Xu Bing (b. 1955)
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Xu Bing (b. 1955)

Square Word: New English Calligraphy

Details
Xu Bing (b. 1955)
Square Word: New English Calligraphy
signed 'Xu Bing' (on the cover of each book)
installation: two books containing Calligraphy on Chinese paper, cover, brush, brushstand and inkwell
dimensions variable
Provenance
Private Collection, London.
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

In his recent work, Square Word Calligraphy, Xu Bing has created a method of writing English words in rectangular arrangements that closely resembles Chinese characters. His code of calligraphic script "characters" correspond to the twenty-six Roman letters, and using some relatively simple rules for the composition of the square words allow for one to write English using Chinese calligraphic principles. Xu's manual of English/Chinese-style calligraphy is written entirely in these "square words' and even looks like a traditional Chinese Calligraphy manual. Accompanying the manual is a companion volume of calligraphic models to be used for writing practice.

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