FINE ART ASIA 2011

Asia’s leading international art fair presenting a unique combination of Art and Antiques

3-7 October 2011, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center

FINE ART ASIA 2011 is unique, the only fair in Asia presenting a combination of Fine Art and Antiques. This year FINE ART ASIA 2011 will present its strongest ever international line-up, with 100 renowned, selected dealers from Asia, Europe and the USA.

Now in its 7th edition, FINE ART ASIA 2011 has grown in size and stature, with more participation by leading international galleries and a high level of quality of exhibits never seen before under the same roof in Hong Kong or anywhere in Asia. More than 5,000 works of art will be exhibited, with a total value of over HK$2 billion. This indicates a significant turning point in the appreciation of Western and Oriental fine art among many informed collectors in Asia.

The fair will showcase Asian and Western Art and Antiques, Fine Art Jewellery and Silver, and Modern and Contemporary Art. The outstanding array of museum-quality exhibits ranges from ancient Chinese bronzes and stone wares, Himalayan bronzes, Chinese ceramics and works of art, furniture, textiles and jades, to fine art jewellery, antique silver and exceptional Old Masters, Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary paintings and sculpture from both Asia and the West.

Impressionism and Modern Art

Robert Bowman Gallery, London, will present works by the great French sculptor, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). Rodin combined Michelangelo’s mastery of the human form with his own sense of human nature, and expressed emotion through art.

Eternal Spring (1884), in which two young nude figures meet in a passionate kiss, is a celebration of love which evokes immense emotional force and vitality. The sculpture is often associated with Rodin’s relationship with the sculptor Camille Claudel and displays a wonderfully sensuous quality of carving.

Gladwell & Company, London, will display a stunning selection of Impressionist and Modern paintings, including works by Pissarro, Sisley, Monet, Renoir, Picasso and Dali.

Five important works by Claude Monet (1840-1926) are showing his passion for the sea.

  Eglise de Varengeville, effet matinal (Varengeville Church, morning effect)

Le chemin de halage a Granville

    (Hauling way of Granville)

 Belle-Ile (Beautiful Island)

Waterhouse & Dodd, London and New York, will present an exhibition of outstanding masterpieces of Impressionist and Modern. Feuille d’etudes by Picasso, black chalk and coloured crayon on paper, is an early example of the master’s genius from 1901; while Deux baigneuses is an important example of Picasso’s neo-classical ink drawings from the 1920s.

After a decade of Cubism and its introverted thinking on the process of painting, Picasso wanted to return to a more romantic approach to art. This was a period of contentment in his life: he had recently married Olga Khokhlova and was starting to enjoy high society both on the Riviera and in Paris. This is reflected in Deux baigneuses which exudes calm, sensuality and the timelessness typical of Picasso in the 1920s.

Fine art jewellery

Siegelson, New York, will present fine and precious jewellery including The Vanderbilt Rose, a diamond brooch by Theodore Fester, Paris, circa 1855. Fester, one of the few jewellers entrusted to create the crown jewels for Napoleon III, selected the rose not only for its beauty but also for its symbolism of love.

Lucas Rarities, London specialises in jewellery from the Art Deco era and will be displaying a variety of pieces from designers including Verdura, Cartier, Boucheron, Belperron and Boivin, as well as a collection from Hollywood celebrity designer Paul Flato and one-time fiance of Coco Chanel, Paul Iribe.

Paul Iribe pieces are a stunning sapphire and pearl turban brooch which dates back to 1911 and incorporates a large carved Mughal emerald, and a diamond starburst brooch that he designed in 1932.Paul Iribe was a pioneer of the Art Deco movement and introduced Art Deco to America in the early 1900s. He and Coco Chanel were collaborators in their personal and professional lives and each piece paints a very interesting story.

Antique Silver

Koopman Rare Art, London is one of the world’s foremost dealers in fine and top quality antique silver, dealing in silver from circa 1500 to the present day. The gallery has built up some of the most important private collections of silver including the famous Mahdi AlTajir Collection and has worked closely with leading museums worldwide. 

A star exhibit will be an impressive George IV presentation vase, silver-gilt, London 1822 by the great English silversmith Philip Rundell (1746-1827), presented to Sir Henry Russell (1783-1852) 2nd Baronet in gratitude for his service in India. The sculptor Sir Henry Chantrey chose a design from Piranesi for the form of the vase; while the motifs of a tiger, elephant’s heads and a serpent tell the story that led to its presentation.

Asian and western Antiques

Mallett, London specializes in the finest furniture and works of art, including pictures, clocks and other high quality objets d'art, primarily from the 18th century and Regency periods. Mallett is exhibiting in Hong Kong for the first time and will showcase The Cannons Armchairs, a highly important and historic pair of George I gilt gesso open armchairs of grand proportions, made in circa 1716 for the Chapel at Cannons, in Middlesex.

Rossi and Rossi, London has exhibited at FINE ART ASIA since 2006, presenting the finest antique works of art from the Himalayan region. A highlight this year is an Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara, Tibet, c. 1400 AD, bronze with gilding and semi-precious stones, standing 130 cm tall. This cosmic form of Avalokitesvara with eleven towering heads and a fan of arms is strongly emblematic of Tibet. The topmost head of the statue represents Buddha Amitabha, the spiritual progenitor of the bodhisattva.

The ten heads below symbolize the steps on the path to enlightenment of the Buddha, and the principal hands held before the heart symbolically protect the ratna jewel of this enlightened state. This is one of the largest recorded early Tibetan bronzes of this iconic form of the deity. The statue has a mesmerizing effect with the piercing gaze of the silver eyes.