Ancient Cypresses by Xu Beihong (Photo/Courtesy of the Beijing Council International)
Preparing to lift the hammer this Saturday, the Beijing Council International Auction Company kicked off a three-day preview event on Tuesday to unveil the items that will go up for auction at its Chengdao Night event. Consistent with the overall market tone this season, the collection for the auction is smaller than last year, but still includes quite a few major highlights. With its strong edge with Chinese contemporary paintings and calligraphy and other modern art, Council has managed to collect some very rare pieces, such as Fu Baoshi's 1964 painting Dawn, despite some difficulties.
"We have encountered unprecedented difficulty gathering our collection this season. Additionally, considering that we will be celebrating our 10th anniversary next year, we have decided to reserve some works until then. As such the quantity of items at this weekend's auctions is smaller, but the quality is still guaranteed," said Dong Guoqiang, president of Council. "Meanwhile, we are adding a new section this time - a luxury goods collection."
A total of 1,200 paintings and calligraphy works will be at the auction, among which 65 were carefully selected for the event, a special auction that has become a big name in recent years for its ability to gather heavyweight contemporary Chinese paintings and calligraphy.
Two works in particular have attracted the attention of collectors: Fu's Dawn, which will be up for auction for the first time ever, and Xu Beihong's 1937 painting Ancient Cypresses.
Council is also placing heavy emphasis on another master of modern art: Zhang Guangyu - considered the father of modern Chinese cartoons.
