No way, this was reported in HK years ago and in Overseas Chinese press
ggg
BY TANYANIKA SAMUELS and HELEN PETERSON
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
John Ackerman and son, Michael, at West Side home.
A wealthy Manhattan real estate broker claims his wife turned tricks in
their apartment - and poured his dough into a Hong Kong brothel.
Adding insult to injury, John Ackerman charges in divorce papers that
Annie Yau taught their 4-year-old son to address him in what he thought
were Chinese endearments.
Later, Ackerman learned his son was calling him a "f------ jerk" and
telling him, "You are stupid because your wife is sleeping with other men."
Ackerman, 48, said that when he confronted Yau, she thought it was all
"very funny," according to court papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.
"I really don't know who this woman is anymore," Ackerman told the Daily
News last night.
Yau, 30, a Chinese antiques dealer who now lives in Queens, and Ackerman
were married in 2001, two months after meeting in Hong Kong. He said her
friends later told him Yau married him only to get a green card.
Ackerman set up his wife in the Annie Yau Gallery on the upper West
Side, but said the relationship quickly soured.
He claims in the court papers his wife "engaged in prostitution" in the
"marital home" from 2002 to April 2004 while he was at work.
Yau used $1 million of Ackerman's money to buy an apartment, buy cheap
antiques and "to invest in or purchase" a brothel in Hong Kong, the
papers state.
Ackerman claims the slightly built woman roughed him up when he balked
at giving her more money - and threatened he would never see their son
again. She and her lawyer declined to comment yesterday.
"The good thing is that I have a wonderful, beautiful son out of all
this," Ackerman said. "The sad thing is that he is caught up in the
middle of this."
Originally published on March 31, 2006
ggg
YEARS ago that this guy was after the the Chinese heirlooms. Her father
is a respected antiques dealer in Hong Kong who was entrusted with the
Mainland's precious antiques. Her reaction to this tabloid report is to
calmly accept that of course, this divorce will be ugly. I tried to
google this story years ago for an English version because his tactics
were so nasty but there was nothing on it and now instead we get this.
It's so interesting that in NYC, if you are Chinese and female, you can
be subjected to the Suzy Wong "defense" attack. WOW!!!
ggg
This picture isn't better than a thousand words:
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/61774.htm
'CHINESE MOB' GAL SLAMS 'ART THIEF' HUBBY
By LUKAS I. ALPERT
SPLIT HAPPENS: John Ackerman and his estranged wife, Annie Yau, outside
Manhattan court yesterday. "People say the ugliest things," she said.
Photo: New York Post SPLIT HAPPENS: John Ackerman and his estranged
wife, Annie Yau, outside Manhattan court yesterday. "People say the
ugliest things," she said.
March 31, 2006 -- WILD TALES FLY IN DIVORCE BATTLE
A bitter divorce case swirling with international intrigue and
allegations of attempted art theft and Chinese Mafia involvement reared
its ugly head in a Manhattan court yesterday.
According to John Ackerman, 48, his estranged wife, Annie Yau,
squirreled away $1.2 million he gave for her to build up a Chinese-art
business, investing some into a Hong Kong brothel and funneling the rest
into property and her parents' bank account.
She had incessant affairs during their two-year marriage, the
millionaire real-estate broker said - and even taught their toddler son
to call him "Wang Ba Dan," Chinese for cuckold or "son of a bitch."
Ackerman claims Yau, 30, said she would run off to China with their son
and threatened to call friends connected to Chinese gangsters who could
make "things would happen to him," according to papers filed in
Manhattan Supreme Court.
Yau insists the accusations are lies.
"All of these things are untrue. It's a divorce case - people say the
ugliest things," the petite Yau told The Post after an acrimonious
custody hearing before Justice Joan Lobis, where she just glowered at
her estranged hubby.
Yau said the nastiness stems from the purchase of ancient Chinese art
the couple made at Sotheby's in 2004 on behalf of the Chinese government.
After the sale - for which Ackerman fronted the money - she said he
tried to keep the art. When she refused, she says, he filed for divorce
in order to keep the artifacts for himself.
Lobis sided with Yau and the pieces were sent to the National Museum in
Beijing. That's when things got truly nasty, Yau says.
"My husband was trying to steal them and he didn't succeed, and now he
wants revenge," she said.
But Ackerman says his wife and her family - prominent art dealers in
Hong Kong - conned him after they met there in 2001 and married six
weeks later.
"I was very attracted to her, I thought she was attracted to me," he
said. "But it was all a set-up. She was just a very savvy businesswoman,
extremely charming. She could charm the shirt off your back, and she has
- to me at least."
He says she is an unfit mother who has beaten their now-4-year-old son,
Michael, an allegation she denies.
The situation is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon, said Ackerman's
lawyer, Harvey Sladkus.
He pointed to the fact that Yau hired divorce attorney William Beslow -
who has represented high-profile clients such as Mia Farrow, Patricia
Duff and Marla Maples, and has a reputation for not settling. Beslow
declined comment.
Sladkus said his client is ready to fight it out, and "just wants to
make sure his son is protected."
ggg
back
THERE WAS no time or space in my March-April 2002 Editorial to include a
review of the San Francisco Arts of Pacific Asia Show, which my son
Robin and I attended from February 1st to 3rd, 2002. Held at the Fort
Mason Center, Festival Pavilion, the show organised by husband and wife
team Bill Caskey and Elizabeth Lees, is now recognised as one of the
most important events in the West Coast of America for dealers and
collectors of Asian art and antiques.
Bill Caskey and Elizabeth Lees
For the sixth consecutive year since its inception Arts of Asia has
supported the show, which also has the backing of the San Francisco
Asian Art Museum. Next year the museum will be relocating to its new
home at Civic Center with the official opening ceremony scheduled for
January 21st, 2003.
Once again in support of the Arts of Pacific Asia Show I am pleased to
publish Robin's photographs of the gala preview opening (1).
Gala Preview Co-Chairs Diana K. Chace, Gorretti Lo Lui and Joan Lee Vinson.
It was a very lively evening on January 31st, from 6 to 10 pm, of fun,
food and entertainment excellently organised by Gala Preview Co-Chairs
Diana K. Chace, Gorretti Lo Lui and Joan Lee Vinson. Joan worked
especially hard this year and she was very pleased that approximately
US$300,000 was raised benefitting the Education Programs of the Asian
Art Museum-Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture. The preview
sponsored by JPMorgan Chase was very well attended. Guests enjoyed
themselves viewing the diverse works of art in the seventy-eight dealer
booths.
Ursula Ralph, Joan Vinson, Nora Nordan and Richard Ralph
When I asked Joan for her comments she said "the show was even better
than last year. I think the entrance with the Chinese pottery horse
theme for the Chinese New Year gives a feeling of an Asian art show and
is an improvement on the previous two years. Visitors said this year's
show has surpassed their expectations. They only had positive things to
say about the opening night party where one thousand attended. Several
dealers also did well. Sandra Whitman sold two major carpets and Linda
Wrigglesworth sold an important textile. Tai Gallery was very pleased to
sell a Japanese bamboo basket to the Asian Art Museum as well as a
wedding skirt and batik from Indonesia. Thomas Murray also sold a Ming
dynasty Chinese Buddha."
Clarine Vinson, Glenn Vinson, Yuan Yuan Tan and George Chen
Joan, whose husband Glenn Vinson is a Trustee of the Asian Art Museum,
believes the museum should be supported: "That is why I want to work
hard to raise money as the museum requires funds for their educational
programs."
Exhibitors noticed that for the first time many Chinese residents of San
Francisco not only attended the gala preview, but also returned on
subsequent days to view pieces from their cultural heritage. Their
presence brought prestige to the event and was appreciated by the dealers.
Dr. Emily J. Sano, Director, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and
George McWilliams
Shirley Sun Forbes, Lilli Ouyang, Tuyet Nguyet and Philip Ouyang
Robin and I returned to Hong Kong on March 28th having just spent two
weeks in New York City to attend the many events during Asia Week. We
had a very full schedule including viewing the Sotheby's and Christie's
auctions (see pages 100-105), visiting the many wonderful exhibitions
and hosting our Arts of Asia booth at The International Asian Art Fair.
It was particularly interesting for me to feel first-hand the atmosphere
in New York following the tragic September 11th terrorist attacks. In my
opinion people are still tense, concerned and very cautious, which is
understandable.
The two major Asian art dealer shows-The International Asian Art Fair
and the New York Arts of Pacific Asia Show-had to find new venues this
year; the armories where the events were previously held were not
available as the National Guard had taken them over. Both organisers
should be commended for their sterling efforts to continue to hold their
annual Asian art shows under very difficult and pressured circumstances.
Brian and Anna Haughton, Directors, The International Asian Art Fair
Ltd, state in their smaller format catalogue that this year the fair
took "place for the first time at the Lincoln Center for the Performing
Arts in the aftermath of the terrible events of the 11th September.
Following the tragedy we have had to relocate from our usual home at The
Seventh Regiment Armory."
Lincoln Center is where you will find many of New York City's most
important cultural resources-exceptional performing arts as well as
educational institutions. To reach the fair entrance we had to walk
through Lincoln Square past the central fountain, which is surrounded by
Fordham University, Juilliard School and The Metropolitan Opera (2).
2
3
A towering block of apartments backed the large tent in which the fair
was held, with its entrance approach through a paved park beneath
orderly planted winterly trees (3)
The fair ran from March 22nd to 26th and the Asia Society was once again
the beneficiary of the opening night preview held on March 21st, from 6
to 9 pm. Seen at the receiving line (4,5), are Mr Pierre G. Durand,
Honorary Chairman, Anna and Brian Haughton, Mr Nicolas Platt, President
Asia Society, Mrs Vishakha N. Desai, Senior Vice President and Director
of the Galleries and Cultural Programs, Asia Society, and Mr Charles R.
Kaye, Gala Chairman.
4
5
This year's fair included forty-nine dealers compared with fifty-six
dealers in 2001. Many of the past top Asian art exhibitors did not take
part this time including Gisele Croes, Li Yin Arts Co. Ltd, Mallet,
Hirano Kotoken Co. Ltd, Robert Ellsworth Ltd, Ralph M. Chait Galleries
Inc., Liza Hyde, E & J Frankel Ltd and Art of Chen. New exhibitors to
the fair were Scholten Japanese Art, Marc Richards, Shakris, Carlo
Cristi, Arthur Leeper Asian Art and Theresa McCullough Ltd. Another
major difference, besides the West Side location, was the
above-mentioned tent erected on a demountable light metal structure,
which held up well against the elements. The organisers say over 1000
people (including 100 museum curators) attended the opening night
benefit raising US$500,000 for Asia Society. I bought eight tickets
myself to give to Arts of Asia friends and it was indeed a very crowded
night in that tent. It was impossible not to take note that the tent
space was significantly smaller than was enjoyed in The Seventh Regiment
Armory building, where the corridors between the exhibitors' row of
stands were much wider. There were also fewer seating areas provided by
the organisers' latest layout, so it was a good thing we were well
prepared with six chairs in our booth for our visitors and guests.
Arts of Asia has hosted a booth at every International Asian Art Fair
since its inception in 1996 and I enjoy meeting our readers,
contributors, art dealers and collector-friends on these occasions. This
year was our most successful yet as we sold over seven hundred out of
the eight hundred magazines we shipped from Hong Kong. I felt the
general visitors were much more knowledgeable than before and had a
clearer understanding of what they liked. They were also keen to learn
more on their subjects of interest as well as read about other Asian art
topics. At times it was so crowded in our booth with supporters wishing
to meet us, subscribe and buy our current and back issues, I was unable
to leave to walk around the fair or to sit down for a rest.
However, amongst many others of our visitors I was delighted to welcome
the world-famous Chinese painter and calligrapher C.C. Wang to our booth
(6). Professor Wang is ninety-five years old yet extremely sharp and
aware of what is going on in the art world, and of course is still
actively painting. His caring daughter Y.K. Wang King accompanied her
father to the fair and is pictured with Stephen McGuinness of Plum
Blossoms (International) Limited. The photograph is most topically posed
as the background shows our large poster promoting this May-June 2002
Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy Review magazine featuring the article
"C.C. Wang: Singing Brush and Dancing Ink". This has been written for us
by Jan Stuart, Associate Curator of Chinese Art at the Freer Gallery of
Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington
DC (see pages 44-53).
6
Irreplaceable and missed by many was the late Khalil Rizk, who had been
involved with the fair from its very beginning. He died suddenly after
an unexpected illness while he was in Europe shortly after last year's
fair. I believe I was one of the last people to have spoken to him on
the telephone in New York just before he headed for the airport to catch
his flight to attend the Salzburg Festival of Western classical music.
Khalil Rizk and partner Pierre Durand opened The Chinese Porcelain
Company in 1984, which is located at 475 Park Avenue at 58th Street in
New York City. Born in Beirut into a prominent family of property and
construction developers, Khalil Rizk, trained as an architect, loved the
arts and had great and refined taste. In his gallery he achieved a
comfortable balance complementing Western and Asian art. Typically, he
would blend beautifully crafted European furniture with exquisite
Chinese porcelain or rare and stunning Khmer sculpture. The future of
The Chinese Porcelain Company is sound under the capable leadership of
President Conor Mahony.
Brian and Anna Haughton in this year's fair catalogue express their
regrets: "We all miss our dear friend Khalil Rizk so much; not only for
his happy demeanour but also for the great professional skills he always
brought to the fair. We owe him an enormous amount; the way he smoothed
feathers and opened doors. He was without doubt a true Renaissance man."
I could not agree more.
It was unfortunate that during my two weeks in New York the weather on
most days was cold, wet and windy. Naturally this would have affected
the attendance at the fair. It was also Spring Break, traditionally a
time when New Yorkers head for warmer climes with their families for a
short holiday. These factors together with the recovering following the
September 11th terrorist attacks did result in fewer major sales this
year at the fair. But it has to be said also this year fewer Japanese,
Chinese and other Asian collectors made the trip to New York.
Psychologically they are hesitant to buy now because of the uncertain
world economy and many have incurred quite significant portfolio losses.
As a result some are reluctant to buy important works of art over
US$100,000, although I was informed after the fair by dealer-friends
that a number of high-ticket pieces are under consideration by museums
and serious collectors. I did notice during my time in New York that
quality fine pieces priced sensibly have no difficulty in finding
buyers. Collectors do want to acquire and appear comfortable spending
within the US$5000 to US$30,000 range. Nevertheless they are still price
sensitive even though they have the money available to make purchases.
The New York dealer shows do draw people to town and this year we
noticed a younger set of newer collectors buying, which is encouraging
for the Asian art market.
Towards the end of both dealer shows buyers returned looking for
bargains; however, I was informed that they were mostly disappointed
because the dealers were unable to lower their prices by very much. Many
dealers find that the best pieces are getting harder to replace, so they
do not want to sell them cheaply or nearly below their costs. I
understand some dealers are finding it increasingly difficult to cover
their significant expenses for exhibiting at dealer shows (e.g. booth
rental, hiring display cases, lighting, wall covering and carpeting,
advertising in the show catalogue, shipping, insurance, hotel and
telephone bills, New York sales tax, airfares, dinners, time and lost
opportunity cost, etc.), especially if at the end they are unable to
make profitable sales.
But the good news is the 2003 International Asian Art Fair, as
advertised in this year's fair catalogue, will return to The Seventh
Regiment Armory, Park Avenue at 67th Street, running from March 21st to
26th. Again the benefit preview will be for the Asia Society and it will
be held on March 20th, 2003, from 6 to 9 pm.
The 11th Annual New York Arts of Pacific Asia Show, which usually runs
at The 69th Regiment Armory, was this year moved to the Events Center,
Hasbro Building, at 32 West 23rd Street. The show ran for four days from
March 21st to 24th including a first day preview from noon to 7 pm.
There were eight-two dealers exhibiting from fifteen nations and
Sotheby's Institute of Art (London) presented three days of lectures
called "The Phoenix and the Dragon: Chinese Ornament Around the World"
consisting of nine sessions. The seminar took as its main theme painted
ornament on Chinese trade ceramics from the Song through the Qing
dynasty (AD 960 to 1911). Robin and I rather enjoyed the configuration
of the show and thought the structure of the building, carpeting,
lighting, dining and seating facilities, and clean and modern washrooms
were a great improvement on the armories. It had a fresher feel and it
will be interesting so see whether the dealers vote to remain at this
venue, which is more expensive, or return next year to The 69th Regiment
Armory.
I was told by my subscribers that this show has over the years been
closing the gap on the "up town fair", and one of the keys to the future
is to gain the support of even more of the most important dealers and so
raise the quality of the exhibits further. But it is possible for
collectors and especially experienced dealers to find a bargain here if
they are knowledgeable and have keen eyes. That is why so many dealers
patiently queued at the first day to look for merchandise to buy ahead
of collectors. It is however pretty safe to say that the exhibitors in
general know how to price. Amongst the most attractive booths with
important pieces for sale were Orientations Gallery for Japanese silver,
ivory and Meiji period (1868-1912) porcelain and bronze; Erik Thomsen
Asian Art for Japanese pottery and paintings; The Jade Dragon for
Chinese and Japanese works of art; Robyn Turner Gallery for Chinese
jades; Lesley Kehoe Galleries for contemporary Japanese ceramics; Thomas
Murray for his Indonesian gold jewellery, ornaments and tribal pieces;
L'Asie Exotique for Japanese Gosho Ningyo dolls and works of art; and
Topper Gallery who displayed an exquisite set of miniature lacquer
paintings by Shibata Zeshin.
For those collectors and art lovers who would prefer a more personal
viewing, then there were many exciting and beautiful exhibitions to
visit. Brussels-based dealer Gisele Croes opted to hold her own
exhibition at Danese on 41 East 57th Street. Her stunning four large
Eastern Zhou period (770-221 BC) bronze-cast bells greeted visitors to a
spacious and attractively planned exhibition, making it easy to walk
around the objects on stands and view them from various sides. What
particularly caught my attention was the rare set of nine Yongle period,
early 15th century, paintings of Buddhist luohans appearing in
landscapes associated with the heavens of Daoist immortals. This set is
well known having been exhibited a few years ago at the Brooklyn Museum
of Art.
7
Nearby at PaceWildenstein, 32 East 57th Street, Guiseppe Eskenazi and
his son Daniel organised "Chinese Buddhist Sculpture from Northern Wei
to Ming" (7). Recognising that provenance is becoming increasingly
demanded, all of the pieces had been in established early collections.
Daniel was very kind and gave us a tour of the exhibition, which had a
spiritual feeling. The sensitively selected sculptures clearly appealed
as I counted eleven out of nineteen items had found new homes.
Crossing the busy road to the Fuller Building, 41 East 57th Street, is
the gallery of New York dealer James Lally. Many visitors to his
exhibition titled "Chinese Porcelain and Silver in the Song Dynasty"
commented that his selection of objects and particularly the white
Dingware was "classy" and struck a cord with those who adore clean and
elegant artistry. Like Gisele Croes and Giuseppe Eskenazi, well over
half of James Lally's pieces were spotted with red dots denoting that
they were sold.
I met the artist Professor Wang Qingli at a Chinese dinner reception
prior to his solo exhibition opening the next day at E & J Frankel Ltd,
1040 Madison Avenue at 79th Street. According to Edith and Joel many of
his forty-one works were sold.
Suzanne Mitchell's relaxing gallery at 17 East 71st Street held a joint
exhibition with Kippei Gallery, Tokyo entitled "Japanese Art: Medieval
to Modern" featuring shimmering Japanese golden screens, handmade and
low-fired pottery and Zen paintings. We sat down on the gallery's
comfortable sofa and chairs while Suzanne kindly treated us to a very
refreshing glass of iced Japanese green tea. We also had the pleasure of
meeting Tadashi Setsu whose father, Yoshihira Setsu, founded and still
heads Kippei Gallery.
At Kaikodo, 164 East 64th Street, Carol Conover who is the expert in
charge of the gallery's works of art gave us a tour of their "Spring
2002 Exhibition & Sale". On the ground floor the Japanese and Chinese
ceramics sold well.
Annie Yau Gallery had a well-attended first New York exhibition at Suite
A, 173 West 88th Street. By then I was rather tired but I was able to
summon up enough energy to visit their gallery. Robin and I are seen
with Annie Yau and her father Professor Yau (8). The photographer was
Annie's American husband John Ackerman who runs a successful real estate
and investment brokerage in New York.
8
There is simply no substitute for knowledge and experience and that is
why I was so pleased to meet with Alan Chait of Ralph M. Chait Galleries
Inc. at 12 East 56th Street and view his Imperial Chinese enamels.
Always gracious, Alan invited us to his private office where his father
used to discuss objects with collectors. In fact he still uses the same
wood table that had belonged to his father to show and handle antiques
from. I took the opportunity to ask Alan how he sees the trend for Asian
Art. His view is that the performance of the Asian art market is related
to the economic conditions. Since January this year he has noticed a
recovery but it will depend on the Middle East.
"Hopefully it will build up from this point and if the stock market gets
better people might invest more in art", he said. "In the old days
people bought art out of love. Their dividend was waking up in the
morning and enjoying their pieces. They had fun." Alan feels that
famille-verte, biscuit ware of the finest quality and monochromes are
becoming almost impossible to find. "After the Second World War people
collected for museums and education purposes. As a result once the
pieces are in the museums they do not come out again. Before, when the
individual cultures could not take care of the art, it was the
responsibility of collectors to look after the pieces." Alan added, "We
have the advantage of ninety-two years of experience. As a result people
come back to us. We do not approach them. That is what they like. The
pieces will normally have marvellous provenance and meet all the criteria."
And finally I can also recommend visiting "The New Way of Tea", a
two-part exhibition at the Asia Society and Japan Society "featuring
teahouses, utensils and art from the traditional to avant-garde". The
exhibition brings the traditional ritual of the tea ceremony into the
21st century by juxtaposing tearooms and tea utensils created by
contemporary Japanese architects, artists and designers with those from
other Asian cultures and the West. The exhibition runs from March
6th-May 19th, 2002 so some Arts of Asia readers in the New York area may
still be able to see this show, which is organised with help from the
International Chado Culture Foundation, Kyoto, Japan.
I always appreciate our readers' constructive feedback and like to know
their favourite Asian art subjects. Speaking to our supporters in New
York it was particularly interesting to hear that many asked for more
in-depth articles on Chinese paintings-both modern and contemporary, as
well as the traditional medium. Readers of my Editorial column know that
I travel extensively around the world to visit museums and attend
important exhibition openings, which also enables me to have a fuller
understanding of the Asian art market and anticipate the trends.
Reviewing my files I note that preparations for this special May-June
2002 Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy Review first commenced in October
1996 when Leon and Karen Wender, authors of the cover article "Zhu
Qizhan: A Noble Spirit", agreed to start preparing their tribute to the
artist they respected and regarded as a friend. Karen and Leon Wender,
owners of China 2000 Fine Art, a spacious gallery conveniently located
at 5 East 57th Street, are especially knowledgeable of traditional and
contemporary Chinese painting. They have had a fifteen year relationship
with Zhu Qizhan (1892-1996) before he passed away and have assisted
museums around the world to mount exhibitions of Master Zhu's work.
However, I feel it is only fair to say the Wenders were not I believe
the first to introduce Zhu Qizhan to Hong Kong. In the late 1970s the
former Hanart Gallery, whose partners numbered the now celebrated Hong
Kong painter Harold Wong and the equally well-known art critic and
gallery owner Tsong-zung Chang, held an exhibition "Selection of
Paintings by Zhu Qizhan" whose cover of the slim eight-page brochure is
illustrated here (9). Since that time I myself have been a collector of
Zhu Qizhan's work and I feel it is right I should declare my own
interests as a collector of contemporary Chinese paintings for quite a
considerable number of years. Karen and Leon Wender first met Zhu Qizhan
in February 1985, which they record in their personal recollections of
the artist in the Collectors Column of our July-August 1987 magazine on
pages 132-135.
9
Before flying to New York I made arrangements to meet our US and Canada
distributors, Comag Marketing Group, formerly called Eastern News
Distributors, and a division of Hearst-Conde Nast LLC. Our Account
Executives told me that publishers in America are finding it
increasingly difficult to remain profitable and there have been a number
of bankruptcies. Most prone to suffer are independent titles which rely
heavily on advertising, and have very limited distribution and sales in
bookstores. I am therefore proud and happy to report that the Arts of
Asia readership is growing thanks to our solid subscriber base, which
has markedly increased since the end of last year. Some magazines it can
be seen have made a corporate decision to reduce their operating costs
by cutting back on their Editorial contents. At Arts of Asia we feel our
readers deserve the very best we can offer and that is why I always try
to arrange substantial, topical and beautifully illustrated articles
prepared by leading scholars for the enjoyment and learning of our loyal
and new international readers. We also ensure that our quality is
closely supervised at every stage of the production process. We use
expensive and the finest printing materials such as the both sides
coated A1 grade art paper specially ordered from a unique mill in Japan,
and intend to continue to do so.
In addition, over the last two years we have pushed strongly to actively
market and expand our publication resulting in our improved worldwide
circulation. These factors along with the practical help of Robin, who
returned in 1999 from London Business School and Wharton in the US with
an MBA, are just two of the reasons for the continued revitalising of
the magazine, which I founded with the help of my husband over
thirty-two years ago.
An excellent example of our policy can be seen in this issue's third
Chinese painting article, "Ching Banlee Collection of the Philippines
exhibited at the Shanghai Museum" on pages 54-67. Written in Chinese by
Shan Goulin who heads the Paintings and Calligraphy Department at the
Shanghai Museum, his fourteen-page article featuring twenty-nine colour
illustrations is expertly translated on our advice by Dr Bruce Gordon
Doar, formerly Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Editor of China
Archaeology and Art Digest.
From the 1930s to 1960s scholarly entrepreneur Ching Banlee was a
devoted and passionate collector who bought the finest paintings by
well-known classical and established modern Chinese artists. The
exhibition runs from June 22nd to September 21st, 2002 at the Shanghai
Museum of Art. For those readers who have not visited the wonderful
"new" museum (see Arts of Asia May-June 1997) this would be an excellent
opportunity to enjoy their stunning permanent galleries of Chinese art.
This article has come to us as a result of our longtime friendship with
the late collector's daughter, Rita C. (Ching) Tan, who most notably
introduced us to "The Roberto T. Villanueva Collection in Manila". (See
Arts of Asia July-August 1990, Editorial, pages 4, 6 and her
contribution "Export Ware of the Yuan Dynasty", pages 70-86.) If at all
possible I would have liked to attend, on behalf of our overseas
readers, the opening of the exhibition of Rita's late father's
collection of Chinese painting on June 22nd. Unfortunately the date
coincides with the completion of our July-August 2002 magazine, for me
the busiest of times, when I must ensure our readers' copies are
properly distributed.
However, I will make a point of visiting the exhibition "Recent Works:
The Sculpture of Wang Keping & Painting of Tung Lo" from May 24th to
June 22nd, 2002 at Alisan Fine Arts Ltd, 315 Prince's Building, 10
Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong. As part of the annual Hong Kong "Le
French May" festival, this will be the second showing at this gallery of
these Chinese-born artists who are now Paris residents.
10
11
Born in Beijing in 1949, Wang Keping participated in the 1966 Cultural
Revolution as a college student and a Red Guard, and in 1969 was sent to
the countryside. A few years later he started working in one of the
army's artistic troops, becoming an actor and then a television
playwright. Since 1984 he has lived and worked in Paris and his wooden
figures have been exhibited in China, Europe and the United States. Wang
likes to maintain the intrinsic natural wooden form of his material and
introduce folk-style humour such as in Back of a Woman, wood, 44 cm high
(10) and 38 cm high (11).
Tung Lo, born 1956 in Jieyang, Guangdong province, to a calligrapher
father and poet mother, moved to Hong Kong in 1968 where he began
studying figure composition and contemporary art. In 1982 he emigrated
to the United States and in 1993 moved to Paris, where he developed his
rather original oil painting technique. The two paintings shown here
suggest a study of printmaking with textured simple backgrounds
silhouetting his figures which appear to move free of the picture plane
(12, 13). Readers with sharp eyes will discern his use of Chinese
calligraphy and seals within the patterned garments. I will be
interested to see his paintings and wish both artists well.
12
13
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furniture and antiques is Annie Yau of Annie Yau Gallery (20). She is
pleased to announce their first New York exhibition and sale entitled
"Rare Song Porcelain and Warring States Bronzes" to be held in their
gallery (Suite A, 173 West 88th Street, New York City) from 15th March
to 7th April, 2002. Annie has told me, "It is an excellent opportunity
for art collectors, museums and the antique community to have my father,
Professor Yau, and myself among its New York members."
20
It is indeed as Annie and her father have over forty years experience in
the field of Chinese antiquities, and come from Xi'an, near home of the
Terracotta Warriors, a city known for its major archaeological excavations.
For twenty-five years in Xi'an Professor Yau has been a prominent and
esteemed expert of Chinese porcelain. He is also the co-author, with Mr
Geng Baochang, a recognised world leading authority, of Ming and Qing
Porcelain. Professor Yau has been a mentor to his daughter, Annie, for
over twenty years, and today they still continue to work very closely
together. For their coming exhibition the Annie Yau Gallery will feature
thirty rare Chinese porcelains, ten Warring States bronzes and Tang gold
and silver wares.
21
I have known James J. Lally for nearly twenty-five years and from time
to time I ask his advice on the Asian art market which he knows both as
an Oriental specialist and a major New York dealer. From 18th March to
8th April, which overlaps Asia Week 2002 in New York, his gallery at 41
East 57th Street is showing an exhibition of Chinese porcelain and
silver from the Song dynasty. The collection is accompanied by a
catalogue giving a full description and a colour illustration of each
item. I have chosen to illustrate here his glazed white porcelain ewer
and cover with warming basin, cups and cupstands, Liao/Northern Song
dynasty, 10th/11th century, height of ewer and cover 25.4 cm (21).
In the exhibition and catalogue this is echoed by an equivalent gilded
silver cover ewer and warming basin of approximately the same period,
but slightly earlier. So here we are probably shown a porcelain with its
prototype.
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> What happened to the Mainland's heirlooms?
Back in Beijing!
Thank you, Judge Lobis. Now we don't have to think about this anymore.