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Lot Essay
"I realise increasingly that it is neither East nor West, and that some day there must be the Art of the New World Civilization, the creation of which, as a painter, I wish to contribute. Art is a universal language which speaks to every human heart." – Teng-Hiok Chiu
Teng-Hiok Chiu was born into a wealthy family of tea merchants in 1903. His father was the president of the Y.M.C.A., and a close friend of Sun Yat-Sen and Chiang Kai-shek. In 1920, the 17-year-old Teng-Hiok Chiu attended Harvard University in the US, where he studied art history, architecture and archeology. In the same year, he switched to the School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to major in Western painting. In February 1925, he enrolled in the Royal Academy of Arts, where he went on to win all scholarships and awards offered for his major. In 1929, he became the first foreign student to be awarded the Turner Gold Medal by the Roryal Academy of Arts. He was also elected as a member in the Royal Society of British Artists, an honour that was typically reserved for British painters. In 1929, he held his first solo exhibition at the Claridge Gallery in London. Her Majesty Queen Mary honoured the show with a visit, and the paintings were sold out the next day. Christie's is pleased to present Untitled (Lot 346), the largest sized work by the artist that has been presented in the auction market. The oil paint resounds with a sense of lightness, which encapsualtes the artist's feelings of joy while working on the painting.
Teng-Hiok Chiu was born into a wealthy family of tea merchants in 1903. His father was the president of the Y.M.C.A., and a close friend of Sun Yat-Sen and Chiang Kai-shek. In 1920, the 17-year-old Teng-Hiok Chiu attended Harvard University in the US, where he studied art history, architecture and archeology. In the same year, he switched to the School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to major in Western painting. In February 1925, he enrolled in the Royal Academy of Arts, where he went on to win all scholarships and awards offered for his major. In 1929, he became the first foreign student to be awarded the Turner Gold Medal by the Roryal Academy of Arts. He was also elected as a member in the Royal Society of British Artists, an honour that was typically reserved for British painters. In 1929, he held his first solo exhibition at the Claridge Gallery in London. Her Majesty Queen Mary honoured the show with a visit, and the paintings were sold out the next day. Christie's is pleased to present Untitled (Lot 346), the largest sized work by the artist that has been presented in the auction market. The oil paint resounds with a sense of lightness, which encapsualtes the artist's feelings of joy while working on the painting.