Page 38 - Fine Chinese Paintings, Asia Week Christies 2015
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THE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF YAN YUNTAI 嚴 雲 泰 私 人 珍 藏
Yan Qingxiang and Liu Haisu 嚴慶祥與劉海粟
I come from a line of successful Shanghai entrepreneurs. ancient commemorative steles from across China that he
In the 19th century, when Shanghai began attracting compiled into an extensive Dictionary of Regular Script, a
Western fortune seekers, my great-grandfather, Yan Jieting chronicle of the evolution of Chinese characters that was
(1856-1905), leveraged the basic English he had learned published in 1985. He took up calligraphy and traditional
working as a gardener for foreigners to become a valued painting, and through the teachers he sought out, he
manager in their trading companies. His son and my developed relationships with an extended circle of painters
grandfather, Yan Yutang (1880-1958) worked his way up and artists. Most were in desperate condition between the
in foreign firms and then started his own company Dalong 1950s and 1960s. Recognizing their great need, my father
Machine Works, which repaired foreign ships and made welcomed these artists, creating a “salon” where their
machine parts for Sino-foreign factories. My father Yan talents were held in respect. They recited poetry in the
Qingxiang (1899-1988) was the eldest of Yan Yutang’s garden, exchanged ideas, and hung their work in the living
sons. He entered into textile production by acquiring and room, dining room, and center hall of our family home at
turning around ailing companies in Suzhou, Changzhou, 699 Yu Yuan Road.
Shanghai and elsewhere using the machinery built by
his own company. However, the Japanese invasion of In 1978 Liu Haisu called upon 41 of his fellow artists
Shanghai in 1937, began a long period of difficulty for my to join him in creating works to celebrate my father’s
family. My father’s factories were bombed, raw materials 80th birthday. It is deeply moving that so many artists
were stolen, and the Japanese seized factories only to participated in this tribute, but it is also astounding that
extort payment from him for the return of equipment. Liu Haisu was able to convince them to make works of
In 1949 at the age of 17, I left Shanghai and came to the similar size and to hang them side by side in the Yan
U.S. by myself. family compound for one month. They came together
to show their gratitude for my father’s generosity and
After a long period of loss and suffering, when my kindness that he had extended at a time when they had so
father was again able to enjoy some peace, he turned suffered physically and emotionally.
his attention to the arts. He gathered stone rubbings of
—Yan Yuntai (Anthony Yen)
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