Detail: Fine Art Asia 2013, Asia’s leading international fine art fair, returns for its 9th edition from 4-7 October at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, with a Private Preview and Vernissage on 3 October. Fine Art Asia 2013 will again create a high-quality platform for the international art world, with an 8,000-square-metre exhibition space showcasing an array of museum-quality fine art from both East and West. Some 100 world-renowned galleries will display more than 6,500 stunning works of art, worth a total of over HK$2.5 billion.
Key artworks include La Seine à Bougival by Claude Monet (HK$69,434,995) and GuitarAccroché au Mur by Pablo Picasso(HK$65,922,923),presented by Gladwell & Patterson, London; an outstanding 18th century gilt bronze sculpture of the goddess Palden Lhamo, defender of Tibet, at Rossi & Rossi, London (in the region of HK$46,500,000); a 19th century French silver wine cistern by Sazikov (HK$10,000,000) offered by Koopman Rare Art, London; and a magnificent Van Cleef & Arpels brooch (HK$4,653,442) featuring an emerald originally from a diadem given by Emperor Napoleon to his wife Marie Louise, displayed by Simon Teakle, Connecticut, USA.
Fine Art Asia 2013 is staged at the peak of the important art season in Hong Kong and coincides with Sotheby’s auctions in the same venue. The fair is expected to attract over 25,000 visitors including major dealers, collectors, curators, connoisseurs and art enthusiasts from throughout Asia as well as from all over the world. On display at Fine Art Asia 2013 will be ancient Chinese bronzes, rare Himalayan, Egyptian and Islamic art, Chinese lacquer, porcelain, furniture, textiles and snuff bottles, as well as European decorative arts from the 17th to the 19th century. Visitors can discover iconic jewellery pieces by the world’s greatest designers including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany and Bulgari, and the finest antique silver from both East and West. Old Masters, Impressionist and Modern art will be a highlight, including exceptional paintings by Monet,Sisley, Picasso and sculptures by Rodin. Design and decorative arts are an important category; as are Chinese and international contemporary art.
Andy Hei, founder and co-chairman of Fine Art Asia, said: “Fine Art Asia 2013 is unique, the only fair in Asia where the link between tradition and modernity, East and West, can be viewed and appreciated under one roof. Once again this year, we are delighted to welcome leading international galleries from all over the world. Hong Kong is the centre of the art market in Asia and has established a key role in the global art market. Fine Art Asia 2013 is the 9th edition of our fair, proving that it provides the perfect platform for local and international galleries to do business in Asia at the highest level.”
“Everlasting 20th Century”, Special exhibitions at the fair
A special exhibition, “Rooted”, will focus on 20th century Chinese ink paintings and will include works by leading masters including Zao Wouki, Ma Desheng Xu Bing, Gu Gan, Chen Guangwu. The 20th century was a crucial period in the history of Chinese art, as artists embraced Western influences, combining them with Chinese tradition to produce new styles and perspectives.
Another highlight of the fair will be a solo exhibition of the Chinese realist master Ai Xuan. This will be the first time Ai Xuan has staged a solo exhibition at an art fair, and Fine Art Asia 2013 is privileged to showcase seven of the most important oil paintings from the artist’s studio (total value over HK$100 million). Ai Xuan will be present to officiate at the opening of his solo show at Fine Art Asia 2013.
A collection of fine silver by Georg Jensen, a name synonymous with excellent Danish design throughout the world, will be featured at the fair. In his early years, Jensen was influenced by Art Nouveau style which he made his own by combining the sculptor's strong, free lines with the silversmith's intuitive feel for the material. The lushly ornamented pieces of the Grape Collection, for example, are a tour de force of the Art Nouveau style.
Calvin Hui, co-chairman & director of Fine Art Asia, said, “The 20th century was a time of vibrant change and innovation in the art world, in the East and the West. With the expanding theme of ‘Everlasting 20th Century”, visitors will be also able to appreciate outstanding Western 20th century artworks including bronze sculptures by the master Auguste Rodin, paintings by the great Russian émigré artist Marc Chagall,ravishing leaded glass lamps by Tiffany; fine art jewellery by Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels; and iconic designs by French luminaries René Lalique and André Sornay.