Born in Beijing two years before the Cultural Revolution, known for his dream-like imagery, Chinese contemporary painter Liu Ye is inspired by his childhood love of fairytales and formative education in Europe. With a prevailing love of wonder and mystery, Liu Ye’s bold and contemplative paintings bring viewers in to a world liberated from the actual and the present.
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| Liu Ye Choir of Angels (Red) 1999 Est.: HK$20,000,000 - 40,000,000 Sold for HK$27,750,000 Courtesy of Phillips |
Choir of Angels (Red) is one of Liu Ye’s earliest paintings. Inspiration drawn from RenΓ© Magritte and Georgio de Chirico, the 'red curtain' displays the carefully balanced, methodical compositions which saw objects and scenes depicted in a realistic yet unsettling manner.
The artwork features eleven cherubic singers, which was later rendered in shades of blue and re-created into lithography by Liu Ye in the early 2000s.
The curtain is a double-edged symbol: it acts to reveal and yet its primary function is to conceal. The emotionless singing cherubs arranged neatly project a sense of order and discipline, so unusual among a group of bouncy children, that this harmonious imagery appears to be deceptive.
The artist was recently the subject of a solo exhibition at Prada Rong Zhai, Shanghai (2018 - 19), and his works are held in numerous public collections, including the Long Museum (Shanghai), M+ Sigg Collection (Hong Kong), and Today Art Museum (Beijing). The artist is represented by David Zwirner.
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