
09.08.50
1950
Zao Wou-Ki's 1950 '09.08.50' is an oil on canvas that exemplifies the artist's abstract expressionist approach combining gestural mark-making with chromatic sensitivity. The work demonstrates Wou-Ki's characteristic fusion of Eastern artistic sensibilities with Western modernist abstraction. This painting reflects his innovative contribution to mid-century abstract art and color-field exploration.
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Location
- Phillips, Salt Lake City, UT
- Spotted At
- Auction House · PhillipsView on map
🔨 Auction Lot
20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Evening Sale
May 28, 2017
More by Zao Wou-Ki
Artists in conversation

Hans Hartung
French-German · b. 1904

Hartung similarly combined gestural mark-making with lyrical abstraction in post-war oil paintings, producing works with comparable earth-toned palettes and energetic brushwork that bridges European modernism with deeply personal expressive language.

Pierre Soulages
French · b. 1919

Soulages shared Zao Wou-Ki's mid-century abstract expressionist sensibility and chromatic exploration in oil on canvas, with a particular emphasis on gestural strokes and tonal depth that resonates with the earthy, contemplative mood of this 1950 painting.

Mark Tobey
American · b. 1890

Tobey uniquely fused Eastern calligraphic traditions with Western abstract modernism in a manner directly comparable to this work, creating gestural oil compositions that similarly reflect the synthesis of Chinese artistic sensibilities with post-war abstract expression.
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