Sanyu Chang Yu | China, 1901 - 1966

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Sanyu - Nude
Auction
Fine Chinese Modern and Contemporary Ink Paintings
December 2023
Christies, Hong Kong
Est.: 100.000 - 200.000 HKD
Realised: not available
Details
Sanyu - Horse and Acrobat
Auction
New Now & Design
November 2023
Phillips, Hong Kong Auction
Est.: 40.000 - 60.000 HKD
Realised: 215.900 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Vase blanc, fleurs blanches, fond rose (White Pot, White Flowers, Pink Background)
Auction
20th Century Art Day Sale
November 2023
Christies, Hong Kong
Est.: 10.000.000 - 15.000.000 HKD
Realised: 19.130.000 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Standing Nude
Auction
20th Century Art Day Sale
November 2023
Christies, Hong Kong
Est.: 120.000 - 200.000 HKD
Realised: 327.600 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Nude
Auction
20th Century Art Day Sale
November 2023
Christies, Hong Kong
Est.: 220.000 - 320.000 HKD
Realised: 630.000 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Femme nue sur un tapis (Nude on Tapestry)
Auction
20th/21st Century Art Evening Sale
November 2023
Christies, Hong Kong
Est.: 100.000.000 - 150.000.000 HKD
Realised: 187.375.000 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Lady Profile(Painted In 1920S To 1930S)
Auction
Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art
October 2023
China Guardian
Est.: 130.000 - 230.000 HKD
Realised: 192.000 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Standing Nude(Painted In 1920S To 1930S)
Auction
Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art
October 2023
China Guardian
Est.: 150.000 - 250.000 HKD
Realised: 240.000 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Reclining Lady(Painted In 1920S To 1930S)
Auction
Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art
October 2023
China Guardian
Est.: 150.000 - 250.000 HKD
Realised: 228.000 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Lady Reading Newspaper(Painted In 1920S To 1930S)
Auction
Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art
October 2023
China Guardian
Est.: 160.000 - 260.000 HKD
Realised: not available
Details
Sanyu - Standing Nude
Auction
Modern and Contemporary Art
October 2023
POLY, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
Est.: 300.000 - 600.000 HKD
Realised: 480.000 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Femme nue accoudée
Auction
20th/21st Century Art Sale
September 2023
Christies, Shanghai
Est.: 200.000 - 300.000 HKD
Realised: 529.200 HKD
Details

The artist Sanyu

  • Chinese-French painter associated with the Paris School.
  • Repeatedly tried to establish a second livelihood with table tennis.
  • Maintained a close friendship with the photographer Robert Frank.

The Chinese-French painter Sanyu (also Chang Yu) was born in 1901 and grew up in Nanchong, a city of six million people in southwest China's Sichuan province. He left his homeland in 1921 on a work-and-study program, joining an entire migratory wave of art students who left China due to the difficult political situation in the 1910s. Thus, he first landed in Paris, later his adopted home for many years. Due to the high cost of living and Sanyu's constant financial hardship, the young artist, like many others in his circle, decided to move to Berlin.

After two years, he returned to Paris, where he attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, where he studied nude painting, his longtime pet issue. Finally, in 1948, he resided in New York for two years. The original plan to exchange his residence in Paris with that of the photographer Robert Franks in the U.S. metropolis was replaced by a shared apartment - and ultimately a close friendship. During this time, Sanyu was not for the first time on the verge of abandoning his art career plans in favor of his second passion, table tennis. He is said to have even painted the floor of Frank's studios as a table tennis court.

The idea of the change of plans resulted from the persistent, poor financial situation of the now almost 50-year-old - he kept his head above water with part-time jobs and the many exhibitions did not lead to the hoped-for success. Sanyu's initial ink (nude) drawings, which he mastered as a result of his calligraphy training in China, later gave way to drypoint and, somewhat later, to linocut. Finally, he turned to oil painting, which remained his preferred technique until his death. Today he is seen as part of the Paris School.

Sanyu died at 65 under unfortunate circumstances: He suffocated from leaking gas that spread in the apartment after he forgot to turn off the stove after a dinner with friends. A friend of his found him lying with a book propped on his chest, so it was assumed that he must have perished in his sleep. Sanyu's fame increased, as it did for many artists, only after his death.

Der Künstler Sanyu

  • Chinesisch-französischer Maler, der der Pariser Schule zugeordnet wird.
  • Versuchte sich wiederholt mit Tischtennis ein zweites Standbein aufzustellen.
  • Pflegte eine enge Freundschaft zum Fotografen Robert Frank.

Der chinesisch-französische Maler Sanyu (auch Chang Yu) wurde 1901 geboren und wuchs in Nanchong, einer Sechs-Millionen-Einwohner-Stadt in der südwestchinesischen Provinz Sichuan, auf. Er verließ  China 1921 im Rahmen eines Work-and-study-Programms und schloss sich damit einer ganzen Migrationswelle von Kunststudenten an, die das Land aufgrund der schwierigen politischen Lage in den 1910er Jahren verließ. So landete er zunächst in Paris, seiner späteren langjährigen Wahlheimat. Aufgrund der hohen Lebensunterhaltungskosten und Sanyus finanzieller Not entschied sich der junge Künstler wie viele weitere Personen aus seinem Umfeld, nach Berlin zu gehen.

Nach zwei Jahren kehrte er wieder nach Paris zurück, besuchte dort die Académie de la Grande Chaumière, wo er sich mit der Aktmalerei, seinem langjährigen Steckenpferd, beschäftigte. 1948 schließlich residierte er für zwei Jahre in New York. An die Stelle des ursprünglichen Vorhabens, seinen Wohnsitz in Paris mit dem des Fotografen Robert Franks in der US-amerikanischen Metropole zu tauschen, rückte stattdessen eine Wohngemeinschaft – und letzten Endes eine enge Freundschaft. In dieser Zeit war Sanyu nicht zum ersten Mal kurz davor, seine Kunstkarrierepläne zugunsten seiner zweiten Leidenschaft, dem Tischtennis, aufzugeben.

Er soll den Boden von Franks Ateliers sogar als Tischtennisfeld gestrichen haben. Die Idee der Planänderung resultierte aus der anhaltenden, schlechten finanziellen Lage des inzwischen fast 50-Jährigen – er hielt sich mit Nebenjobs über Wasser und die vielen Ausstellungen führten nicht zum erhofften Erfolg. Sanyus anfängliche Tusche(akt-)zeichnungen, die er infolge seiner Kalligraphieausbildung in China meisterhaft beherrschte, wichen später der Kaltnadeltechnik und noch etwas später dem Linolschnitt. Zuletzt wandte er sich der Ölmalerei zu, die bis zu seinem Tod die präferierte Technik blieb.

Heute wird er als Teil der Pariser Schule gesehen. Sanyu starb mit 65 Jahren unter unglücklichen Umständen: Er erstickte an ausströmendem Gas, das sich in der Wohnung ausbreitete, nachdem er nach einem Abendessen mit Freunden vergessen hatte, den Herd zuzudrehen. Ein Freund von ihm fand ihn liegend mit einem Buch auf der Brust gestützt, sodass man davon ausging, dass er im Schlaf umgekommen sein muss. Sanyus Bekanntheitsgrad steigerte sich wie bei vielen Künstlerinnen und Künstlern erst nach seinem Tod.

Sanyu - Jambes croisées
Auction
Art contemporain - Vente du jour
June 2023
Christies, London
Est.: 20.000 - 30.000 EUR
Realised: 27.720 EUR
Details
Sanyu - Femme accoudée dessinant
Auction
Art contemporain - Vente du jour
June 2023
Christies, London
Est.: 20.000 - 30.000 EUR
Realised: 25.200 EUR
Details
Sanyu - Lectrice à la blouse jaune (Woman in Yellow Blouse Reading)
Auction
20th Century Art Day Sale
May 2023
Christies, Hong Kong
Est.: 300.000 - 500.000 HKD
Realised: 478.800 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Nu assis aux jambes pliées (Seated Nude)
Auction
20th Century Art Day Sale
May 2023
Christies, Hong Kong
Est.: 300.000 - 500.000 HKD
Realised: 630.000 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Kitten Clambering up a Chair; & Nude (double-sided)
Auction
20th Century Art Day Sale
May 2023
Christies, Hong Kong
Est.: 10.000.000 - 18.000.000 HKD
Realised: 20.945.000 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Reclining Nude
Auction
Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art
April 2023
China Guardian, Hong Kong
Est.: 100.000 - 150.000 HKD
Realised: 192.000 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Lady Reading Newspaper (Painted In 1928)
Auction
Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art
April 2023
China Guardian, Hong Kong
Est.: 150.000 - 250.000 HKD
Realised: 192.000 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Back Of The Nude (Painted From 1920S To 1930S)
Auction
Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art
April 2023
China Guardian, Hong Kong
Est.: 130.000 - 230.000 HKD
Realised: 240.000 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Seated Nude (Painted From 1920S To 1930S)
Auction
Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art
April 2023
China Guardian, Hong Kong
Est.: 150.000 - 250.000 HKD
Realised: 240.000 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Reclining Lady (Painted From 1920S To 1930S)
Auction
Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art
April 2023
China Guardian, Hong Kong
Est.: 180.000 - 280.000 HKD
Realised: 264.000 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Lady Sketching
Auction
Modern and Contemporary Art
April 2023
POLY, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
Est.: 150.000 - 250.000 HKD
Realised: 264.000 HKD
Details
Sanyu - Nu de dos
Auction
Art contemporain - vente online
December 2022
Christies
Est.: 10.000 - 15.000 EUR
Realised: 12.600 EUR
Details

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