A Masterpiece by Lin Fengmian leads Fine Art and Collectibles Auction
With pride we present the absolute highlight of the 3-7 September, Fine Art and Collectibles auction. A masterpiece by the hands of Lin Fengmian (1900-1991). This watercolor and gouache on paper was acquired by David Ketel in China between 1959 and 1961 when he was stationed in China as the Dutch charge d’affaires.
Lin Fengmian
Lin Fengmian was one of the first Chinese artists to study in Europe. In 1919 he set sail to France where he studied at various academies including L’École National Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, learning Western drawing and painting techniques. Upon returning to China in 1925, Lin was appointed director of Beijing National Art College (precursor to the Central Academy of Fine Art). At the invitation of Cai Yuanpei, Lin founded and became the first director of the Hangzhou National Art Academy. Later he led the “New Art Movement,” and published extensive writings on Western and Chinese art.
During the Cultural Revolution Lin was forced to destroy many of his works and was imprisoned for a few years. After his release Fengmian moved to Hong Kong where he continued to paint until his death in 1991.
Among the pioneers of Chinese modern art, four men earned the title of "The Four Great Academy Presidents": Lin Fengmian, Xu Beihong, Liu Haisu, and Yan Wenliang. These artists were revered in the early Republican Era due to their effective stewardship of the Hangzhou National School of Fine Art, the Art Department of Central University, the Shanghai Academy of Arts, and the Soochow College of Art respectively.
David Ketel
David Ketel (1913, Driebergen, The Netherlands – 2006, Chesières, Zwitserland), studied sinology at Leiden University after which he became a Dutch diplomat. His diplomatic career led him to many places all over the world including the Dutch Indies, Japan, China, Korea, Australia and the United States. After WWII, Ketel was stationed at the Dutch embassy in Japan, where he worked alongside his good friend Robert van Gulik, with whom he had studied sinology in Leiden. In his memoires of ca. 1949, he writes about his work with Van Gulik and mentions that his friend was researching his book about the Ming dynasty (this is probably the publication ‘Erotic colour prints of the Ming Dynasty’ published in 1951). From 1959 to 1961, Ketel was stationed in Beijing as the Dutch charge d’affaires. During this time he followed traditional Chinese painting lessons from ‘Chu-Chefang’, a student of the master painter Qi Baishi.
Ketel’s passion for painting in the traditional Chinese style continued throughout his life, eventually leading to an exhibition of his work in Lausanne, Switzerland entitled ‘David Ketel, Robert van Gulik – Deux sinologues hollandaise dans l’Empire fleuri’, Galerie B’Art, 1989. Van Gulik and Ketel were not only friends and colleagues, but passionate collectors with a keen eye for quality. In 1961 David Ketel sold five pieces of Ming furniture to New York based art dealer Frank Caro who was the associate and successor of renowned art dealer C.T. Loo. Caro sold the furniture to Severance and Greta Milliken.
In 1964 the Millikens gifted the pieces of furniture to the Cleveland Museum of Art, where they remain to this day. Clearly Ketel amassed numerous fine works of art before leaving Beijing, but he continued collecting thereafter. During his travels after his retirement he visited various countries in the far east including Taiwan in the 1970’s. It was there that he met numerous famous painters including Zhang Daqian. It is most likely that David Ketel purchased various works of art during his later travels. In the 1979 Lausanne exhibition catalogue, he mentions that he is proud to own two works by Qi Baishi, although it is not known if these and the Lin Fengmian on offer here, were acquired during his diplomatic Beijing period (1959-1961) or his later travels.
This painting will be offered for sale during our Fine Art and Collectibles auction, which will be held from 3-7 September 2024.
