On 21 September Christie’s presents an exciting tseries of cross-category sales in Shanghai. Each of the auctions in the series — Treasures of Chishui River — Kweichow Moutai, FIRST OPEN | Shanghai and 20th Century & Contemporary Art — has been carefully curated, drawing on Christie’s international expertise and spirit of innovation.
In presenting Treasures of Chishui River, Christie’s becomes the first international auction house to debut a dedicated sale of Maotai (also known as Moutai). In China, this spirit has a rich history that spans thousands of years, while Kweichow Moutai, which boasts a complex flavour and unique taste, has a particular symbolic significance.
With a total of 178 lots (nearly 1,900 bottles) on offer, Christie’s seeks to raise Maotai’s international profile. Prior to the sale, Christie’s will host Maotai masterclasses and tasting dinners in Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai.
Also on 21 September, the FIRST OPEN | Shanghai sale brings
together more than 80 works across a broad range of subjects,
styles and mediums. Leading the sale is a group of abstract works by artists including
Zao Wou-Ki and
Wu Dayu.
The sale also features a standout group of work
by contemporary Chinese artists such as
Yang Fudong,
Wang Guangle and
Xu Hualing. Key 20th-century Vietnamese artists are also
represented, alongside world-renowned Japanese artists
Yoshitomo Nara and
Yayoi Kusama.
Closing out the series is the 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, with an exceptional range of work from across Asian 20th-century and contemporary art, Chinese contemporary ink, Impressionist and modern, and post-war and contemporary art. Thirty-four works from some of the world’s best-loved artists have been carefully selected for the auction, including pieces by Zao Wou-Ki, Chu Teh-Chun, Zeng Fanzhi, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalí and Andy Warhol.
The sale highlight is Zao Wou-Ki’s 13.02.92, a large-scale, mature piece from 1992. This dream-like work is a testament to Zao’s lifelong dedication to the pursuit of artistic transcendence, and his mastery of both Chinese and Western artistic traditions.
Also this season, selected highlights from Christie’s international
sales will tour to Shanghai for viewing. The
Old Masters department will bring two key works by
Gustave Courbet, Chasseur dans la neige and
Femme endormie aux cheveux roux, an important work
from his controversial nude paintings of the 1860s. Both
masterpieces will be offered in New York on 31 October.
Other Old Masters on view in Shanghai this season, offered
in London on 6 December and in private sales, respectively,
are
Anthony van Dyck’s Portrait of Princess Mary, Daughter of King Charles I of England, Full-length, in a Pink Satin Dress, and
Osias Beert’s Flowers in a German Tigerware Vase, with Butterflies and Shells, on a Ledge.
The
Post-War & Contemporary Art department will show
three
Kazuo Shiraga works, T19, T39 and Tou, each
of which will be offered in Paris in sales between October
and December.
Notably,
Albert Einstein’s famous ‘God Letter’ will also be on
view in Shanghai this autumn. With an estimate of $1,000,000-1,500,000,
the letter is considered Einstein’s most fully articulated
expression of his religious and philosophical views. Written
in 1954, one year before his death, it fuses Einstein’s thoughts
on religion, his Jewish identity, and his search for meaning
in life.