Shanghai Art Fair showcases diverse works

The Writer at His Desk. Photos: Courtesy of the organizers

Aiming to be a win-win platform for both galleries and art buyers, the 2013 Shanghai Art Fair raised its curtain Thursday at ShanghaiMART in Changning district. This year is the 17th edition of the annual event.

With an exhibiting area of 24,000 square meters, the fair, which will last until Sunday, has attracted 143 galleries from China and abroad this year, presenting more than 1,000 artworks, covering paintings, etchings, photographs, sculptures and porcelains.

The 2012 fair welcomed 50,000 visitors and, just as it had in 2011, achieved a trade volume of more than 100 million yuan ($16.42 million), which was twice the figure in 2009.

Taking "Purchase art and love art" as its slogan, the event this year aims to attract more middle and upper-middle class buyers, according to Gu Zhihua, the deputy secretary of the organizing committee of the fair.

Austrian gallery Steiner will present the print works of masters such as Vincent van Gogh and Egon Schiele. The works on view include The Writer at His Desk by the Dutch impressionist and the Austrian expressionist's Portrait of Wally Neuzil and Self-portrait with Chinese Lanterns.

Shanghai-born artist Chen Yiming - the younger brother of well-known oil painter, director and cultural entrepreneur Chen Yifei - also brings 30 oil works to the exhibition. Chen returned to Shanghai in 2002 after spending two decades in the US. The works on view capture his nostalgic memories of Shanghai by depicting both urban life and natural landscapes.

Also on view are three horse sculptures from South Korean artist Bahk Seon-ghi. Titled Great Expectation, the work features one white horse and two black horses from Bahk's well-known Point of View series.

Bahk graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan in 2002 and won the 9th Kim Chong-yung sculpture award in 2006. His works aim to break free from the common viewing experience in which people can regard things from different angles, and instead forces the audience to look at his work from one viewpoint.

On the third floor of the venue, 52 emerging young artists that have been selected from art academies in China will present more than 120 artworks.