Chicken and Rock

WANG ZHEN (1867-1938)
Chicken and Rock
Hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper
102 x 43.5 cm. (40 ¹⁄₈ x 17 ¹⁄₈ in.)
Inscribed and signed, with three seals of the artist
Dated autumn, eighth month, yiwei year (of Guangxu reign, 1895)
Dedicated to Jishi

Liu Bonian (1902-1990), also known as Siruo and Qian, was born in Sichuan Province. He was a member of the Shanghai Research Institute of Culture and History, Xiling Seal Art Society, and Shanghai Artists Association. Liu grew up in poverty and was admitted to the Sichuan Fine Art Institute in Chengdu when he was 20. Liu was fascinated by Wu Changshuo’s paintings when he first began to practise art. He travelled to Shanghai, hoping to visit Wu Changshuo, but his dream never materialized. Liu then started to study art with Wang Geyi. While in Shanghai, he also ran a Sichuan restaurant and made acquaintances with celebrities there. In middle age, Liu returned to practising painting after successfully succeeding in his business. His works were chosen to be exhibited in London and Paris in 1945, and he held a solo exhibition in Shanghai in the winter of 1983 when he was eighty-one years old.

Liu Bonian had a fine collection of paintings from the Shanghai School, focusing on masters like Wu Changshuo, Wang Zhen, and Wang Geyi, with their paintings from alternative periods, including those from the early years. His family has carefully preserved the paintings, and part of the collection was presented at 2024 Christie’s Spring auction.