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| Children Playing under a Pomegranate Tree |
Sotheby’s Hong Kong has just announced the sale of the most comprehensive private collection of paintings by Zhang Daqian , with all the works offered on the market for the first time.
The sale of the Mei Yun Tang Collection of Paintings by Chang Daichien (the other spelling for his name) will take place on May 31, right at the tail end of Christie’s Spring auction. The 25 paintings on offer are expected to fetch in excess of $16.7 million.
The collection was assembled by the late Mr. Kao Ling-mei and his wife Jan Yun-bor. Not only does it comprise works of superb artistic value, but it also chronicles the stylistic evolution of Zhang Daqian and stands as testament to the four-decade friendship between Zhang and the Kao’s. The couple befriended Zhang Daqian in Chengdu in early 1944. One of the few professional photographers in China in the 1930s, Kao found a kindred spirit in Zhang, and the two harboured a genuine admiration for each other’s artistic mastery. While the Kao’s were ardent supporters of Zhang, the Mei Yun Tang Collection includes many works acquired at enormous prices from the artist’s solo exhibitions. As dear friends to the artist for over forty years, the Kao’s couple also received many of Zhang’s prized works as presents, such as gifts for Chinese New Year and birthdays, as tokens of friendship and gratitude. The Mei Yun Tang Collection comprises a number of Zhang’s landscapes and artistic renderings of his extensive excursions with friends, as well as didactic works and painting manuals for Kao’s children. The collection was last exhibited in Singapore in 1997. One of the highlights is Children Playing under a Pomegranate Tree, executed in 1948, a delightful and highly colorful children scene. A Beijing preview will be held May 18-19 at The St. Regis Beijing.