Six Decades of t.mes
less Treasure:
15.03.60 and 07.05.60 from the Distinguished collects
ion of the Cohen Family
The 1960s witnessed the zenith of Zao Wou-Ki's "Hurricane Period," a t.mes when his fervent creative passion found expression through dynamic brushwork resembling unt.mes d calligraphy. It permeated every inch of his canvases with an exuberance that perfectly encapsulated the artist's confidence and allure. It was during this pivotal era that Zao Wou-Ki entered his golden age of international acclaim, and the works known as 15.03.60 and the 07.05.60 treasured by the Cohen Family in New York, stand as t.mes less masterpieces from this significant period. In 1960, when Zao Wou-Ki held his second solo exhibition at the Galerie de France, Paris, and it was during this t.mes that the aforementioned American collects or family visited the gallery as part of their sojourn in the city of lights.
Profoundly moved by these artworks they made the decision to acquire two of them, which have remained treasured within their family for over six decades. In particular, 15.03.60 was included in the exhibition catalogue of that year, a remarkably rare publication among Zao Wou-Ki's early works. These two paintings have resided in New York, shielded from public view throughout their existence. The unexpected presence of these remarkable pieces presents a unique opportunity for collects ors to behold the unparalleled rarity of Zao Wou-Ki's Hurricane style.
"My mother is celebrating her 95th birthday this October. I’m happy to share that she’s had a life full of good health, travel, and family. A love of art has always been at the center of her life, and our family's – not just painting but all the arts. Our home was filled with books and paintings in every room; our weekends were spent at museums, galleries, theater, concerts, dance, and opera. That is one of the great gifts our parents gave us by raising us in New York.
Recently I’ve helped my mother move from New York to California so she might be closer to our family. The move has meant downsizing her collects ion as she no longer has room for all her art in her new home. Amidst the months-long journey of sorting through what to keep and how to part with so many special things, I quite literally stumbled upon the original catalog for the Zao Wou-Ki exhibition at which my parents’ purchased the two paintings; it was among their countless art books. I recognized the artist’s work from the image on the cover. I was not familiar with his name, and knew nothing about him. But as I looked through the catalog, there – on page 14 – was a photograph of my parents’ painting; the index gave it a name: 15.03.60. I was sitting on the sofa underneath that very painting as I held open this page.
From there, an online search gave me more insight about the artist. I then reached out to the Fondation Zao Wou-Ki in Paris to learn more, and the director wrote back immediately to say they only knew of this work from the black-and-white catalog photo, and had been trying to locate it for several years. The second painting, he wrote, was only known by lists with no image. It was in their records that both had been purchased by a Mr. Cohen from New York – but, as there are thousands of people who go by Mr. Cohen in New York, they had so far no luck tracing the record to its owner. 'Thanks to you, the first one will be reproduced in color and the second one can be added to the catalogue raisonné. So thank you deeply.' I caught my breath – realizing the significance of this discovery."
Excerpt from The tale of two paintings and sixty years, as told by the Cohen family, written by the daughter of the present owner.
The beginning of the Hurricane style was closely related to Zao Wou-Ki's global travels from 1957 to 1959. In the mid-1950s, Zao Wou-Ki made his debut in the international art stage with his "Oracle Bone Series", propelling him to the forefront of the postwar abstract art movement. However, the failure of his first marriage compelled him to leave Paris and traveled around Americas and Asia. It was during this journey that Zao Wou-Ki not only personally experienced the fervent wave of postwar artistic innovation but also encountered his second wife, May, who became his lifelong muse and true love. Their union was swiftly consummated, infusing the artist with fresh perspectives and igniting a surge of creative inspiration. Upon his return to Europe, Zao Wou-Ki's spirit brimmed with the accumulated energy garnered from his transformative sojourn, propelling him into a golden age of rapid artistic progression. With a renewed vigor, he delved into the creation of a series of awe-inspiring masterpieces characterized by a wild and uninhibited cursive style. In addition to the agency relationship with the Kootz Gallery in New York, Zao Wou-Ki deepened his collaboration with Galerie de France after his return to France. Particularly with the help of gallery director Myriam Prévot, Zao held numerous solo and group exhibitions, both within France and abroad, thereby expanding his artistic platform across Europe and propelling his career to new heights. Zao Wou-Ki's painting style at this t.mes grew bolder and more unrestrained, revealing a sublime realm of creative expression. 15.03.60 and 07.05.60 stand as precious test.mes nts to this artistically significant transformative period.
The "Hurricane Period" encompassed a diverse range of compositional styles, each showcasing Zao Wou-Ki's artistic versatility. A notable example can be found in the mesmerizing piece 07.05.60, which displays a classic three-section structure. In this work, Zao Wou-Ki masterfully captures the essence of Chinese landscape painting, while also evoking the t.mes less elegance of Rothko's renowned color-field compositions. Within the confines of a limited canvas size, the artist astutely portrays a grand and awe-inspiring landscape, employing vibrant hues of golden and green.
In contrast, the composition of 15.03.60 ventures into rare and exceptional territory. Its backdrop is dominated by a rich, autumnal green, which serves as a conduit for a complex artistic conception of mountains and rivers. Delicate black and white lines gracefully ascend from left to right, intertwining like a phoenix soaring at the break of dawn, imbuing the piece with a transcendent luminosity, and imparting a message of hope for a radiant future.
Through the use of the sublime blue-jade color, Zao Wou-Ki not only perpetuates the ancient essence of archaic bronze ritual vessels prevalent during his Oracle Bone period, but also pays homage to the artistic style of the esteemed Tang dynasty painter, Li Sixun, renowned for his evocative depictions of "blue mountains and green waters." Such a painting undoubtedly merits its place as a sublime masterpiece, as it deftly expresses the boundless vitality of life and resonates with a profound sense of aesthetics.
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神隱六十載：
紐約科恩家族珍藏《15.03.60》與《07.05.60》重現於世
六〇年代是趙無極「狂草時期」的巔峰歲月，畫布處處流露創作激情，筆觸有如狂草般馳騁，展現非凡磅礡的氣勢，盡顯藝術家的自信與魅力。此時，藝術家迎來蜚聲國際的黃金時期，而紐約科恩家族珍藏之《15.03.60》與《07.05.60》，即是誕生於此重要年代的經典範例。
1960年，趙無極在巴黎法蘭西畫廊舉行第二次個展，現美國藏家家族在旅遊期間參觀畫廊，對藝術家的作品欣賞不已，因而果斷購藏兩作至今超越六十載；而《15.03.60》更被著錄於當年的展覽圖錄中，實為極為罕有的趙無極早期作品出版物。據趙無極基金會的資料顯示，兩作過往一直神隱紐約而從未公開亮相，如今驚喜現身拍場，蔚為難得一見從未釋出於市之狂草力作，珍稀無比。
「今年10月，母親即將慶祝95歲生日。萬幸家母福壽雙全，身體健康之餘曾遊歷世界，更有幸褔美滿的家庭。家母一生熱愛藝術，而這亦是我們家族的共同愛好。我們所愛的藝術不限於畫作，而是不同形式的藝術。我在紐約長大，記得當時我們家的每個房間都放滿式各樣的書本和畫作；我們每個週末都在去博物館或畫廊，或觀賞戲劇、音樂會、舞蹈或歌劇，非常充實。如此的成長環境是父母給我們的珍貴禮物。
最近，我幫助母親從紐約搬到加利福尼亞州，讓她可以住得更近其他親戚。由於新居的空間有限，放不下她所有的藏品，所以這次搬家意味著她要為藏品『斷捨離』。這次的『斷捨離』過程需時幾個月，相當漫長。我一邊篩選要留下哪些藏品，一邊為其他藏品安排去處。期間，我偶然在父母眾多的藝術書籍中發現了趙無極畫展畫冊的原版。我憑封面的圖片認出這位藝術家的畫作，但我並不熟悉他，甚至對他一無所知。但當我翻閱畫冊時，第14頁上的照片正是父母當年購買的那幅畫。索引標示其名字為《15.03.60》。當日我坐在沙發上翻看著這一頁時，沙發後掛著的正正就是這幅畫。
之後我上網搜索有關趙無極的資訊，希望對他有更深入的了解，並聯絡巴黎的趙無極基金會，欲取得更多細節。基金會負責人立刻回信道，他們只從畫冊中的黑白相片中看過這幅作品，多年來一直尋找它的下落；至於第二幅畫，基金負責人表示他們只從清單得知這幅畫作的存在，沒有相關的圖片。根據他們的記錄，來自紐約的科恩先生選購這兩幅畫，但是在紐約，姓「科恩」的人數以千計，他們一直都無法找到這位買家。『多虧你，我們才能讓第一幅畫的彩色版再現，並能將第二幅畫加入趙無極先生的作品目錄中。真的非常感謝您。』看完回信，我屏住呼吸，意識到這個發現的重要性。」
現藏家女兒《兩幅畫作、跨越六十年的故事，由科恩家族娓娓道來》節錄
此番狂草創作狂潮，與趙無極於1957至1959年的寰球遊歷密切相關：五〇年代中期，趙無極憑藉「甲骨文系列」在國際藝壇上初露光芒，成功走進全球戰後抽象熱潮的核心，但經歷過第一段婚姻的破裂，使他毅然離開巴黎，遨遊美洲和亞洲。此番行程，趙無極親身感受戰後藝術新浪潮之激盪，更讓他邂逅畢生摯愛的第二任妻子美琴，二人閃電締盟。種種嶄新經歷令他思如泉湧，重新回到歐洲時，他已養精蓄銳，直奔突飛猛進的黃金時代，譜出幅幅攝人心魄的狂草力作。除了在紐約與著名庫茲畫廊建立了代理關係，趙無極回法以後，與法蘭西畫廊的關係再度深化，尤其在畫廊總監米雅安・普雷沃的推波助瀾下，不僅舉辦多次個展及群展，更安排其到海外展覽，積極地往歐洲各地進一步拓寬藝術舞台，事業發展可謂如日中天。此時，趙無極的畫風亦更趨豪邁奔放，彰顯其創作精神已漸入昇華狀態，而來自此一來源的《15.03.60》與《07.05.60》，正是此段關鍵的歷史中的珍貴結晶。
「狂草時期」的構圖風格多變，如《07.05.60》裡所呈現的三段式構圖蔚為經典常見，不僅意取中國山水畫的廣博盛景，形式之上亦呼應羅斯科的經典色域構圖，而藝術家巧妙地將廣闊宏觀的視野濃縮於精巧的尺幅中，整作散發著金碧光芒。
而《15.03.60》的構圖則較為特殊，十分罕見，背景以秋香綠為主調，建構浩邈和撲朔的山川意境，而從左至右往上揚的細膩黑白線條相互交織，如大片靜謐之中一隻鳳凰破曉展翅騰飛，舞動出一剎超然的光輝，表達著「大鵬展翅」的美好寓意。
於此，趙無極以翠玉之色，表達源源不絕的生命之氣，不僅是延續了甲骨文時期作品源自古代青銅禮器的滄桑氣息，亦體現了唐代李思訓憑藉「青山綠水畫」而聞名於世的大將之風，蔚為昇華之作。