Horses, a set of 5 paintings on paper, mounted on scrolls, China, 20th-21th century: 2 with signature and apocryphal seal of Xu Beihong, 1 with signature and seal of Li Ai Vee, 2 in the style of Xu Beihong, signature and seal of Li Ai Vee, 103.5x43.5 cm, 85.5x31.5 cm, 49x27 cm, 85x31 cm and 71x34 cm (paintings)

Provenance: collection of Li Ai Vee (1932-2021), chalet Yu-Lan

五件二十世紀至二十一世紀紙本馬圖立軸

兩件徐悲鴻款，三件李愛維款 103.5x43.5厘米、85.5x31.5厘米、49x27厘米、85x31厘米、71x34厘米

來自李愛維收藏 (1932-2021), 玉蘭木屋

The collection of Li Ai Vee

Piguet auction house is honoured to present the last part of the collection of Li Ai Vee ( 李 爱维 , born Eva Anita Li, 1932-2021), a Chinese-German painter living in Switzerland and a fervent collector of Asian art, mainly Chinese and Japanese.

Born in Shanghai, Li Ai Vee was introduced to painting as a child by her mother, herself an artist, and went on to become a pupil of prestigious painters such as Lin Fengmian (1900-1991) and Lu Yifei (1908-1997) in the 1950s. She then spent several years in Japan, where she was a disciple of the Zen master Rinzai Yamada Mumon Rôshi (1900-1988). There, in 1954, she was selected to paint several bamboos on the sliding doors of the Hiroshima Memorial.

In 1958, Li Ai Vee left China and settled in Zurich, Switzerland. In 1965, she met Zhang Daqian (Chang Dai-Chien, 1899-1983), and became a pupil of this internationally renowned painter. That same year, she was awarded the Medal of the City of Paris in recognition of her art.

In 1973, Li Ai Vee moved to Blonay to the chalet ‘Yu-Lan’ ( 玉蘭 , ‘Magnolia’), surrounded by a vast bamboo forest and guarded by carved Foo lions. It was there that she painted, surrounded by her extensive collection of Asian art, which she has enriched over the years. Li Ai Vee has put together a rich and varied collection of objects, combining monochrome vases, paintings and albums, scholarly objects, carved jades and divinities from the Asian pantheon, all of which she has combined with her passion for art.

The entire collection can be found by entering the keyword ‘Li Ai Vee’ in the search bar on our website.