He Pan (潘鹤) Page 1
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Catalogue Number   Price   Approximate size Button
Tough Times, sculpture by Pan He 394. Tough Times, original cast bronze sculpture by Pan He, c. 1980

In 1956, Mao called for Chinese artists to make tributes to the "liberation of Hainan" by the communists.  Through his own research, getting hold of secret documents, Pan found that 40,000 soldiers forced fishermen at gunpoint to ferry them to Hainan and, thereafter, killed them to silence them.  Moreover, out of all of those original troops, when reinforcements arrived many months later,  only a few dozen had survived.

Pan was amazed to find that those survivors, two of whom are depicted in his sculpture, still remained dedicated to the cause.  He made this tribute to them and sent it along with his knowledge of the truth to Beijing.  After which, he fully expected to disappear, but, instead, one day, his sculpture was on the front page of hundreds of Chinese newspapers, renamed as a tribute to the Long March, spun by the communist propaganda machine.

The sculpture is actually modeled on one that Pan made, years before, about his father not being able to relate to his artist son (a copy of which is shown on the linked page).

This version of the Tough Times was made at the request of the Chinese government, in the 1980's, as gifts to other communist countries, friendly to China, with a total of 8 copies made in the series.

   $3,300,000  

46x46x37cm

18x18x14.5in

  
               
Guanyin, sculpture by Pan He 408. Guanyin (Guan Yin 觀音), original cast bronze sculpture artist's proof by Pan He

The Guanyin is a female bodhisattva associated, in Eastern Asian Buddhism, with compassion.  The name Guanyin (also, Guanshiyin) is a translation from the Sanskrit Avalokitasvara, referring to the Mahāyāna bodhisattva of the same name and is also revered by the Taoists as one of the immortals.  In her hand she holds a bottle of holy water from the lake in which Buddha's mother washed herself after Buddha's birth.  Buddhists believe that when one departs from this world, they are placed by Guanyin in the heart of a lotus and, then, sent off to the land of Sukhāvatī.

Indeed, the Guanyin is often depicted seated in the lotus position on top of a lotus flower.  However, as Pan's idol is Michelangelo, he tends to make sculpture of people with flowing robes, and this rendition of the Guanyin is more like a Christian saint.

Religions, after all, borrow from one another.  Both Buddha and Christ came from virgin births.  We have also recently seen painting from a Tibetan artist who put halos around the heads of the figures in his paintings.

Although Pan He's sculptures were originally Red, he later changed to subtle social commentary, and more recently has done sculptures of the Chinese minorities, in another type of social commentrary.  He has done a Buddha and several Guanyin's in different media.  The original large model of this one is high on a hill top in a temple, in Shanxi Province, in the north.  This sculpture of the Guanyin is rather unique in his repertoire of works.
   $675,000   30x40x112cm  
               
Marshall He Long, sculpture by Pan He 372. He Long, original cast bronze sculpture, artist's proof, by Pan He (潘鹤)

Marshal He Long was a military leader during China’s first revolution for democracy.  In the late 1920’s, he joined the communist party and Mao Zedong’s revolution.  He was a hero of that revolution, as the forces under his command in the "long march" were the only to increase in number, rather than diminish.  Later, during Mao’s Cultural Revolution, he was branded as an anti-party element and died in prison from diabetes, beatings and starvation.

Pan He made the original larger sculpture of the Marshall, in 1985, which included a horse, as he is usually depicted.  The original was made for He Long's hometown, in Hunan Province (pictures of the original are shown on the hyperlinked page).  To make up for the mistreatment of her husband, who was a true hero of the revolution, the Chinese government got together with He Long's wife to have a memorial made of him.  Pan He agreed to make it, but he wanted the Marshall in his battle gown and the horse made small so as not to take the eye away from He Long, himself.  The wife ultimately agreed. In this smaller, bronze version is an opportunity to display one of Pan He's well-known works, in your home.  His body is meant to echo the rock walls of the mountains behind the original monument and also to add to his substance as a leader.
 
Although Pan Fen is in charge of limiting editions of final versions to 9 copies, even he does not have a copy of this one, so, it is a very limited edition, which we have heard is only 3.

We also have a watercolor painting of He Long by Li Jin Ming, in our gallery.
 		  $100,000   43x24x15cm  
               
Bust (2), sculpture by Pan He 375. Male Bust (2), original cast bronze sculpture (Original artist's proof) by Pan He (潘鹤)

Several years ago, Pan He was bed-ridden from illness.  Never one to waste time, He produced about fifty small busts of men and women, sculpting them from clay and having them sent to his studio for casting in bronze.  Indeed the media has spun its own story about these pieces, dubbing the male busts as the 18 heroes.  That is not actually the case, and there were more than 50, including both men and women, many of which are still in He's possession.

We especially like this one.  It has a lot of character.

Recently (summer 2012), the Guangdong Art Museum had an exhibition of some of the works from the bed-ridden series.  As this is one of the few that has come onto the market, it offers a rare opportunity to own the work of this great Chinese sculptor, the Rodin of China.

   $12,500   23x10x9cm  
               
Mother Love, sculpture by Pan He 338. Mother Love, cast bronze sculpture (original artist's proof) from the Hakka Series by Pan He (潘鹤)

A mother provides love, nourishment for the soul, and roots.  Her arms are outstretched to always welcome and comfort you.  She is someone you can always turn to for a hug, advice, or a place to stay when you feel the whole world is against you.  In this beautiful, thoughtful sculpture, the mother is portrayed as a person, in her upper half and as a solid tree with solid roots for her bottom half.

Pan He always has an interesting statement to make with his art, and this sculpture is a great example of his work.

This is one in a series of studies of the Hakka, in sculpture, by Pan He, and it is an original artist's proof.  Pan Fen, Pan He's son, also makes a copy of this one and signs his father's name, but it is on a pedestal.  You can also see his version in the hyperlinked page so as not to be fooled.

   $80,000   15x25x45cm

6x10x18in		  
               
               
We have other sculptures by Pan He available in the gallery, which have not been included in the on-line gallery.  Please call or email for further details, and will will email further information to you, directly.
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