Li Yuan-Chia (Chinese, 1929-1994), 李元佳


Untitled 1963signed in Chinese; signed on the reverseink and oil on board, in the artist's frameBoard: 24 x 24 cm (9 7/16 x 9 7/16 in)Overall: 72 x 28 cm (28 3/8 x 11 in)This work was executed in 1963.
|ProvenanceDino Gavina Collection, ItalyAcquired from the above by the present owner李元佳無題水墨油彩木板 原畫框1963年作簽名: Li 元佳背面簽名: Li Yuan Chia來源意大利設計師Dino Gavina收藏現藏家直接購自上述收藏A pioneer of abstraction, Li Yuan-chia was a leading member of the Ton Fan group, founded by a group of artists in Taiwan, which promoted spontaneous artistic expression by incorporating Western abstraction with traditional Chinese aesthetics. In 1962, Li moved to Italy to join artist and friend Hsiao Chin's Il Punto (The Point) movement, an international group that aimed to infuse their works with spiritual and philosophical meaning. During this period, Li spent most of his time in Bologna, working under the patronage of Italian furniture designer Dino Gavina, who supported the artist's career and collected some of his most representative works. In a book published by the designer in 1998, Dino Gavina – Ultrazionale Ultramobile, he documents the friendships with several avant-garde artists, including Li Yuan-chia, Lucio Fontana, and Marcel Duchamp. It was in Bologna where Li gained international attention of galleries and collectors, mounting solo exhibitions throughout Italy and England. The present two lots, previously collected by Dino Gavina, epitomize Li's inclusive spiritual approach and lifelong experimentation of the "cosmic point." Drawing on influences from Zen Buddhist and Daoism, Li's cosmic point was a symbolic representation of the universe, of "the original and end of creation," where all things begin and end. In a 1967 article in Studio International, art critic Guy Brett mentions that "the point represents (Li), his journey in space, often solitary." To the artist, the point also served as a means of individual self-expression in an infinite universe. Juxtaposed against vast areas of negative space, the dots and circles in the present works begin as small calligraphic marks. Through Li's inclusive approach of contemplation and self-cultivation, the dots become symbolic depictions of his personal cosmology. Demonstrative of Li's minimal palette, the present two works are rendered in four distinctive colors that the artist used during his Bologna period - black, red, gold, and white - each representing a symbolic meaning. As seen in both works, black resembles origin and end, and red signifies blood and life. In lot 4, accents of gold refer to nobility, while white means purity. Heavily influenced by industrial materials and design while working with Dino Gavina, Li found himself experimenting with materials and designing wooden frames for his canvases. Rather than a component supporting the canvas, the frame is part of the artwork, acting as another vast space surrounding the cosmic point, prompting us to contemplate the existence of each dot in relation to our position among an infinite space of the universe. The present two works, mounted on original frames designed by the artist, are among the greatest examples of Li's Bologna series to appear in the market for the first time.