Zao Wou-Ki Wall Decorations

ZAO WOU-KI (趙無極, 1920–2013) 1. INFORMATION Artist: ZAO WOU-KI (趙無極, 1920–2013) Title: Untitled (Agerup 183) Date: 1968 Medium: Colour lithograph printed in 6 colours on BFK Rives wove paper Dimensions: Image: 43.5 X 56.0 cm Sheet: 50.0 X 65.0 cm Markings: Signed in Chinese and Pinyin and dated '68' in pencil lower right margin; numbered '82/90' in pencil lower left margin Edition: 90 numbered copies on Rives paper (plus 10 artist's proofs) Printer: Imprimerie E. & J. Desjobert, Paris Publisher: Galerie de France, Paris Catalogue Raisonné / Reference: Jørgen Ågerup, Zao Wou-Ki: The Graphic Work, A Catalogue Raisonné 1937–1995, Skørping: Heede & Moestrup, 1994, cat. no. 183, p. 108 (illustrated). 2. VISUAL & COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS Created in 1968 during the apex of Zao Wou-Ki's "Hurricane" period, Untitled (Agerup 183) exemplifies the artist’s mature command of planographic printmaking through his work with the master Parisian lithographic workshop of Edmond and Jacques Desjobert. Unlike the intaglio bite of his etchings, lithography allowed Zao to translate the fluid properties of wash (shuimo) directly onto limestone, achieving complex chromatic layering through six distinct colour separations. The composition is conceived as an asymmetric, horizontal expanse defined by a dramatic lateral convergence. The right third of the field is anchored by a dense, saturated mass of deep indigo, Prussian blue, and near-black ink marks that sheer sharply along the upper-right edge. From this vortex, a horizontal band of fractured, calligraphic gestures extends leftward across the upper-middle ground. This turbulent band divides the sheet into two atmospheric zones: a broad, light-filled foreground reminiscent of a misty river surface, and a pale, vaporous upper register. Zao's palette juxtaposes aqueous mineral tones with deep aquatic blues. Olive green, stone ochre, and mossy earth washes provide the ground across which cerulean and turquoise tints expand. The brushwork alternates between rapid, dry tusche scumbling—producing splintered, staccato marks akin to ancient bronze script or wind-whipped brushwood—and diluted washes that settle organically into the grain of the paper. Along the base of the central void, delicate, brushed ink striations suggest reflections across calm water, balancing the kinetic turbulence above. In Untitled (Agerup 183), Zao engages directly with the Southern Song dynasty canon of monumental landscape painting—specifically the "one-corner" asymmetric compositions of Ma Yuan and Xia Gui—while employing the physical scale and gestural velocity of European lyrical abstraction and American Abstract Expressionism. The void (le vide) is not merely negative space, but an active, breathing atmosphere charged with ambient light, emerging as the spatial center of gravity between competing pictorial forces. 3. PROVENANCE & AUTHENTICITY NOTE Authenticity Note: Original lithographs and prints by Zao Wou-Ki are catalogued according to Jørgen Ågerup’s definitive catalogue raisonné of the graphic work. For unique works on canvas and paper, the Zao Wou-Ki Foundation (Fondation Zao Wou-Ki, Geneva) serves as the sole certifying body for authentications, certificates, and inclusion in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of paintings. Provenance: Galerie de France, Paris (Original Publisher, 1968) Moufflet & C° – Paris Fine Arts, Saint-Ouen Literature: J. Ågerup, Zao Wou-Ki: The Graphic Work, A Catalogue Raisonné 1937–1995, Skørping, 1994, no. 183, p. 108 (another example illustrated). 4. ARTIST BIOGRAPHY ZAO WOU-KI (1920–2013): BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE Born in Beijing into a distinguished family dating back to the Song Dynasty, Zao Wou-Ki (趙無極, meaning 'ad infinitum') studied at the National School of Fine Arts in Hangzhou under Lin Fengmian...

ZAO WOU-KI (趙無極, 1920–2013) 1. INFORMATION Artist: ZAO WOU-KI (趙無極, 1920–2013) Title: Untitled (Agerup 262) Date: 1974 Medium: Etching and aquatint printed in 7 colours from 3 ...

Colour etching on Rives paper, signed and numbered 18/50. Very good condition, framed.

ZAO WOU-KI (趙無極, 1920–2013) 1. INFORMATION Artist: ZAO WOU-KI (趙無極, 1920–2013) Title: À la gloire de l'image et art poétique (Agerup 281) Date: 1976 Medium: Colour lithograph printed in 6 colours on Arches wove paper Dimensions: Image: 40.0 X 67.0 cm Sheet: 50.0 X 76.0 cm Markings: Signed in Chinese and Pinyin and dated '76' in pencil lower right margin; inscribed 'E.A.' (Épreuve d'Artiste) in pencil lower left margin Edition: 99 numbered copies on Arches paper (from the portfolio edition) 15 Hors Commerce (H.C.) proofs 15 Artist's proofs (Épreuves d'Artiste, E.A.) Aside from the numbered portfolio edition, this sheet is an artist's proof (E.A.) Printer: Atelier Bellini, Paris Publisher: Ediciones Polígrafa, Barcelona Portfolio / Context: From the illustrated portfolio À la gloire de l'image et art poétique, created in collaboration with the French writer, philosopher, and academician Roger Caillois (1913–1978), published in 1976 containing 15 original colour lithographs by Zao Wou-Ki (Ågerup 271–285). Catalogue Raisonné / Reference: Jørgen Ågerup, Zao Wou-Ki: The Graphic Work, A Catalogue Raisonné 1937–1995, Skørping: Heede & Moestrup, 1994, cat. no. 281, p. 155 (illustrated). 2. VISUAL & COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS Created in 1976 for the landmark livre d’artiste À la gloire de l'image et art poétique—a monumental collaboration between Zao Wou-Ki and French intellectual Roger Caillois—plate Agerup 281 stands as an archetype of Zao’s mid-1970s printmaking synthesis. Printed in Paris at Atelier Bellini and published by Ediciones Polígrafa in Barcelona, this six-colour lithograph captures a profound dialogues between poetry, geological formation, and cosmic turbulence. The composition unfolds across an expansive panoramic ratio organized around a dynamic diagonal surge. An atmospheric expanse of pale celadon and sea-foam green cuts across the center, acting as a luminous spatial void (le vide médian). This luminous breath of open air is compressed between two dense tectonic zones: an imposing, vaulted mass of nocturnal Prussian blue and indigo in the upper-left sky, and a terrestrial, fractured terrain of burnt sienna, umber, and ochre dominating the lower foreground. Zao's application of lithographic tusche reveals an extraordinary variety of mark-making speed and pressure: The Upper Register: Sweeping, broad-brush tusche washes create a nocturnal tempest of oceanic blue. Splatters, scraped resist marks, and dynamic streaks of white paper break through the ink, evoking atmospheric wind shears or breaking surf. The Central Axis: The focal energy condenses into an explosive, calligraphic thicket. Here, rapid, dry-brush strokes crosshatched in charcoal-black and deep ink-blue tangle with raw ochre striations, forming an archipelago of suspended matter that recalls twisted pines, mineral outcrops, or fractured mountain ridges. The Terrestrial Base: Along the lower right, broad, gestural swaths of earthy sepia and bistre curve upward in heavy, arc-like sweeps. In stark contrast, the lower-left corner settles into an aqueous, flat pool of milky turquoise, offering an optical resting point against the kinetic turbulence above. In Agerup 281, Zao reflects the shared aesthetic fascination he held with Caillois: the contemplation of "naturally occurring pictures" found in the cross-sections of agates, river stones, and ancient mineral strata. Moving fluidly between the monumental landscape tradition of the Song dynasty and the raw gestural power of European lyrical abstraction, Zao deploys the lithographic stone not to illustrate Caillois' poetry, but to create its visual parallel—a universe where light, water, and stone perpetually crystallize and dissolve. 3. PROVENANCE & AUTHENTICITY NOTE Authenticity Note: Original lithographs, etchings, and graphic works by Zao Wou-Ki are fully documented and catalogued in Jørgen Ågerup’s definitive catalogue raisonné of the graphic work. For unique paintings on canvas and paper, the Zao Wou-Ki Foundation (Fondation Zao Wou-Ki, Geneva) serves as the sole certifying authority for authentications, certificates of authenticity, and inclusion in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of paintings. Provenance: Ediciones Polígrafa, Barcelona (Original Publisher, 1976) Moufflet & C° – Paris Fine Arts, Saint-Ouen Literature: R. Caillois & Zao Wou-Ki, À la gloire de l'image et art poétique, Barcelona: Ediciones Polígrafa, 1976 (portfolio illustrated). J. Ågerup, Zao Wou-Ki: The Graphic Work, A Catalogue Raisonné 1937–1995, Skørping: Heede & Moestrup, 1994, no. 281, p. 155 (another example illustrated). 4. ARTIST BIOGRAPHY ZAO WOU-KI (1920–2013): BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE Born in Beijing into a distinguished family dating back to the Song Dynasty, Zao Wou-Ki (趙無極) studied at the National School of Fine Arts in Hangzhou under Lin Fengmian...

ZAO WOU-KI (趙無極, 1920–2013) Artist: ZAO WOU-KI (趙無極, 1920–2013) Title: Untitled (Agerup 172) Date: 1967 Medium: Etching and aquatint printed in 5 colours from 3 copper plates on Arches wove paper Dimensions: Plate: 37.5 X 53.5 cm Sheet: 56.0 X 76.0 cm Markings: Signed in Chinese and Pinyin and dated '67' in pencil lower right margin; numbered '28/75' in pencil lower left margin Edition: 75 numbered copies (plus artist's proofs) Printer: Atelier Lacourière et Frélaut, Paris Publisher: Galerie La Hune, Paris Catalogue Raisonné / Reference: Jørgen Ågerup, Zao Wou-Ki: The Graphic Work, A Catalogue Raisonné 1937–1995, Skørping: Heede & Moestrup, 1994, cat. no. 172, p. 104 (illustrated). VISUAL & COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS Conceived during Zao Wou-Ki’s mid-career period of gestural abstraction, Untitled (Agerup 172) demonstrates the artist’s mastery of intaglio printmaking, realized through his close collaboration with the master printers at Atelier Lacourière et Frélaut in Paris. The composition is structured around an asymmetric spatial polarity: a dense, tectonic mass anchoring the lower-left foreground counterbalanced by a vast, atmospheric expanse that recedes toward the upper-right quadrant. The palette relies on subtle tonal gradations achieved through multiple copper plates and layered aquatint grains. Deep aubergine, umber, and charcoal-black marks form the base of the lower quadrant, accented by mineral ochre and olive tones that structure the vertical mass on the left. Moving upward, these concentrated pigments dissolve into vaporous washes of pale rose, translucent lilac, and faint cerulean, leaving significant breathing space across the upper plane. The mark-making balances drypoint precision with calligraphic velocity. Along the lower ridge, incisions and bite marks produce a complex matrix of tangled strokes reminiscent of fractured root structures or craggy rock faces. In the center, fine, cursive striations pull horizontally across the field, mimicking wind-driven vapor or the dynamic movement of qi (vital breath). In the upper right, several autonomous, sweeping marks hover within the negative space, functioning not as descriptive elements, but as pure physical traces of tension and release. Executed in 1967, this work reflects Zao's transition beyond the rigid lin...

Zao Wou-Ki Affiche De Galerie, original vintage exhibition poster "Zao Wou-Ki (1920-2013) was a Chinese-French painter. He was a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Za...