Seminal Monet painting part of Shanghai preview of Christie's Hong Kong auction
Nymphéas, oil on canvas, 1897-99
The seminal "Nymphéas," painted 125 years ago as the first of a series by Claude Monet (1840-1926), will be displayed this Saturday and Sunday at Christie's Shanghai Art Space, ahead of being included in the Christie's Hong Kong Auction.
The work remained in the Monet family for many years.
It was one of the first of Monet's works to take as its subject his beloved water-lily pond at his Giverny home. Four other works from the pioneering eight-work series are owned by renowned museums worldwide today, namely the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Kagoshima City Museum of Art, and the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome.
This painting introduces one of the most important and radical aspects of Monet's "Nymphéas" – the elimination of a horizon line. His tightly focused scene plunges the viewer into the center of the pond, removing all other peripheral details to focus entirely on the constantly shifting relationships between water, atmosphere and light that transformed the pond's surface with each passing moment.
A blue and white pearl-shaped bottle vase from the Yongle period (1403-1425)
A celadon glazed double gourd vase (1723-1735)
Another highlight at the Shanghai preview is "The Au Bak Ling Collection," one of the most comprehensive private collections of Chinese ceramics, amassed by Hong Kong collector Au Bak Ling (1928-2019). For over 50 years, Au assembled the rarest and finest Chinese ceramics from each dynastic era.
In 1998, highlights from Au's collection, including the unique Chenghua (1464-1487) doucai stem cup with birds on fruiting peach branches, were exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, titled '100 Masterpieces of Imperial Chinese Ceramics from the Au Bak Ling Collection.' This was the first Chinese ceramics exhibition from a private collection to be held at the Royal Academy since its foundation in 1768.
The 19 Chinese ceramics to go under the hammer are from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, as well as the early 20th century, with clear provenances. Most of them will be displayed at the Shanghai Preview.
Date: 10am-6pm, September 7, 8
Venue: Christie's Shanghai Art Space
Address: 4/F, Zhongshan Rd E1
Please reserve via the WeChat mini program: 佳士得拍卖Christies
