From Paris to New York:
The Golden Eras of Pierre Soulages and Zao Wou-Ki
Paris was the undisputed centre of the art world in the early 20th century, but after World War II, New York quickly rose to prominence and changed the course of modern art. These two artistic capitals vied for cultural dominance into the Cold War era, sparking heated international debate around whether power was changing hands between the European and American art worlds. Artists from both epicentres of modern art followed one another’s aesthetic trends. In the post-war period, the United States emerged as a geopolitical superpower, and this prompted a concerted push within the American art world to shape its own culture. They advanced ideas that challenged Parisian dominance, views that were promoted by extremely influential art critics such as Clement Greenberg and Harold Rosenberg, who elevated Jackson Pollock and American Abstract Expressionism. In the 1950s, a conception of American art was forming. In New York, it was generally presumed that the era of the École de Paris, led by Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Amedeo Modigliani, and Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita was a t.mes of yesteryear, one that had been eclipsed by the younger generation of the New York School. This did not.mes an the American art world turned away from Paris; American dealers favoured certain bright stars in Paris, including Pierre Soulages, Georges Mathieu, and Zao Wou-Ki, and these artists found success in New York because their painting styles resonated with American abstract painters of their generation. Samuel Kootz, owner of the renowned Kootz Gallery, promoted healthy competition between painters from both cities.
“My work belongs to a moment in painting that has something in common with both Paris and New York.”
Kootz had an outsized influence on the New York art scene. He worked with Robert Motherwell and other members of the new generation of American painters, as well as established artists such as Picasso and Fernand Léger. At the recommendation of James Johnson Sweeney, curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Kootz wrote to Soulages in 1953 to invite him to hold a solo show in New York. By then, Soulages’s works had been purchased by The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and The Phillips collects ion, and he received much attention from the American art world because his work had been collects ed by these major institutions at a relatively young age. Soulages held at least eight solo exhibitions curated by Kootz between 1954 and 1965. American collects ors purchased much of his work from this t.mes , including Peinture 125 x 202 cm, 30 Octobre 1958 (Lot 1034), which was shown at his 1959 solo exhibition at Kootz Gallery. Soulages broke into the New York art scene, and those with keen eyes recognised his rare talent. His career in both Europe and America in the 1950s flourished. Soulages disliked nationalism, once remarking, “A work of art is only interesting if it reaches way beyond its roots… How ridiculous it is to reduce art to its nationality.” Soulages was reluctant to be considered a member of the New School of Paris and his worldview always transcended borders – this may be what linked Soulages, Mathieu, and Zao as they effectively balanced their careers in Paris and New York.
“On our first trip to New York in 1957 we found him (Zao Wou-Ki) drowning his sorrows in whiskey. He was pitiful. He said, ‘My wife left.mes and I lost my dealer. I don’t know what to do, It’s dreadful!’ It was too much for him. Kleeman, who also represented Hartung and most German painters at the t.mes . It was after we ran into Zao Wou-Ki in New York that I recommended him to Kootz… I turned things around. He signed him, they got on very well, and he didn’t have any trouble selling his paintings.”
In writing the book “Soulages in America,” Philippe Ungar included an anecdote Soulages shared in a 2012 interview, recalling one of the artist’s early meetings with Zao Wou-Ki. Though Soulages had signed with Kootz Gallery in 1954, he only went to the United States for the first t.mes three years later. There Soulages encountered Zao, who had also arrived from Paris that year: “On our first trip to New York in 1957 we found him (Zao Wou-Ki) drowning his sorrows in whiskey. He was pitiful. He said, ‘My wife left.mes and I lost my dealer. I don’t know what to do, It’s dreadful!’ It was too much for him. Kleeman, who also represented Hartung and most German painters at the t.mes . It was after we ran into Zao Wou-Ki in New York that I recommended him to Kootz… I turned things around. He signed him, they got on very well, and he didn’t have any trouble selling his paintings.” Kleeman Gallery represented Zao Wou-Ki in the early 1950s, and the watercolour Spirits (Lot 1058), offered this season, was first sold at Kleeman Gallery. After becoming Zao’s exclusive representation in the United States, Kootz Gallery organized exhibitions for him at regular intervals, which brought the artist greater buzz and recognition in the American art scene and its top collects ions. Zao also embarked upon his Hurricane Period (1959-1972) during this t.mes . It was during a 1958 visit to Hong Kong with Pierre and Colette Soulages that Zao met May-Kan, the woman who would become second wife. The love affair inspired a new creative zeal in Zao. Encouraged by Kootz, Zao also drew inspiration from the best of American Abstract Expressionism. Supported by the tastes of American collects ors, his canvasses became larger and his style became bolder, touching off the stylistic shift from his Oracle Bone period to his Hurricane period. Zao Wou-Ki was able to break out of his rut and regain his confidence, helped along by the friendship and support of Pierre and Colette Soulages.
This season, Replica Shoes ’s is proud to present important works by these two masters from their t.mes in New York during the 1950s: Soulages’ Peinture 125 x 202 cm, 30 Octobre 1958 and Zao’s Untitled (Golden City) (Lot 1033). This is the first t.mes that the Hong Kong Modern Art Evening Sale will showcase important works by Pierre Soulages, the only post-war artist still living. Seen together, the paintings highlight the collaboration and friendship of the two great artists. In 2019, Soulages turned 100 years old. Considered a national treasure, Soulages was honoured with a major show at the Musée du Louvre that same year. Pierre Soulages is the most expensive living French artist at auction.
Right: Zao Wou-Ki, Untitled (Golden City), 1951, Oil on canvas, 88.7 x 115.7 cm (Lot 1033)
“I don’t depict. I don’t narrate. I don’t represent. I paint, I present.”
Finding Light in the Darkness:
Masterworks from Pierre Soulages’ Golden Era
In an artistic career spanning close to 80 years, Pierre Soulages has been devoted to one colour: black. Peinture 125 x 202 cm, 30 Octobre 1958 was painted at a t.mes when Soulages was coming to prominence in the New York art world. The work was first presented to the public in 1959, during his fifth solo show with Kootz Gallery in the city. In the 60 years since its debut, the work has been shown at many important exhibitions, including Soulages’s first travelling museum show in Europe, which ran from 1960 to 1961, and the more recent “Pierre Soulages: A Century” at Lévy Gorvy in New York. The painting is very much representative of Soulages’s work, and is considered one of his masterpieces from the 1950s.
Pierre Soulages was born in Rodez, in southern France, and he became fascinated with Romanesque architecture at a young age. While in school, he took an interest in archaeology because of his encounters with prehistoric wall paintings. This experience shaped his outlook at an early age and provided a rich source of inspiration. Soulages shared his international perspective with his friend Zao Wou-Ki, and both artists drew aesthetic inspiration from the remote past. Zao’s Oracle Bone period began in 1954, informed by oracle bone inscriptions made in 1000 BCE, while Soulages turned his imagination to the Grotte de Lascaux from the Stone Age. The designs painted in mineral pigments on the cave walls fascinated him. The two artists came from different backgrounds and cultures, but they shared a fascination with ancient art and incorporated these elements into their work.
In 1957, Soulages won the Grand Prize at the Tokyo Biennale. Taking advantage of the trip from New York to attend the exhibition, Soulages, his wife, and Zao Wou-Ki travelled around the world via Japan. While Soulages was in Japan, he visited many Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, and the colours in Peinture 125 x 202 cm, 30 Octobre 1958 echo the gold leaf and lacquer screens that must have impressed him in Japanese aesthetics. Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita’s Maternité (Lot 1037) and Le chapeau de sa maman (Lot 1041), and Li Huayi’s Free Mind in Peace (I) (Lot 1030), also offered at this sale, use gold leaf, representing the intersection of Eastern traditions and modern aesthetics. Soulages’s work stresses horizontal black lines, suggesting Eastern text and the Zen ink aesthetic in a way that is both sumptuous and solemn.
In advance of exhibitions, Soulages is known always to prepare very rigorously. When planning his solo show at Kootz Gallery in 1959, he had a handwritten list of artworks, along with sketches of twelve new pieces. Peinture 125 x 202 cm, 30 Octobre 1958 was one of the largest paintings in the show. Of the works presented with it, just three have been offered at international auction; one of them, Peinture 162 x 130 cm, 14 Décembre 1958, sold for €5.22 million at Replica Shoes ’s London in 2016. Offered in Hong Kong this season, Peinture 125 x 202 cm, 30 Octobre 1958 carries immense historical weight. It is a rare gem that collects ors cannot afford to miss.
LOT LIST: Lot1030, Lot 1037, Lot 1041 of HK1088 (TO BE ADDED AFTER ECAT IS LIVE)
從巴黎到紐約：
蘇拉吉與趙無極的黃金時代
二十世紀初，巴黎獨享世界藝術中心的尊崇地位，後來戰後時代的紐約迅速崛起，自此改寫了現代藝術的發展版圖。相隔著北大西洋的兩個藝術重鎮，持續於冷戰時期展開不見硝煙的文化角力，此時在國際間引起激烈辯論的，往往是有關歐洲與美國藝術界之間的權力交替，以至兩地藝術家對於美學潮流的互相追趕與批判。戰後美國晉身超級大國之列，藝術圈內對於塑造自身文化認同的需求迫切，無形間鼓吹了一些挑戰巴黎畫壇的觀點，而促成這股風氣的是一些極具影響力的藝評家與策展人，包括對傑克遜・波洛克與美國抽象表現主義推崇備至的克萊門特・格林伯格和哈羅德・羅森伯格；五〇年代，美國的本土意識日漸凌厲，他們普遍認爲以畢加索、夏加爾、莫迪利亞尼、藤田嗣治等畫家爲首之「巴黎畫派」的風華年代已去，並傾向吹捧年輕一代的「紐約畫派」，由行動繪畫奠定戰後新潮。然而這並沒有削減美國藝壇對於巴黎的關注，一些本來活躍於巴黎的藝術家，亦在此時獲得了美國畫商的青睞，包括皮耶・蘇拉吉、喬治・馬修和趙無極等，他們的繪畫風格與同輩美國抽象畫家產生了強烈的共鳴，憑藉前衛而成熟的美學理念成功闖進紐約畫壇中心，而推動兩地畫家正面交鋒的重要推手，便是赫赫有名的庫茲畫廊主理人森姆・庫茲。
「我的作品屬於一個與巴黎和紐約都有共同點的繪畫時期。」
庫茲在紐約畫壇的影響力不容小覷，曾合作的對象既有羅伯特・馬哲威爾等美國新世代抽象畫家，亦有殿堂大師級的畢加索和費爾南・雷捷等。在時任所羅門・R・古根漢美術館策展人詹姆斯・約翰森・斯威尼的引薦下，庫茲於1953年主動寫信邀請蘇拉吉在紐約舉辦個展；蘇拉吉的作品已於稍早前進入現代藝術博物館和菲利普美術館館藏，其以不到四十之齡進駐重要海外館藏而備受觸目，引起了美國藝壇的注意。在庫茲的悉心策劃下，蘇拉吉在1954至1965年間舉行了至少八場個展，藝術家在此期間所創的大部分作品也流入美國藏家手中，包括曾展出於1959年庫茲畫廊個展的《畫作 125 X 202厘米，1958年10月30日 》（拍品編號1034）。蘇拉吉以奇才的姿態闖進紐約藝壇，打破美國普遍不容易接受歐洲抽象風格的局面，名氣日益提升，除了贏得伯樂賞識，藝術家在五〇年代啟動歐美雙線發展，也因為他從來鄙視盲目擁護民族主義：「一件藝術品只有超越其文化根源，才是有趣的……將藝術還原以國籍分辨是多麼的荒謬。」蘇拉吉甚至不願意被規範為「新巴黎畫派」的一員，始終秉持著超越文化國界的世界觀——或許便是聯繫蘇拉吉、馬修和趙無極這三位能夠平衡在巴黎與紐約發展的重要線索。
「1957年，我們的第一次紐約之旅中，我們發現他（趙無極）將悲傷淹沒在威士忌中。他跟我們說：『我的太太（謝景蘭）離開了我，我失去了我的畫商。我不知道該怎麽辦，太可怕了！』對他來說，這實在是太難過了。克里曼當時代理哈同等德裔畫家。在紐約遇到趙無極後，我將他推薦給庫茲……是我扭轉了局面。庫茲簽下趙無極，他們的合作很愉快，因為賣他的畫並沒有什麽困難。」 皮耶・蘇拉吉
2012年，蘇拉吉接受法籍作家菲利普・昂加訪問（後出版為訪談錄〈蘇拉吉在美國〉），特別回憶到一段早年與趙無極相逢的軼事：雖然蘇拉吉早於1954年已與庫茲畫廊簽約，卻至1957年才首次踏足美國，更在逗留紐約期間，偶遇同年從巴黎抵達美國探望家人及遨遊散心的趙無極：「1957年，我們的第一次紐約之旅中，我們發現他（趙無極）將悲傷淹沒在威士忌中。他跟我們說：『我的太太（謝景蘭）離開了我，我失去了我的畫商。我不知道該怎麽辦，太可怕了！』對他來說，這實在是太難過了。克里曼當時代理哈同等德裔畫家。在紐約遇到趙無極後，我將他推薦給庫茲……是我扭轉了局面。庫茲簽下趙無極，他們的合作很愉快，因為賣他的畫並沒有什麽困難。」克里曼畫廊在五〇年代初代理趙無極，本季呈獻之水彩作品《士氣》（拍品編號1058）最初來源即爲克里曼。庫茲畫廊成爲趙無極在美國的獨家代理後，每年也向趙無極購藏數量可觀的作品，並定期為其策劃個展、群展與巡展等，令趙無極的知名度大增，迅速深入美國戰後藝壇以至頂尖博物館館藏，包括所羅門・R・古根漢美術館、芝加哥藝術學院及卡內基藝術博物館等。同一時間，趙無極迎來「狂草時期」（1959至1972年）的創作巔峰，一來是1958年與蘇拉吉夫婦一起到訪香港期間邂逅了第二任妻子美琴， 將趙無極從情感的低谷中拯救而出，滋潤著藝術家重新投入創作的熱情；二來則是在庫茲的推動下，趙無極盡情在美國抽象表現主義最盛行的黃金年代汲取靈感與養分，不僅畫幅因受到美國藏家的品味啓發而漸趨磅礡恢宏，畫風亦更顯豪邁奔放，觸發了從「甲骨文時期」至「狂草時期」的風格演變。依此看來，趙無極之所以能夠走出陰霾，突破早前的創作桎梏，並獲得完滿自信的精神狀態，確實有賴蘇拉吉夫婦1957至1958年在紐約與亞洲一同遊歷時的陪伴與幫助，二人的友好關係進一步昇華，縱然繪畫風格各有千秋，私下卻相知相惜數十載，至今傳為戰後藝壇佳話。
本季，蘇富比有幸同場呈獻兩位大師五〇年代闖蕩紐約畫壇之代表鉅作，分別是蘇拉吉的《畫作 125 X 202厘米，1958年10月30日 》和趙無極的《無題（黃金城市）》（拍品編號1033），而這次更是首度於香港現代藝術晚間拍賣中呈現蘇拉吉的重要作品，將為這位唯一仍然在世的戰後藝術家，重現其與亞洲同儕並肩創造歷史的壯闊篇章。2019年，蘇拉吉慶祝百歲大壽之際，巴黎羅浮宮為其舉辦大型展覽；而在國際拍賣場上，蘇拉吉更是成交額最高的在世法國藝術家，一代宗師當之無愧。
右：趙無極《無題（黃金城市）》油畫畫布， 一九五一年作，88.7 x 115.7 cm。估價：42,000,000 - 60,000,000港幣 (拍品編號 1033)
「我不描繪。我不敘述。我不代表。我畫，我呈現」
在漆黑中追逐光明：蘇拉吉黃金時期的臻絕鉅作
蘇拉吉至今近八十載的藝術生涯裡，只忠於一種顔色——黑色。在一貫簡練的構圖中，蘇拉吉認爲黑色是光線的主宰，是光線的本源，大半世紀以來，他的創作是一場在漆黑中追逐光明的接力。《畫作 125 X 202厘米，1958年10月30日 》創於蘇拉吉五〇年代在國際藝壇上嶄露頭角的重要年份，在抽象藝術浪潮席捲歐美的時代背景下，蘇拉吉純粹而懾人的抽象畫作贏得國際藝壇的喝彩。本作於1959年紐約庫茲畫廊第五次個展時首現公眾眼前，至今六十年間，參與了多場重要展覽，包括蘇拉吉1960至1961年間在歐洲舉行的首個博物館巡迴回顧展，足跡遍及德國漢諾威、比利時埃森、荷蘭海牙及瑞士蘇黎世，近年亦參與了紐約厲為閣為慶祝藝術家百歲誕辰而籌辦之〈蘇拉吉：一個世紀〉，展覽履歷精彩絕倫，可見本作極具風格代表性，堪稱蘇拉吉五〇年代最重要的鉅作之一。
《畫作 125 X 202厘米，1958年10月30日》以125 x 202厘米的特別訂製的大型畫布創作。按藝術家全集，蘇拉吉在整個五〇年代創作尺幅超過兩米的作品不過十幅，其中第一幅創作於1950年，第二、第三幅創作於1956年，當中《1956年4月14日》更由巴黎現代美術館典藏；1958年起，隨著藝術家在歐美聲名鵲起，開啟事業上首個黃金年代，他分別在1958年創作三幅及1959年創作四幅越兩米的特大油畫，時至今日，這兩年無論在學術抑或市場上，依然被視為他的巔峰時刻。在此十幅鉅作當中，本幅《畫作 125 X 202厘米，1958年10月30日》更是唯一被賦予黃金色彩之作，彰顯藝術家此時飽滿飛揚的精神狀態；此外，蘇拉吉在創作抽象作品時，往往以相近構圖反幅錘煉兩至三幅，在細節上作出調整；然而縱觀藝術家全集，本作卻是唯一以此構圖創作之油畫，更顯他創作過程酣暢淋漓、獨一無二之尊貴地位。
出生於法國南部小鎮羅德茲的蘇拉吉，自幼對歐洲中世紀羅馬式修道院的建築著迷，在蘇拉吉日後的抽象畫中，不難發現那些結實雄渾而充滿建築性的油彩肌理，是援引自羅馬式美學的元素；少年求學時，更因接觸到史前文明的原始壁畫和神秘石柱，而產生對考古學的濃厚興趣，這份早年培養的眼界與底蘊，構成了其豐富的文化涵養。蘇拉吉不僅與好友趙無極共同秉承著普世價值與國際視野，且善於從歷代美學中汲取創作靈感：趙無極在1954年展開的「甲骨文系列」，始於對公元千年前甲骨文的悉心鑽研，趙氏畫面中銳利分明的金石線條，是蛻變自出土文物上鐫刻的神秘文字；而蘇拉吉則將心思投放於石器時代違留下來的拉斯科洞窟壁畫，原始人在漆黑的洞穴裡以渾厚飽和的黑色、赭色和紅色等礦物質畫上符號圖案，簡約清麗的輪廓線條給予蘇拉吉極大啓發，本作中即可見藝術家揮動著流暢而自信的筆勢，始終如一地遵從大地原材的自然色系。無論是中國的甲骨文，或是歐洲的古洞窟壁畫，都曾淹沒於歷史的洪流之中，直至近代才重新被後人所發掘，兩位藝術家的出身各異，文化底蘊亦不盡相同，卻同樣本著一種講究的博古精神，將古代遺珍融入現代藝術創作之中，以抽象的構成喚醒遠古文明的蘊藉之美。
「我把不同線條組成巨大形狀，引起觀者注目。有一天我更從自己的畫作聯想到漢字結構。」
1957年，蘇拉吉獲頒東京雙年展的獎項，因此趁是次遠遊紐約參展後，於1958年初偕同夫人與好友趙無極展開一段途徑日本並橫跨美洲、亞洲及歐洲的環球之旅，從華盛頓、芝加哥、三藩市走到夏威夷、香港、泰國、印度，再經土耳其、希臘、意大利返回法國，完成毅行寰球壯舉。種種嶄新的文化體驗令蘇拉吉思如泉湧，當重新回到畫室時，經已養精蓄銳，直奔突飛猛進的黃金時代，譜出幅幅攝人心魄的巨幅力作。蘇拉吉到訪日本時，曾深度遊歷東京和京都的神社和佛廟，而在創於同年的《畫作 125 X 202厘米，1958年10月30日 》中，即可見其背景色調如是呼應著象徵日本桃山和江戶時代美學最高境界的金漆屏風，而同場呈獻藤田嗣治的《媽媽的禮帽》（拍品編號1041）、《聖母子像》（拍品編號1037）和李華弌的《逸意寧遠（一）》（拍品編號1030），均有將金箔用於畫面，體現東方傳統與現代美學之交匯。這次亞洲之行，給予向來對鍾情考古的蘇拉吉深入東方文明擷取靈感的難得機會，畫中展現書法痕跡的抽象構圖，從此有了更具體的理念根據，如其所自言：「我把不同線條組成巨大形狀，引起觀者注目。有一天我更從自己的畫作聯想到漢字結構。」本作中奮力橫向的墨黑線條，宛如東方文字的純粹形態，更隱隱映現禪宗美學對墨色的運用與執著，點墨成詩，兼備富麗堂皇與莊嚴空寂。
蘇拉吉向來在籌備展覽時亦親力親為，策劃的過程非常嚴謹；據文獻所記載，蘇拉吉在籌辦1959年紐約庫茲畫廊個展時，即備有一份精選展品的手繪清單，當中紀錄了十二幅新作草稿、題目和尺寸等資料，而本作更是最大尺幅的展品之一。翻查有紀錄以來的國際拍賣史，曾與本作同場出展1959年庫茲個展的作品，僅有三幅曾釋出拍場，包括2016年於倫敦蘇富比拍出5,220,000歐元高價之《畫作，162 X 130厘米，1958年12月14日》；而首十大拍賣紀錄全屬於五〇年代末、六〇年代初此一黃金時期所創，如今《畫作 125 X 202厘米，1958年10月30日 》以吸引估價現身香港，與之承載著無可比擬的歷史份量，實為慧眼藏家不容錯過之傳奇珍品。
