Yayoi Kusama Pumpkin 2016
In the Chinese and foreign art markets, female painters are often less concerned than male painters, and there are few hot spots and focal points in the market, and people may be very limited in being able to report the names of female painters. According to observations in recent years, among foreign female painters, Frida Caro (1907-1954), a Mexican female painter who expresses the true, realistic, stoic and bitter qualities of women, has an extremely eye-catching performance in the 2021 New York Sotheby's Modern Art Evening Auction, and her 1949 oil painting self-portrait "Diego and Me", although the size is very small (30×22.4cm), it is very popular at auction. The game started at $26 million and sold for $31 million for $34.883 million, breaking Frida's $8 million record in 2016, setting its latest auction record and becoming the most expensive Latin American art on the auction floor.
There are not a few female painters like Frida Kahlo who occasionally set sky-high prices, but such painters lack the stability and sustainability of the market. It is worth mentioning the Japanese female painter Yayoi Kusama. It is reported that she suffered from mental illness at the age of 10, but it is this defect that brings her amazing artistic creation and value. Kusama Yayoi is known as the "Queen of Polka Dots" in art, and has swept the world for more than 70 years with its infectious avant-garde artistic creation and legendary artistic life. Interestingly, each of her early years was worth around $100. Today, Kusama's works are very sought-after at auction houses, with each painting costing around $1 million, making her the most expensive and best-selling female painter. In the past decade, her works have repeatedly broken the auction record of living female artists, and at the same time, she has occupied the top of the annual auction volume of female artists for many consecutive years. Remember that in 2014, her early masterpiece "White No.28" sold for $7.1 million, which opened the prelude to her high-priced market. In recent years, Whether it is Taiwan, Hong Kong or mainland China, there have also been Kusama Yayoi works from time to time, and the price is not cheap. For example, at the 2021 Christie's Auction in Hong Kong, Yayoi Kusama's 2017 painting "Pumpkin" was sold for HK$55.45 million. On the last day of the 2021 spring auction in Shanghai Jiahe, the much-anticipated "One Thought Eternal" Kusama Yayoi's original work "Infinite Net" and the blockchain digital depository special field were officially raised. Among them, a group of "Unlimited Net" + attestation rights and interests NFTs, after nearly an hour of tug-of-war, finally fell for 91.5 million yuan, plus a commission of about 105 million yuan. This is the third lot in the history of Shanghai Jiahe Auction with more than 100 million yuan, and it is also the first global attempt by NFT in the history of Kusama Yayoi Auction. At present, Yayoi Kusama has become the most popular female painter in the global market with her unique and strong personality, and the future market prospects are very promising.
Fang Junbi, Kyoto Cherry Blossom Oil on canvas, 1955, Collection of Guangdong Museum of Art
Among Chinese female painters, although there have been many female painters in the past hundred years, there are not many who can really compete with male painters in the market, pan Yuliang is the first oil painter, and Chen Peiqiu is the first among Chinese painters.
Pan Yuliang (1895-1977), one of the few female painters in China who first studied in France, the first person in the East to be admitted to the Royal Academy of Painting in Rome, Italy, the first Chinese female painter selected for the Italian National Exhibition, the first Chinese painter whose works entered the Louvre, the first female artist in China to hold a personal oil painting exhibition in modern times, and galloped in the world art world for 40 years, becoming a well-known artist in the world art world; her life legend has been adapted into film and television opera many times and put on the screen stage. And once set off a "Pan Yuliang fever" at home and abroad, becoming a household name and a well-known figure. Pan Yuliang is good at oil painting, drawing, ink painting, sculpture, printmaking, oil painting is mainly portraits and human bodies, the subject matter is mostly Chinese girls, the style of painting is slightly influenced by Matisse and Fauvism. According to the author's observation, Pan Yuliang created many self-portraits in his lifetime, and the number is considerable. Through many of Pan's self-portraits, we can feel her extreme narcissism and self-confidence, lonely on the outside, rich on the inside, living in a world of self-interest. The famous art historian SuLlivan once said: "Pan Yuliang is an outstanding example among the few Chinese painters who can integrate Chinese and Western art in contemporary times." ”
Guan Zilan Stars in the bottle Pastel Age unknown Collection of Guangdong Museum of Art
After the rise of domestic art auctions in the 1990s, Pan Yuliang's works rarely appeared, mainly because the Chinese people did not know enough about oil paintings at that time, resulting in the collection of oil paintings not being a climate. After entering the 21st century, with the sharp rise of domestic oil painting collections, Pan Yuliang's works are often unveiled on the auction hall, and the price rises rapidly, in 2002, "Anti-Japanese Blood Flow" was sold for 176,000 yuan in Chongyuan, Shanghai; in 2003, "Vase Flower" was sold for 352,000 yuan in Guardian; in 2004, "Bath Girl" was auctioned at Sotheby's Hong Kong for 2.134 million Hong Kong dollars; in 2005, Pan Yuliang's "Self-Portrait" created in 1949 was warmly sought after by Christie's in Hong Kong. In the end, it was sold for 10.218 million yuan, and the price exceeded the 10 million yuan mark for the first time; in 2014, Three by the Sea was priced at Guardian Hong Kong for HK$16.675 million; in the same year, by the Window was auctioned for HK$34.53 million in Poly Hong Kong Auction, setting a new high for Pan Yuliang's works, fully showing the good upward momentum of Pan Yuliang's works. In recent years, Pan's works have been quite popular, in 2018, Sotheby's Hong Kong auctioned Pan Yuliang's 1952 "Nude Girl" color ink painting, which sold for HK$14.52 million; in 2019, Guardian launched Pan Yuliang's "Three Nudes by the Sea" oil painting, which sold for 17.4 million yuan; in 2020, Jasic had to auction Pan Yuliang's 1966 ink watercolor painting "Lilac" for HK$5 million. At present, Pan Yuliang is the most expensive painter among female painters. Regarding the market prospects of Pan Yuliang's works, the author believes that if Chang Yu, Zao Wou-ki, Zhu Dequn and Wu Guanzhong are called the first camp of the oil painting market, then Pan Yuliang, Together with Lin Fengmian, Liu Haisu, Wu Dayu, etc., belong to the second camp of the market. Although it will be difficult for Pan Yuliang to enter the first camp of the market in the future, there is still room for growth, especially Pan Yuliang, as a generation of painting souls with international influence, plus she is also a female artist, with unique advantages and themes, the market space is worth looking forward to. The influence of other female oil painters such as Guan Zilan, Cai William, Qiu Di, Xiao Shufang, Sun Duoci, Fang Junbi and other female oil painters is difficult to match Pan Yuliang, and it is difficult to form a fixed price in the market, which can only be generally concerned.
Chen Peiqiu (1923-2020) was a famous calligrapher, painter and connoisseur at sea. In her early years, she studied at the National Art College, belonging to the class, when Pan Tianshou and others were teachers of the school's faculties, but the most helpful to her early artistic growth was Zheng Wuchang, who immersed her in the world of painting in the Five Dynasties of the Northern Song Dynasty, enabling her to embark on the right path of painting, and later entered the "Deer Fetus Immortal Hall" and became a disciple of Zheng Wuchang. After the founding of New China, Chen received guidance from Xie Zhiliu, and his traditional skills became deeper and deeper. In 1956, the Shanghai Academy of Chinese Painting was established, and he was hired as one of the first painters, and was also one of the youngest painters at that time. After the reform and opening up, Chen Peiqiu's eyes were wide open, especially in the face of the art of Western painting. Chen Peiqiu constantly changes her style, admiring the flickering colors and concise brushstrokes of the French Impressionists Masters Manet, Renoir and Degas, and refers to the impressionist colors in traditional Chinese paintings. In Chen Peiqiu's works during his mature period, the influence of Western art became more and more evident in landscape painting and the use of color. Judging from his surviving works, Chen Peiqiu's artistic path is roughly divided into three periods, the early stage was taught by Zheng Wuchang, the middle period was guided by Xie Zhiliu, and in the later period, he drew on the influence of Western art, forged ahead, and combined Western colors with traditional Chinese techniques and real life. At the same time, Chen Peiqiu has a lot of knowledge of calligraphy, especially the grass, which is flowing and dustless, elegant and flexible, and its charm and style are pleasing to the eye and quite attractive.
Lu Xiaoman Huangshan Qingliangtai Color on paper 1961 Collection of The Chinese Painting Academy in Shanghai
Chen Peiqiu's works entered the auction market at home and abroad in the 1990s. In 1993, her "Spring Valley Orchid" was sold for 20,000 yuan at the first Duo Yun Xuan auction, and in 1994, "Bamboo Bird" was sold by Sotheby's for HK$11,500. Since then, Chen's works have shown a steady upward trend. In 1995, her "Spring Mountain White Cloud Map" was sold by Duo Yunxuan for 68,200 yuan. In 1996, Duo Yunxuan launched two more albums of Chen: one for "Flower, Fruit, Shrimp and Frog Album" for 46,200 yuan, and the other for "Spring and Autumn Album" for 77,000 yuan. In 1998, although the art market was affected by the Southeast Asian financial crisis, Chen's work showed strong momentum. This year, her "Miscellaneous Album" was auctioned by China Guardian for 44,000 yuan, and "Cuilin Short Pavilion" was sold for 143,300 yuan at the Duoyunxuan auction, breaking through the 100,000 yuan mark for the first time. In 1999, her elaborate work "Visiting Friends from Spring Mountain" was sold for 220,000 yuan at the Duoyunxuan auction, setting a new record for Chen's works. In 2000, Chen's "Four Screens of FeatherEd Figures" and "Desk Sketchbook" set a good result of 126,500 yuan and 77,000 yuan at the Duoyunxuan auction. After 2010, Chen's fine brushes and green landscapes have sprung up, allowing people to see Chen's potential and staying power. In 2011, "Spring Mountain Flying Spring Map" was sold for 12.42 million yuan in Shanghai Oriental, and the price exceeded the 10 million yuan mark for the first time. In 2013, "Wan Zi Qian Hong Album" was auctioned by Shanghai Jiahe for 17.825 million yuan, which was the highest price in the market for Chen Peiqiu's works. In the past two years, the price of Chen's works has declined, but there are still good performances of fine products, such as in 2021, Huayi International grandly launched the "Nian Nian - Qiyuan Zhai Treasure Chen Peiqiu Calligraphy and Painting Special Session", 100% of the 33 works on the auction were sold, and the total amount of the auction was 27.5356 million yuan, of which the top three in the transaction list were Chen Peiqiu's "Mandarin Duck Apricot Blossom" 10.35 million yuan, "Business" 4.0825 million yuan, and "Yuanbaoshan" 2.875 million yuan, the results were quite ideal.
Li Qiujun Asks for Fish from the East China Sea Color on Paper 1959 Collection of the Chinese Academy of Painting in Shanghai
In addition, Chen Peiqiu's calligraphy also has a good performance, in 2010, the "Xingshu" volume and the "Cursive Ten Words Lian" were sold for 72,800 yuan and 67,200 yuan in Rongbao and Boguzhai respectively; in 2020, Chen Peiqiu's 1976 "Cursive Lu Xun Poetry Ten Screens" was sold for 644,000 yuan in Shanghai Jiatai, which set a record for the highest market price of Chen Peiqiu's calligraphy. Judging from the current market performance, the price of Chen's green landscape is the highest, and the price of large green landscapes is mostly above one million, followed by Gongbi flowers and birds.
Given that Chen Peiqiu's art represents the level of today's female Chinese painters, she still has the ability to achieve good results in the future, which is worth the attention of the market and collectors.
In addition to Chen Peiqiu, He Xiangning, Song Meiling, Wu Qingxia, Li Qiujun, Yu Zhizhen, Pan Jingshu, Wang Shuhui, Zhou Junxia, Pan Su, Lu Xiaoman, Chen Xiaocui, Gu Fei, Xie Yuemei, Shen Yunxia, Hou Biyi, Fang Zhaolin, Hu Jieqing, Zhou Sicong, etc. also deserve appropriate attention. Therefore, it is crucial to excavate the works of female painters who are undervalued by the market and have themes, and I believe that it will give you unexpected returns in the future.
Source: China Culture Daily