Zao Wou-Ki Beauregard

Etching and Aquatint, 1981

Limited edition of 40 (31/40)

Publisher: Maeght (Paris)

Printer: Atelier Lacourière et Frélaut (Paris)

Catalogue: Agerup 310

38.00 cm × 28.00 cm (sheet size)

25.00 cm × 19.00 cm (image size)

Signed in pencil

Certificate of Authenticity included

Condition: Very good

Arches paper

This work is currently stored at our affiliated gallery in France. While the condition is deemed good by local (French) standards, please note that standards for assessing the condition of aged items may differ between France and Japan. Please consider purchasing after acknowledging any signs of age-related wear (stains, discoloration, folds, wrinkles, tanning, etc.) typical of vintage items. We have not inspected the physical item ourselves. The work is currently stored in France, and delivery after ordering will take 2 weeks or more. Due to the nature of the work, returns after purchase are not accepted.

Work Commentary

"Beauregard" is a profoundly poetic work by Zao Wou-Ki that explores the fusion of poetry and printmaking.

This piece was created to resonate with the literary world of French poet
Philippe Jaccottet.

For Zao Wou-Ki, printmaking was not merely a reproduction technique but an important expressive medium for carving space and breath onto paper.

In this work too, delicate etched lines and soft gradations overlap, creating a quietly unfolding inner landscape.

The deep shadows of black sometimes evoke mist, trees, or the flow of wind, but no concrete objects are fixed within them.

Viewers are invited to let their gaze wander through the image, freely experiencing the space through their own memories and sensations.

Zao Wou-Ki's work deeply embodies the concept of "ma" (empty space), akin to Chinese calligraphy and ink painting.

Blank space is not merely an absence but a crucial element that evokes light, air, and silence.

Thus, in this work, the "unpainted spaces" create a richer expanse than the painted areas themselves.

Moreover, given its nature as a collaboration with poetry, this work possesses a unique serenity.

Rather than a turbulent composition, the canvas is formed by a gentle rhythm, like breathing, guiding the viewer into a meditative state.

Throughout his life, Zao Wou-Ki sought to depict

Nature
Light
Time
Presence

"Beauregard" is another outstanding work that sublimates sensations that cannot be captured in words into a delicate spatial expression through printmaking.

Title Commentary

Beauregard

is French for

• "beautiful view"
• "beautiful scenery"
• "good vista"

Etymologically, it is composed of

• beau (beautiful)
• regard (gaze, looking)

However, in the context of this work, it functions as a title that evokes

"the poetry of seeing itself"

rather than merely a landscape description.

It resonates remarkably well with Zao Wou-Ki's abstract spaces.

"Beauregard" (Beautiful View)