HUANG YONGYU (BORN 1924) Guitar Player, 2002

HUANG YONGYU (BORN 1924)
Guitar Player, 2002
Ink and color on paper, inscribed by the artist, signed Huang Yongyu and dated renwu with three artist's seals Huang Yongyu, renwu and Wanhetang.
54 x 27in (137.2 x 68.5cm)
Footnotes:
黃永玉 (生於1924年) 吉他樂手 設色紙本 二〇〇二年作

款識：子曰：後進於禮樂，野人也。黃永玉壬午
鈐印：壬午、黃永玉、萬荷堂

Provenance:
A gift from Huang Yongyu to Gerard Desput in 2002, thereafter by descent.

來源：
2002年黃永玉贈德士普（Gerard Desput），繼而由後代遞藏

The bold inscription on this energetic composition quotes the Confucian Analects (Lunyu), chapter 11, 'The Master says 'in former times the ritual musicians were rustics', with the original passage continuing, '...while in the latter days, the ritual musicians are accomplished gentlemen. If I had occasion to use (ritual musicians), I would choose the former (the rustics)'. The inscription on this painting playfully de-contextualizes the classic saying and turns it into 'The Master says 'in the latter days, the ritual musicians are rustics.'

As joyously expressed in this painting, humor plays a key role in Huang Yongyu's art. With energy and unconventional subject matter the artist juxtaposes a phrase from the classics with a rock and roll musician. In other examples the artist would caricature both people and animals, using wit and charm to highlight the silliness of the world.

T US Import Tariff
Please note that this lot is subject to an import tariff of 7.5%. The buyer will be required to pay the import tariff, which is included in the purchase price, along with sales tax, if applicable. The amount of the import tariff due is a percentage of the value declared upon entry into the United States (it is not based on the final bid price). The buyer should contact Bonhams prior to the sale to determine the amount of the import tariff.