, therefore from one point to the entire world. Point becomes a symbol of Li art which is rich in Eastern philosophy connotation. This symbol continues to evolve in Li's later paintings and installation works. Li dare to simplify, to touch the essence of the heart. Li Yuan-chia's abstract art drew upon western modernism as well as Zen Buddhist and Daoist thinking. His works were collected by the Tate Modern in the UK.