Painted fan on paper, 20th century, one side ornated with flowers and rocks, with inscriptions and seals, signed Zhang Daqian (張大千, Chang Dai-chien, 1899-1983), the other decorated with a calligraphy, signed Li Qiujun (李秋君, 1899-1973), 31 cm long, 47 cm wide

Among Zhang Daqian's inscription, we can read the cyclic date 戊子 (wuzi, possibly corresponding to 1948), the signature 張爰 (Zhang Yuan) and the seals 張爰 (Zhang Yuan), 大千 (Daqian).

Zhang Daqian and Li Qiujun met through the latter's older brother. Li Qiujun subsequently became Zhang Daqian's pupil and close friend. This fan is a testimony to their prolific artistic collaboration. Li Ai Vee is Li Qiujun's niece.

Another fan painted by Zhang Daqian and Li Qiujun, dated 1947, was sold at Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 3 April 2012, lot 1342. A portrait of Li Qiujun, dated 1933, painted by Zhang Daqian, was sold at Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 8 October 2020, lot 3022.

Provenance: Li Ai Vee collection (1932-2021), former student of Zhang Daqian and niece of Li Qiujun. Yu-Lan chalet

設色紙本，成扇，二十世紀，戊子 (1948) 張大千和李秋君 張爰簽名, 李秋君簽名 鈐印：「張爰」、「大千」 來自李愛維收藏 (1932-2021), 玉蘭木屋

A fan by Zhang Daqian and Li Qiujun

Zhang Daqian (張大千, Chang Dai-chien, 1899-1983), one of the most renowned Chinese painters of the 20th century, mastered the thousand and one subtleties of ink painting, refreshing a medium that had been rooted in Chinese tradition for over two thousand years. Over the course of a prolific and eclectic career spanning more than sixty years, this internationally acclaimed artist produced more than five hundred paintings a year, the most famous being his landscape paintings in ‘splashed ink’ (pocai), verging on abstraction. He was the subject of numerous international exhibitions during his lifetime, and some of his works are held in renowned institutions such as the Musée Cernuschi in Paris, the National Palace Museum in Taipei and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In 2011, Zhang Daqian even became the most expensive artist sold at auction in the world that year, surpassing Pablo Picasso. In addition to his career as a painter, Zhang Daqian was also a great art collector and connoisseur.

From the late 1940s onwards, Li Ai Vee's family played an important role for Zhang Daqian, helping him to manage his artistic career and organise his exhibitions. Among the members of the Li family, Zhang Daqian was particularly close to Li Qiujun (李秋君, 1899-1973), one of Li Ai Vee's aunts and a well-known painter. Notably, she was the founder and first president of the Chinese Women's Calligraphy and Painting Association (中國女子書畫會). She met Zhang Daqian through their painting practice, and quickly became a close friend.

The fan currently on sale, made by Zhang Daqian on one side and Li Qiujun on the other, bears witness to their prolific artistic collaboration. In fact, they worked together on several fans and paintings, intertwining their brushes.

COLLECTION LI AI VEE

Piguet auction house is honoured to present the third 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.

The third and fourth parts of Li Ai Vee's collection will be presented in our future sale in June 2025.