GAO XINGJIAN (b.1940) L'Astre, 2009GAO XINGJIAN (b.1940)L'Astre, 2009 Ink on paper, signed at the bottom right corner, framed. 115cm high x 106cm wide (45 1/3in high x 41 3/4in wide).高行健（1940年生） 星 水墨紙本 鏡框 2009年作 Born in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, in 1940, Gao Xingjian is best known for being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2000. Gao is a reminder of the close connection between painting and writing in Chinese culture and encapsulates the ideal of the well-rounded literatus. Indeed, his style can be characterised as 'writing/sketching the idea' (literally, xieyi 寫意), which allows him to create subtle, intuitive works that move between figurative and abstract art.Interested in literature and for a time a student of painting while young, in 1962 he received a degree in French from the Beijing Language Institute. During the 1960s and the 1970s, Gao worked in the capital as a translator while writing novels and painting, and during the Cultural Revolution he was sent to the countryside for re-education, at which time he burned some of his manuscripts. In the 1980s, he published experimental literary works as well as nonfiction, but after one of his plays was banned in 1986, Gao retreated to nature to avoid any further exposure to controversy; much like the traditional literati of Imperial China. In 1986 Gao was misdiagnosed with lung cancer, and began a 10-month long trek along the Yangzi river, which resulted in his novel Soul Mountain (靈山). In 1987, Gao Xingjian left China for Paris, and was granted French citizenship in 1997. In 1992 he was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.The expressive paintings that spring from Gao's introspection are characterised by a spontaneity of touch, and their ink tones that range from subtle greys to jet blacks can either swallow or emit light. The present lot, as indicated by the title 'L'Astre' (The star) presents an almost moon-like landscape, similar to a photograph taken from outer space than a traditional ink painting. Gao Xingjian's paintings are in numerous prestigious collections globally, including the Musée Guimet, Paris; the Nobel Foundation, Sweden; the Museum of Modern Art, Stockholm; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Singapore Art Museum; Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan; and The Chinese University of Hong Kong.