Five-character Calligraphic Couplet in Running Script

These paintings are from the collection of the family of General Zhang Fakui (1896-1980). Born in Guangdong province, Zhang was Second Lieutenant General in the Army of the Nationalist Party of China. He was an active participant during the Sino-Japanese war and had a prominent career in the army. He was successively appointed as Group Army Commander in Chief, Army Corp Commander in Chief and Military Region Commander in Chief. After the war, he was appointed a member of the Presidential Strategic Advisory Board. In March 1949, he became the Army Chief, but resigned in July and permanently moved to Hong Kong.

Although Zhang spent his life in the military, he saw the arts as an integral part of education and established schools to educate future generations. He also donated sets of important encyclopaedias to the National Library.

Paintings from this collection were sold in Christie’s Fine Chinese Modern Paintings sale Hong Kong in 2012 and 2014 with outstanding results. A Yu Fei’an and a Qi Baishi paintings from the collection are also available in Christie’s Fine Chinese Modern Paintings sale on May 29th. (Lots 1270-1271)