Highlights from Fine Art Asia 2011

Fine Art Asia 2011, which returns to Hong Kong with its seventh edition, started yesterday and will run until October 7. More than 5,000 pieces of art with a total value of HK$2 billion are exhibited during the show. Asia Tatler selects some of the most exquisite pieces from this year’s exhibition.

Asian and Western Antiques
 

Gathering an amazing range of quality antiques from around the world, the show debuts some fascinating pieces that are visiting Hong Kong for the very first time. For example, presented by Rossi and Rossi London is an eleven-headed Avalokiteśvara from Tibet, made in 1400 AD. This antique is made from bronze with gilding and semi-precious stones, this cosmic form of the Avalokiteśvara with eleven towering heads and a fan of arms is a strong emblem of Tibet. The head of the piece presents Buddha Amitabha, the spiritual progenitor of the bodhisattva, while the ten heads below symbolise the steps on the path to the enlightenment of Buddha and the principle hands held before the heart protects the ratna (jewel) of this enlightened state. This masterpiece is one of the largest recorded early Tibetan bronze statues in such a form and has an estimate price of HK$55million.

Other pieces would include an extremely rare set of twelve carved walnut dining chairs, 1740 (left) and a magnificent Tiffany Hydrangea floor lamp,1905 (right) made from bronze and glass, that once belonged to King George II.

Impressionist and Modern Art
 

Le Chemin de Halage à Granval, 1883 by Claude Monet
 

Top galleries from around the world are gathered to offer a rare opportunity for dealers and connoisseurs to appreciate the unique qualities in modern art, and in particular impressionist works.

Click here to read about art auctioneer Tobias Meyer and his exquisite personal art collection.

Among the selection is the Le Chemin de Halage à Granval, painted by Claude Monet in 1883. Shown for the first time in Hong Kong and with an estimate price of HK$62 million, this masterpiece is one of the earliest paintings that Monet finished after moving to his home at Giverny (a village 80km west from Paris). Other pieces from Monet from the 1880s which will also be at the fair includes Eglise de Varengeville, effet matinal and Belle-Ile and Aiguille d’Etretat, pieces which illustrate Monet’s extraordinary ability to capture the sensations of nature and his passion for the sea.

 Eglise de Varengeville, effet matinal 1882 by Claude Monet
 

Another highlight would be Deux Baigneuses by Pablo Picasso. This masterpiece is an important example of Picasso’s neo-classical ink drawings from the 1920s. During this period, the artist wanted to return to a more romantic approach to art and it was also a period of contentment in his life after his marriage with Olga Khokhlova. This positive streak is reflected in the calmness and sensuality that can be found in the artwork, which also are typical characteristics of the Picasso’s works painted from the 1920s.
 

Deux Baigneuses by Pablo Picasso
 

Fine Art Jewellery and Antique Silver
 

Last but not least, delicate pieces of fine art jewellery and antique silver with exquisite value can also be found in the show. Elegant and sophisticated, the aquamarine and ruby belt with a buckle necklace is exhibited by Siegelson, New York and is also shown in Hong Kong for the very first time.

Click here read about Simon de Pury as he talks about his life as an auctioneer.

Designed by Fulco, Duke of Verdura in 1935, a jeweller to stars and celebrities whose clients include Hollywood actresses Joan Crawford and Vivien Leigh, and leading men such as Douglas Fairbanks, Laurence Olivier and Orson Welles. This jewellery piece was made for Paul Flato, and later composer and songwriter Cole Porter bought this necklace for his wife, where back then, it was priced at HK$19.5 million.

Sophisticated pieces from our local jewellery designer, Kai-Yin Lo, are also exhibited in the show. Taking the iconic forms of Chinese antiquity, such as infinity knots and Buddhist symbols, Lo has reinvented them into contemporary and highly wearable fine art jewellery, and is made with baroque pearls, corals and precious stones.