"Untitled (Lot 156) is a study for a major work painted by Zao Wou-Ki in 1987 - Avril-Septembre 87 . The work was commissioned by the French government as a part of the French 1 cultural policy for the building of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Lyon, France. The painting was also on loan to the School to the Jeu de Paume Museum for the great 2003 retrospective. In the late 1970s Zao moved to a more spacious studio, which allowed him in the 1980s to paint the largest canvases of his career and undertake major projects for important architects such as I.M. Pei. As Zao Wou-Ki usually painted directly on the canvas, this study is a rare work in his oeuvre, which the artist painted to submit his project to the architects of the School. Untitled, a beautiful vivid blue composition, is also a great opportunity to acquire the genesis of an important state commissioned masterpiece.