Secret is in the numbers for sculptor
The star lot of the sale is Eight, a monumental red and violet aluminium sculpture, measuring over 1.8 metres in height, by the American master painter, sculptor and printmaker Robert Indiana (born in 1928) (estimate: HK$3.8 million to HK$4.5 million). Indiana is widely recognised as a seminal figure in the Pop Art movement. He became famous in the 1960s for his simple, bold paintings and sculptures that incorporate graphic numbers and letters, and especially for his Love pieces. A Love sculpture now graces two of the most prominent developments in Asia: Shinjuku I-Land Tower in Tokyo, and Taipei 101 in Taipei.
In 1980-1982, Indiana created Numbers 0-9, an outdoor sculpture composed of two-metre high, brightly painted numerical digits, now displayed at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. In 2002, he made an aluminium sculpture for the lobby of Taipei 101 entitled 1-0, in which he used multicoloured numbers to suggest the conduct of world trade and the patterns of human life. He has always been fascinated by numbers which have featured among his most important works.
A mixed media work, Untitled 3, by Donald Judd (1928-1994) is another highlight (estimate: HK$13 million to HK$17 million). Judd began his career as a painter in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when Abstract Expressionism was at its height in New York. However, he believed that art should not represent anything; it should stand on its own. He therefore started making simple cubes or other geometric units that stand on the floor or are cantilevered from the wall, often in stacks or horizontal progressions. The present lot is an outstanding example of his work.
Le Bouquet by Marc Chagall (1887-1985) is a masterpiece by the Russian Jewish artist which has never before appeared at auction (estimate on request). Although he was influenced by certain aspects of modern art movements, including Cubism, Fauvism and Surrealism, Chagall's style remained highly imaginative and personal. Above all, his work is rich in the imagery of the folklore of his native Russia and Jewish life, and often takes on the appearance of a dream-like fantasy.
Le Bouquet has the composition of a still-life painting, but with the addition of the lovers and the city, the work assumes a fantasy-like time and space. The flowers are symbolic of Chagall's all-time theme of love. Painted in 1982, three years before his death, the work displays the maturity of old age and expresses his deep emotion.
Blo-Void 1 by Ron Arad (born in 1951), one of the most respected and influential designers working today (estimate HK$800,000 to HK$1.2 million). This is the first time that a work by Arad has appeared at auction in Asia. Born in Tel Aviv and trained as an architect, Arad made his name in London in the early 1980s as a designer and maker of sculptural furniture. He believed there was no reason why the design of a chair should not be influenced by Picasso, or make use of new technology. Arad developed all kinds of materials and processes. Blo-Void 1 is a typically fluid and sensuous sculpture.