Rago Auctions

Born in Shanghai but spending much of his life in Europe and the US, Walasse Ting gained recognition as a prolific avant-garde artist, writer and poet. The self-proclaimed “Flower Thief” is best known for his exuberant paintings often featuring subjects such as cats, flowers and nudes in bright, joyous pigments with influences of Chinese calligraphy and Abstract Expressionism.

Though largely self-taught, Ting attended the Shanghai Art Academy before moving to Paris in 1947 to immerse himself in the city’s vibrant art scene. It was here that he became associated with the CoBrA movement and befriended artists such as Karel Appel and Pierre Alechinsky, who encouraged in their friend the expressive brushwork and vivid colors, which would become his trademark.

By the 1950s, Ting had relocated to New York where he continued to evolve his style, experimenting with Abstract Expressionism and Pop-Art. While his paintings brought Ting critical acclaim and popularity, he also published a number of written works during this time including the important 1 Cent Life portfolio. A collaboration with 28 of his contemporaries and friends, it featured material by artists such as Andy Warhol, Sam Francis, Roy Lichtenstein and Asger Jorn and proclaimed Ting's place at the center of contemporary art.

The widespread popularity of Ting’s work is as apparent today as it was during his lifetime. Critics and audiences embraced the charming romanticism of his images, which, unencumbered by political or cultural volatility, offered a respite from the intensity of much of the art being produced in the latter half of the 20th century. In 1970 Ting was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship and today, his works can be found in the collections of institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C., and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.