ZAO WOU-KI (ZHAO WUJI, French/Chinese, B. 1920)

Paysage Bleu; & Deux Colombes

Details

ZAO WOU-KI
(ZHAO WUJI, French/Chinese, B. 1920)
Paysage Bleu; & Deux Colombes
signed 'Wou-ki ZAO' in Chinese and Pinyin (lower right of each)
two silkscreen prints on silk twill & silk shantung mounted on canvas
89.8 x 89.8 cm. (35 3/8 x 35 3/8 in.); 78 x 86.8 cm. (70 1/8 x 73 1/2 in.) (2)
Executed in 1955
Commissioned and produced by Ascher, New York (2)

Provenance

Property from the Ascher Family Collection
Christie's South Kensington, 20 September 2012, Lot 305 & 306
Private Collection, Asia (Acquired from the above sale by the current owner)

Literature

Valerie Mendes and Frances Hinchcliffe, Victoria and Albert Museum, Zika and Lida Ascher: Fabric - Art - Fashion, London, 1987 (illustrated, p. 64)
The Ascher Squares, Zao Wou-Ki, London, 2011 (illustrated, pp. 12-15)

Exhibited

different version exhibited:
Neiman Marcus, Dallas, USA, 1975
Redfern Gallery, London, UK, 1983
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK, 1987
Commes de Garcons, Tokyo, Japan, 1990

Sale room notice

Please note that correct provenance of Lot 7106 is as below:
Property from the Ascher Family Collection
Christie's South Kensington, 20 September 2012, Lot 305 & 306
Private Collection, Asia (Acquired from the above sale by the current owner)

Lot Essay

Paysage Bleu & Deux Colombes (Lot 7106) is one of the last artist commissioned Edition Scarf series by Ascher. Zika Ascher was introduced to Zao Wou-Ki in 1954 when Zao Wou-Ki was just 34. The two designs represent an interesting period in Zao Wou-Ki's oeuvre as he transitions into abstractionism after his meeting with Paul Klee. In the two designs for Ascher, Paysage Bleu is representative of his later work and is a complete abstraction while Deux Colombes is highly figurative and indicative of his previous work up until this point. Both designs were executed at the same time and provide insight into the artist's transitional period.

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