LOT 30
LUIS CHAN
B. Hong Kong, 1905 – 1995
Untitled, 1987
Watercolour on paper
20 x 26 cm
Private Collection, United Kingdom
Signed and dated “Luis Chan, 1987” on lower left
RM 2,500 – 5,000
Luis Chan began painting in Hong Kong in the late 1920s, using techniques of English landscape watercolour painting. His style evolved as the city went through a half century of dramatic change. By the 1960s his paintings had become dreamscapes using a psychedelic vocabulary to portray the subconscious life of the city and the psyche of the post-war generation. Among those artists born in the twilight of the Qing Dynasty, such as Lin Fengmian and Xu Beihong, who also pursued Western style art, no one resonated more intimately with our time and place in history than Luis Chan. Throughout his long and prolific career, Luis Chan created a body of works that ranged from surreal Chinese ink landscapes and fantastical portraits, to graphic collage and bold experimentations reminiscent of “action” painting. From his first solo debut exhibition in 1935 until his final show in 1993 at the age of 89, Luis Chan presented 47 solo exhibitions.