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April 20, 2014

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HK exhibition explores China’s sexual past

ANCIENT paintings of fornicating Chinese couples and phalluses made of stone are among items that Dutch art collector Ferdinand Bertholet hopes will help China reconnect with its sexually charged past.

Explicit works spanning from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) are among more than 100 pieces on display in Hong Kong, drawing surprise and giggles from some viewers unaware of China’s ancient relationship with sex.

In one painting, two women share a very intimate moment with a phallus, while other items at the “Gardens of Pleasure” exhibition organized by Sotheby’s includes penis shaped objects made from stone, ceramics and bronze.

Bertholet, whose collection of Chinese erotic art is the world’s largest with around 500 pieces, said such explicitness should not be considered crude or pornographic, instead representing harmony with the Taoist philosophy.

“Chinese art is so different in its expression than other erotic expressions because it has a philosophical background,” said the 61-year-old, adding that Taoism sees sex as a path to happiness and longevity.

Many paintings are set in gardens, representing the Taoist aspect of being at one with nature, the collector said.

“Maybe this exhibition will help so that especially the Chinese people will recognize the philosophy of their own past,” Bertholet said.

Bertholet became fascinated by Chinese erotic art when he saw a collection of paintings as an art student in Holland.

“I was flabbergasted because of its beauty, because of the harmony,” Bertholet said, adding that the works inspired his own paintings.

He purchased his first piece in Hong Kong in the 1970s, sparking a quest that led him to major cities in Europe and in the US, amassing a collection that has been exhibited in major international galleries including the Barbican in London and the Cernuschi Museum in Paris, among others.

“I wanted to share my passion ... to have other people appreciate this kind of art,” he said.

Other pieces at the Sotheby’s exhibition, which runs through May 3, include a set of seven small porcelain figures depicting couples happily having sex.

The highlight of the exhibition is a set of eight erotic paintings commissioned by the Kangxi Emperor during the Qing Dynasty.


 




 

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