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 René 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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