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Lin Fengmian Paintings from the Van Roosbroeck Family Collection (Lots 691-692)
LIN FENGMIAN (1900-1991)
White Egrets
Details
LIN FENGMIAN (1900-1991)
White Egrets
Scroll, mounted and framed, ink and colour on paper
66 x 63.9 cm. (26 x 25 1⁄8 in.)
Signed, with one seal of the artist
White Egrets
Scroll, mounted and framed, ink and colour on paper
66 x 63.9 cm. (26 x 25 1⁄8 in.)
Signed, with one seal of the artist
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist, thence by descent.
Further details
The collection of Lin Fengmian paintings belongs to the Van Roosbroeck family from Belgium. Frank Van Roosbroeck (1919-2008) moved to Shanghai from Belgium in 1948 to take up the position as the head of the Shanghai branch of the Banque Belge pour l’Etranger (Belgian Bank for Lands Abroad). He met his Korean wife, Linda, in Shanghai. The couple had four children and settled in an apartment in Grosvenor House on Rue Cardinal Mercier in the French Concession in the 1950s. Mrs. Van Roosbroeck was an artist and art lover who took painting classes whilst in Shanghai. Through this artistic connection, the Van Roosbroecks met the artist Lin Fengmian and acquired a few of his works in Shanghai in the late 1950s.
The Korean War, which began in 1950, led to a dispute between the bank and Chinese authorities that lasted over 20 years. During this time, the bank’s branches in Tianjin and Shanghai were suspended, and their management staff was not allowed to leave the country. Mrs Van Roosbroeck was allowed to leave Shanghai in 1961 with three of her children and brought some of their belongings to Belgium, including the Lin Fengmian paintings. In 1966, she accompanied her youngest child to Belgium to attend school. After spending 24 years in Shanghai, Frank Van Roosbroeck was released in April 1972 and returned to Belgium to reunite with his family via Hong Kong.
On 8 December 1971, Lin Fengmian penned the following in prison:
“In 1956, my wife accompanied our daughter and son-in-law to Brazil. Following their departure from Shanghai, I continued selling paintings, engaging directly with foreign buyers. Before my wife’s departure, a Belgian named Roosbroeck frequently purchased paintings from me, and I got to know him then. Subsequently, many other foreigners who acquired paintings from me were introduced by Roosbroek.”
Excerpt from the essay “The autobiography of Lin Fengmian written in prison” in Zheng Chong’s Biography of Lin Fengmian, Oriental Publishing House, Shanghai, October 1999, p. 240.
The Korean War, which began in 1950, led to a dispute between the bank and Chinese authorities that lasted over 20 years. During this time, the bank’s branches in Tianjin and Shanghai were suspended, and their management staff was not allowed to leave the country. Mrs Van Roosbroeck was allowed to leave Shanghai in 1961 with three of her children and brought some of their belongings to Belgium, including the Lin Fengmian paintings. In 1966, she accompanied her youngest child to Belgium to attend school. After spending 24 years in Shanghai, Frank Van Roosbroeck was released in April 1972 and returned to Belgium to reunite with his family via Hong Kong.
On 8 December 1971, Lin Fengmian penned the following in prison:
“In 1956, my wife accompanied our daughter and son-in-law to Brazil. Following their departure from Shanghai, I continued selling paintings, engaging directly with foreign buyers. Before my wife’s departure, a Belgian named Roosbroeck frequently purchased paintings from me, and I got to know him then. Subsequently, many other foreigners who acquired paintings from me were introduced by Roosbroek.”
Excerpt from the essay “The autobiography of Lin Fengmian written in prison” in Zheng Chong’s Biography of Lin Fengmian, Oriental Publishing House, Shanghai, October 1999, p. 240.
Sale room notice
Please note that format should be scroll, mounted and framed.
請注意：本作品形式應為镜框。
請注意：本作品形式應為镜框。
Brought to you by
Carmen Shek Cerne (石嘉雯)
Vice President, Head of Department, Chinese Paintings
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