The 88.9cm-high by 60.9cm-wide oil painting, belonged to 65-year-old Foo Lai Loon’s late father. It was stolen from his family home in Taman Limau Manis, Kota Baru (Kelantan) on Tuesday morning, two days ago.
It is a portrait of Foo’s grandfather painted by Xu sometime during World War II in Singapore. Xu was a family friend.
Art works by Xu are much sought after by collectors. In 2006, a painting, The Slave and Lion, fetched US$6.9mil (RM22.5mil) at an auction in Hong Kong and auction houses such as Christie’s Hong Kong have sold his works at prices much higher than their estimated value.
Art has always piqued an interest in me, so I googled the painter and one search led to another and another, and finally, a site that lovers of Chinese art, paintings, and history would appreciate. It's the Huntington archive of China: 5000 Years. Awesome, awesome works of art over the years. Finds like this make me all excited about the Internet and very thankful for it's advent.
This educational website takes you through 5000 years of art history in China. Below is the index of the site's contents. For an actual view of the paintings, go to the Huntington Archive. The website allows you to expand an image (by clicking on the thumbnail), save an image, or simply dragging and dropping it to your desktop or desired folder. Believe me, you will enjoy the tour, even if you are not an art enthusiast.
INNOVATIONS IN CHINESE PAINTING (1850 - 1950)
Chinese Painting (Part I) | Chinese Painting (Part II) | Chinese Painting (Part III) | Calligraphy
THE MODERNIST GENERATIONS (1920 - 1950)
Graphic Design | Oil Painting | Woodblock
ART FOR NEW CHINA (1950 - 1980)
Chinese Painting | Oil Painting
TRANSFORMATIONS OF TRADITION (1980 - the present)
Chinese Painting
Sources:
- The Star
- Huntington Archive
Wondering how the thief can sell this piece of art in open market. He can be easily identified...
ReplyDeleteHmm..must be sold in black market. :d
ReplyDeleteI am surprised to hear this too. You would think it has to be a Picasso or Rembrant to be stolen..hehe. They can conduct checks with art dealers..just in case the thieving persons attempt to sell it.
ReplyDeleteI am a descendant of the man in the painting, please do spread the word to notify to the authorities if anyone has come across the painting.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your time!
It is a shocking news for all of us. This type of news is very common now a day as there is a huge demand for these paintings in the international market. Some people are ready to pay a huge price for them and this is encouraging the thieves a lot. I hope the police will be able to break the racket. Bye.
ReplyDelete