Zhang Xiaogang (né en 1958) - photo 1

Zhang Xiaogang (né en 1958)

Lot 76
21.09.2022 15:00UTC +01:00
Classic
Sold
€ 441 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationFrance, Paris
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 813886
Lot 76 | Zhang Xiaogang (né en 1958)
Estimate value
€ 500 000 – 800 000
Zhang Xiaogang (né en 1958)

Camarade

signé en chinois et en pinyin, daté '2000' (en bas à droite)

huile sur toile

190 x 150 cm.

Peint en 2000.



signed in Chinese and in Pinyin, dated '2000' (lower right)

oil on canvas

74 3/4 x 59 in.

Painted in 2000.





Provenance

Atelier de l'artiste, Pékin

Galerie de France, Paris

Acquis auprès de celle-ci en 2003





Exhibited

Amiens, Musée de Picardie, Passe-Murailles - Nouvelles Scènes de l'Art Contemporain Chinois, décembre 2000-mars 2001 (illustré en couleurs au catalogue d'exposition p. 48).

Paris, Galerie de France, Zhang Xiaogang, Forget and Remember, mai-juillet 2003.



Special notice


This item will be transferred to an offsite warehouse after the sale. Please refer to department for information about storage charges and collection
details.



Post lot text

« C’est un tableau qui hurle dans un silence total. Je le mettrais bien à côté d’un Munch. C’est un cri chinois quand Munch est un cri européen ». - Michèle deFlers
‌
‌"It is a painting that screams in total silence. I would place it next to a Munch. It is a Chinese scream when Munch is a European scream.’’ - Michèle de Flers
‌
‌
« Une image a priori simple raconte, en fait, beaucoup de choses. Nous avons, par exemple, acheté une œuvre de la série Les Camarades de Zhang Xiaogang, figurant un homme au visage immobilisé, glacé, sans expression. […] Le regard vide semble dire ‘On a tellement souffert, on ne doit rien exprimer’. La tache rouge sur le front renvoie au Petit Livre rouge de Mao ». - Jean-Jacques & Michèle de Flers
‌
‌“In fact, a simple image tells a lot of things. For example, we bought a work from the series Les Camarades by Zhang Xiaogang, showing a man with an immobilised, frozen, expressionless face [...] The empty gaze seems to say: “We have suffered so much, we must not express anything. The red spot on the forehead refers to Mao's Little Red Book.'' - Jean-Jacques & Michèle de Flers
‌
‌
‌«‌ J'ai commencé à peindre des 'portraits de famille' en 1993 parce que j'étais ému par les vieilles photographies. Il m'est difficile d'expliquer quelle partie de mon âme a été touchée par ces images anciennes soigneusement polies. Elles suscitaient des souvenirs aléatoires. Je ne pouvais pas les lâcher. Au bout d'un certain temps, j'ai réalisé que, outre le contexte historique qui se cachait derrière les images, ce qui me touchait dans ces portraits standardisés était précisément la formule 'polie' qui les caractérisait. Elles incarnent une esthétique séculaire etparticulière de la culture populaire chinoise, à savoir une individualité indistincte, une beauté 'poétique' ». (Citation de Zhang dans Report from the Artist's Studio 1996 dans H. Wu(ed.), Contemporary Chinese Art Primary Documents, New York,2010,pp.190-191).

Peinte en 2000, Camarade est une œuvre issue de Bloodline, la plus célèbre série de Zhang Xiaogang, inspirée de vieilles photographies de famille. Au début du XXème siècle, la photographie était un support coûteux et une photographie de famille était d’autant plus importante pour les Chinois, car elle était très précieuse et avait une grande valeur émotionnelle. Zhang peint des portraits de famille et d'individus semblables à des photographies et les utilise pour refléter les questions sociopolitiques de l'époque, en particulier la relation entre les souvenirs personnels et les expériences collectives de la société chinoise dans son ensemble. Plus tard, Bloodline est devenue la série la plus recherchée de l'artiste et a été considérée comme marquant de manière significative cette période de l'art contemporain chinois.

Le tableau Camarade représente des éléments caractéristiques de la série : un jeune homme aux yeux monopaupières, au visage fin et aux cheveux bien peignés, portant un costume Zhongshan traditionnel. Il fixe solennellement le spectateur à travers l'appareil photo, son teint légèrement rosé et la tache lumineuse rouge caractéristique sur sa joue gauche ajoutent un peu de mystère au tableau, surtout en contraste avec le subtil fond gris.

‌“I began to paint 'family portraits' in 1993 because I was moved by old photographs. It is hard for me to explain which nerve of my soul was touched by these carefully polished old pictures. They stirred random recollections. I could not let go of them. After a while, I gradually realized that, besides the historical background behind the pictures, what touched me in those standardized portraits was precisely the formulaic 'polished-ness' about them. It embodies an age-old, specific aesthetic of Chinese popular culture, namely indistinctin dividuality, a 'poetic' beauty.”(Zhang quoted in Report from the Artist's Studio, 1996 in H. Wu (ed.), Contemporary Chinese Art Primary Documents, New York, 2010, pp.190-191.).

Painted in 2000, Camarade is a work hailing from Zhang Xiaogang's most renowned Bloodline series, inspired by old family photographs. In the early 20th century, photography used to be an expensive medium and a family photo was even more important to Chinese people as it was very precious and held a lot of emotional value. Zhang paints photograph-like family and individual portraits and uses them to reflect the socio-political issues of the times, in particular regarding the relation between one’s personal memories and the collective experiences of Chinese society at large. Later, Bloodline became the most sought-after series of the artist — and considered as epoch-defining for contemporary Chinese art.

The painting Camarade represents characteristics elements of the series: a young man with monolid eyes, a slender face and well-combed hair, wearing a traditional Zhongshan suit. Staring solemnly at the viewer through the camera, his slightly pinkish skin tone and the signature light red patch on his left-side cheek adds some mystery to the painting, especially in contrast with the subtle grey background.

Artist:Zhang Xiaogang (1958)
Applied technique:Oil on canvas
Art style:Contemporary art
Place of origin:China, Eastern Asia, Asia
Auction house category:Paintings
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
9 Avenue Matignon
75008 Paris
France
Preview
21.09.2022 – 21.09.2022
Phone +33 (0)1 40 76 85 85
Fax +33 (0)1 40 76 85 86
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@AGLSDAYQG1LYAK3YGRQ@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:00 – 00:00    00:00 – 18:00
Tu 09:00 – 00:00    00:00 – 18:00
We 09:00 – 00:00    00:00 – 18:00
Th 09:00 – 00:00    00:00 – 18:00
Fr 09:00 – 00:00    00:00 – 18:00
Sa closed
Su closed

More from Creator

ZHANG XIAOGANG (B. 1958)
ZHANG XIAOGANG (B. 1958)
HKD1 000
ZHANG XIAOGANG (B. 1958)
ZHANG XIAOGANG (B. 1958)
HKD1 000
ZHANG XIAOGANG (B. 1958)
ZHANG XIAOGANG (B. 1958)
HKD1 000
ZHANG XIAOGANG (B. 1958)
ZHANG XIAOGANG (B. 1958)
HKD400 000
ZHANG XIAOGANG (B. 1958)
ZHANG XIAOGANG (B. 1958)
HKD600 000
ZHANG XIAOGANG (B. 1958)
ZHANG XIAOGANG (B. 1958)
$100
Zhang Xiaogang (né en 1958)
Zhang Xiaogang (né en 1958)
€20 000
ZHANG XIAOGANG (B. 1958)
ZHANG XIAOGANG (B. 1958)
HKD20 000 000

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.