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Lark Mason Contributes Expertise in Two New Art Publications

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(L): Appraising Art: The Definitive Guide – Volume 2, 2024; (R): The Commonality of Humans Through Art: How Art Connects Mankind Through the Ages, 2024; Courtesy Lark Mason

Lark Mason, respected art expert, appraiser, and founder/CEO of iGavel Auctions, shares his extensive expertise as a contributing author in two significant new publications: Appraising Art: The Definitive Guide – Volume 2 and The Commonality of Humans Through Art: How Art Connects Mankind Through the Ages.

In Appraising Art, Mason authored two chapters—one on Chinese art and the other on export art—offering valuable insights for both seasoned professionals and art enthusiasts alike.

In The Commonality of Humans Through Art,  an ambitious and important work conceived by Stuart Handler, he contributed a chapter titled The World Around Us, which sums up the the collector and appraiser’s perspective of the scope of their roles. Mason reflects, “As appraisers, dealers, and collectors, we grapple with the fundamental questions—what, when, why, where, and how—surrounding the creative process and the physical objects that humans prize, which we call ‘art.’ We are called upon to decipher origin, condition and originality and to ascribe values using deductive reasoning and proofs about objects which are separated from the creating culture, person, or enterprise. Our expertise spans historical context, materials, purpose, originality, rarity, and market value, all while navigating the desire and yearning as we determine what to collect and where to find it. The Commonality of Humans Through Art goes beyond these technicalities, delving into the very essence of why we create and why we are drawn to the creations of others.”

To learn more about Appraising Art: The Definitive Guide – Volume 2 and preorder a copy, click here.

To learn more about The Commonality of Humans Through Art: How Art Connects Mankind Through the Ages and order a copy, click here.

 

 

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Thomsen Gallery and Carlton Rochell to Participate in Frieze Masters

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Courtesy Frieze

Frieze Masters
October 9 – 13, 2024
Regent’s Park, London 

Thomsen Gallery and Carlton Rochell Asian Art are pleased to be participating in this year’s Frieze Masters from October 9 through 13. Frieze Masters offers a unique contemporary perspective on thousands of years of art history, from collectible objects to significant masterpieces from the ancient era and Old Masters to the late 20th century. The fair takes place in The Regent’s Park in the heart of London, in an elegant, contemporary environment designed by renowned architect Annabelle Selldorf.

They look forward to welcoming you to their stands in London soon! Until then, learn more about their available works below.

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Hirai Baisen (1889-1969), Pine Saplings and Wagtail, circa 1930, Japan, pair of two-panel folding screens; mineral pigments and shell powder on paper with gold leaf, size each screen: 67¼ x 70¼ in. (171 x 178.5 cm); Courtesy Thomsen Gallery

Thomsen Gallery
Stand C06

Thomsen Gallery is excited to return to Frieze Masters, showcasing exceptional 20th-century Japanese art, with a special emphasis on works from the Taisho and early Showa periods (1910-1940), including this outstanding pair of two-panel folding screens by renowned painter Hirai Baisen.

To learn more, click here.

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Mohra of Shiva, North India, Himachal Pradesh, 6th/7th c., brass, H:7½ in. (19 cm), Courtesy Carlton Rochell Asian Art

Carlton Rochell Asian Art
Stand D-5

Carlton Rochell is pleased to showcase exceptional works from India and the Himalayas, including this exquisite brass relief depicting the Hindu god Shiva. Dating back to the 6th-7th centuries, the face of the Mohra of Shiva bears the marks of time, softened by the repeated use of ritual unguents. This mask was featured in the exhibition “Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure” at the Art Institute of Chicago (April 5–August 17, 2003), followed by its display at the Smithsonian Institution (October 18, 2003–January 11, 2004). It is also published in the Art Institute of Chicago’s exhibition catalogue, Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure (2003), cat. no. 53.

To learn more about this work and others, click here.

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Ikuro Yagi: Grand Nature Opens Soon at Ippodo Gallery

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Ikuro Yagi⁠, Mt. Fuji, 2004⁠, washi paper, panel board, adhesive paste, sumi ink, gold leaf, h:89 3/8 x w:171 1/4 in⁠. (h:227 x w:435 cm)

Ikuro Yagi: Grand Nature
October 10 – November 22, 2024
Opening reception with Artist: October 10, 6–8pm
Kindly RSVP: [email protected] or (212) 967-4899

Ippodo Gallery is delighted to present the U.S. debut exhibition of Japanese painter Ikuro Yagi, opening Thursday, October 10th. Spanning works from 1984 to 2009, Yagi debuts some of the greatest masterpieces created in his long career. This collection features over 15 painted and collaged pieces on Japanese washi paper, wood panels, and canvas, all expressing a universal dialogue between nature and urban life in Japan through the visual mediums of sumi ink and nihonga. The permeating theme of Yagi’s paintings is the unspoken healing effect of nature on the human soul; a gentle reminder that endless kindness is at the fingertips. The artist will travel to New York from Japan for an opening reception commemorating his first solo show in the U.S.

“Sumi ink is not simply carbon; infusion into the washi paper grants us a sense of holding a piece of nature. Perhaps it is the same sort of sensation as strolling amidst the trees.” Ikuro Yagi (b. 1955) maintains his innovative nihonga painting practice from his home in Shizuoka Prefecture where his roots have long been set. Mount Fuji resides in Shizuoka, and Yagi sees no barrier between man-made spaces and the grand presence of nature which he depicts so prominently. His education brought him to Paris following study under nihonga master Matazo Kayama at Tama Art University and western-style painter Koji Kinutani. The French influence invigorated his approach to nihonga styles, the medium through which he began to depict all sorts of material culture. His vivid paintings of sea creatures, flowers in bloom, and all other sorts of wilderness draw on decorative traditions that defined nihonga painting in the era of ornate interiors during the Edo period (1603-1868).

To learn more and RSVP, click here.

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Farewell Events at the Rubin all Weekend

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Photo by Filip Wolak, Courtesy the Rubin

This Sunday, October 6, the Rubin will close the building at 150 West 17th Street and adopt a new global museum model. They aim to redefine what it means to be a museum through an innovative and borderless program of partnerships, exhibitions, and digital initiatives, as well as grants, collection sharing, and research.

From Thursday, October 3, through Sunday, October 6, they invite you to join them at the Museum to celebrate 20 years of exhibitions and programming in their New York City space and toast their future as a museum without walls!

Don’t miss your last chance to visit the galleries at 150 West 17th Street—admission is free all weekend long!

FAREWELL EVENTS:

17th Street Farewell Weekend
Thursday, Oct 3 – Sunday, Oct 6, 2024
11am-5pm
Free Admission (reserve tickets here)

17th Street Farewell Party with Cocktails, DJ & More
Friday, Oct 4, 2024
6-10pm
Tickets Sold Out; Limited tickets will be available onsite on a first-come, first-served basis

17th Street Farewell Ceremony Flag Project 2024
Sunday, Oct 6, 2024
5-5:30pm
Free Event Outdoors in Front of Building, No Reservation Required

To learn more about these final programs, click here.

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GALLERY SPOTLIGHT: Fu Qiumeng Fine Art

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Installation view, Transcultural Dialogues: The Journey of East Asian Art to the West, Fu Qiumeng Fine Art

We are delighted to feature New York-based Fu Qiumeng Fine Art in this week’s Gallery Spotlight. Founded in 2016 by Fu Qiumeng, this namesake gallery works at the intersection of East and West, contemporary and traditional. They are committed to exploring the visual and geographic globalization of contemporary Asian art, while documenting works that reflect classical Asian philosophy, aesthetics, and culture.

Through scholarly exhibitions, in-depth interviews, critical analysis, and forums for intellectual exchange, FQM has earned a reputation as a respected educational venue, where visual pleasure is intertwined with intellectual rigor. Set against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving contemporary art scene, the gallery’s program emphasizes the wide-reaching impact of globalization, while also exploring transnational and diaspora experiences.

A prime example is their current group exhibition, Transcultural Dialogues: The Journey of East Asian Art to the West, which examines the artistic evolution of East Asian traditions as they spread to the Western art milieu. On view through October 19th, the exhibit showcases the captivating exchange and interaction of visual language and conceptual frameworks between traditional ink art and modern American art.  Primarily focused on Chinese art, the show spans from the early 17th through the 20th centuries and into contemporary times, highlighting the early modernity and abstract quality of traditional ink masters alongside the reinterpretation of literati painting by diasporic Chinese artists who engaged with American Abstract Expressionism and explored notions of abstraction.

Don’t miss the opportunity to experience these masterful works by artists who bridge the gap between tradition and the present, offering reflections on identity, cultural exchange, and the ongoing dialogue between East and West.

To learn more about this exhibit, click here.

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Carlton Rochell Asian Art Participating in Fine Art Asia

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Manjushri Siddhaikavira, Northeastern India, Bihar Pala Dynasty, 9th century, copper alloy with silver inlay, height: 7 in. (18 cm)

Fine Art Asia
October 4 – 7, 2024
VIP Preview: Thursday October 3 (by invitation only)
Booth A6/A10
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center

Carlton Rochell Asian Art is pleased to collaborate once again this year with Rossi & Rossi to present Masterworks from the Himalayas, an exhibition of over 30 sculptures, paintings, and ritual objects from Tibet, Nepal, and India drawn from private collections in Asia, Europe, and the United States, many of which have not been available to collectors in decades. Several of the pieces have been included in major museum exhibitions and published in important books and articles on Asian art.

Fine Art Asia is recognized by the international art world as Asia’s leading fine art fair. On show are museum-quality art works spanning over 5,000 years of cultural history, from ancient Chinese bronzes through to contemporary art. Since its inception in 2006, Fine Art Asia has attracted an increasing number of renowned international galleries. The fair coincides with major fine art auctions held in the same venue and attracts a high-profile, sophisticated audience of dealers, collectors, curators, connoisseurs, and art lovers from all over the world.

They look forward to welcoming you to their booth A6/A10 in Hong Kong soon!

To learn more and preview their works, click here.

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Final Week of Expanding Earth: New Works by Yukiya Izumita at Ippodo Gallery

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Installation view of Expanding Earth: New Works by Yukiya Izumita at Ippodo Gallery

Expanding Earth: New Works by Yukiya Izumita
Closing Thursday, October 3, 2024
32 East 67th St, 3rd Fl, NYC

This the final week to experience Expanding Earth: New Works by Yukiya Izumita, featuring 40 of the artist’s latest creations, including laminate-layered sculptures, flat-folded vases, and tea bowls at Ippodo Gallery.

From his studio in Iwate Prefecture in Japan’s north-east Tohoku region, Izumita hand-collects coastal clay and driftwood, incorporating materials washed ashore into his art. The sea-soaked elements add a rustic, salt-fired quality to his works, which are coated in rare manganese glaze. His sculptures achieve a delicate, weightless appearance, despite being made from heavy clay, shaped with precision on paper sheets. By blending salt-rich clay with Chamotte, he mimics the rugged textures and colors of Iwate’s coastal cliffs, evoking the passage of time.⁠ Izumita’s unseen sceneries of earthen formations demonstrate his capacity to push the physical constraints of hand-built ceramic and miraculously defy the laws of gravity withstanding the intensity of the anagama tunnel-kiln fire.

Izumita’s ceramics are held in the permeant collections of world-class collections including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Yale University Art Gallery, and Minneapolis Institute of Art. In Japan, Izumita is the recipient of accolades including the Excellence Award at the 20th Biennial Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition in 2009 and the Asahi Ceramic Exhibition Grand Prix in 2000 and 2002.

Ippodo Gallery and Yukiya Izumita welcome a collaboration with Bronze Craft Foundry to cast a limited edition of sculptures from the artist’s original ceramic forms, which will also be included in the exhibition.

Don’t miss the chance to see these marvelous sculptures in person before the exhibition closes on Thursday, October 3rd!

To learn more, click here.

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Chinese and Other Asian Works of Art Auction at iGavel

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Large Chinese Imperial Yellow Ground Nine Dragon Brocaded Silk Panel, overall: 94 x 59 1/2 in., Qing Dynasty ASW2T ASW2H, Lot: 6863817, (Estimate: $20,000-40,000), Chinese and Other Asian Works of Art, Oct 1-15, 2024

Chinese and Other Asian Works of Art
Presented by: Lark Mason Associates
Online Auction: October 1–15, 2024

Lark Mason Associates is delighted to announce that over 300 lots of Chinese and other works of Asian art treasures is open for bidding from October 1st through the 15th on iGavelAuctions.com.

One of the standout lots is this Rare Large Chinese Imperial Yellow Ground Nine Dragon Brocaded Silk Panel from the Qing Dynasty estimated between $20,000-40,000.  The nine dragons speak to imperial authority and this yellow color was reserved exclusively for the emperor. Tapestries of this type, large and impressive, were hung throughout the Forbidden City. An important factor in the history and use of the banner offered here is the padding. This indicates that this banner was likely used during the winter months.

Among the other highlights are a set of Eight Korean Painted Panels, late Joseon Dynasty (Estimate: $20,000-30,000), a Chinese Formal Court Robe, Chaofu, Qing Dynasty (Estimate: $10,000-15,000), a Chinese Gilt Lacquer Seated Lohan, and a set of five Qing Dynasty Cafe-au-Lait Triple Gourd Form Vases, Kangxi Period (Estimate: $5,000-8,000).

Other treasures include an Eight-Panel Japanese Flower Screen, Rimpa School, 17th/ 18th century (Estimate: $12,000-18,000), a Chinese Carved Pale Celadon Jade Archaistic Covered Vessel, Tulu, Qing Dynasty (Estimate: $4,000-6,000), a Chinese Gilt Bronze Figure of Guanyin, Ming Dyansty (Estimate: $4,000-6,000), and a Chinese Underglaze Blue Painted Porcelain Landscape Bowl, 17th/18th century (Estimate: $3,000-5,000).

Says Lark Mason: “This is a solid, highly appealing sale which offers a wide range of significant Asian works that span centuries and traditions at reasonable estimates. It’s a great opportunity for collectors, and we look forward to connecting Asian art enthusiasts with these extraordinary objects.”

To learn more and prepare for bidding, click here.

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Onishi Gallery Celebrates New Space with Two Premier Exhibitions

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Keiji Onihira (b. 1973), Box with Design in Raised Maki-e, “Soaring Aurora”, 2020, dry lacquer and wood (base), gold-silver alloy, gold, abalone shell, South Sea abalone shell, tamamushi (jewel beetle), and pigment, 8 1/2  × 10 7/16  × 5 3/4 in. (21.7 × 26.4 × 14.5 cm)

The Spirit of Noto: Urushi Artists of Wajima and Waves of Resilience
Opening Reception: Tuesday, October 1, 6-8pm

October 1 – 25, 2024
16 E 79th Street, NYC

Onishi Gallery is excited to announce the opening of their new 1,200-square-foot location in the historic Sidney Ripley mansion, a Neo-Georgian building designed by Warren and Wetmore in 1905, situated on the Upper East Side. To celebrate the occasion, two concurrent exhibitions—The Spirit of Noto: Urushi Artists of Wajima and Waves of Resilience—will open with an evening reception on October 1st!

These exhibitions are presented in partnership with KOGEI USA, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Japanese art internationally. Additionally, in collaboration with the Wajima Lacquer in New York Executive Committee, the exhibitions will support earthquake recovery efforts in the Noto Peninsula, a historic center of high-quality lacquer production.

Curated by owner Nana Onishi, The Spirit of Noto: Urushi Artists of Wajima highlights three Living National Treasures—Yamagishi Kazuo, Komori Kunie, and Mae Fumio—alongside fourteen other artists, Ebata Toshio, Ebata Hiroyuki, Mizushiri Kota, Mizushiri Satomi, Mizushiri Seiho, Nakamuro Sōichirō, Ōkado Yūji, Onihira Keiji, Sakamoto, Yasunori, Sakashita Yoshiharu, Shiota Junji, Suzutani Toyoshi, Teranishi Shōta, and Urade Katsuhiko, all working with urushi, the sap of the Japanese lacquer tree.

Waves of Resilience features luxury tableware designed, curated, and directed by New York-based interior designer Melissa Bowers, in partnership with Senshudo, a renowned Wajima lacquerware company.  The eleven-piece luxury tabletop collection reflects Japan’s seas, skies, and journeys of healing, using the traditional art of lacquer to reflect the normally tranquil beauty of the earthquake-affected local landscape and the strength of its people. Featuring an incense holder, trays, cup, vase, and other vessels, it merges classical techniques with contemporary aesthetics.

For an exclusive preview, visit their online viewing room by clicking here.

To view their online catalog, click here and for more information, click here.

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GALLERY SPOTLIGHT: HK Art and Antiques, LLC

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Myong Hi Kim, Butterfly Boy, 2006, oil pastel on chalkboard, 20.4 x 14.1 in. (52 x 36cm)

We are excited to resume our weekly Gallery Spotlight posts following a dynamic Asia Week this autumn, where our AWNY members showcased a captivating array of exhibitions, auction sales, and events, marking a vibrant start to New York’s fall Asian art season.

This week’s focus is on the highly respected HK Art and Antiques, LLC.  Based in New York since 2015, the gallery is one of the foremost sources of fine Korean art. Under the leadership of Director Heakyum Kim, HK Art and Antiques presents an exceptional and diverse range of exhibitions, from traditional artworks and ceramics to modern and contemporary paintings and sculptures.

Their latest show, Autumn Group Exhibition, opens this Friday, September 27th and will feature selected works by renowned contemporary Korean artists, including Yong-Ik Cho, Ouhi Cha, Sooyeon Hong, Myong Hi Kim, Su Kwak, Tchah Sub Kim, Elizabeth Keith, Geejo Lee, and Bohnchang Koo.

One of the highlights is Butterfly Boy, an oil pastel on chalkboard work by Myong Hi Kim.  Born in Seoul in 1949, Kim currently splits her time between New York and an abandoned schoolhouse in a tiny mountain village in Kangwon Province, South Korea. Her paintings on chalkboards are symbolist portraits and often fuse the Korean people’s nomadic history and her own experiences with keen insight on issues of displacement and migration both voluntary and forced. Observing the trajectory of Kim’s life with the figures in her paintings, art critic Eleanor Heartney notes: “But despite Kim’s awareness of the toll exacted by time and history, her ultimate message is one of hope…. Similarly, the figures in her paintings, however much burdened by outside forces, remain resilient and unbowed.”

Be sure to view this work and others through October 16th!

To learn more, click here.

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