"There will not be art without women. Endless artistic sentiments originate from the womanly form." —WALASSE TING

The art of Walasse Ting is challenging to classify. Even though he studied briefly at the Shanghai University Fine Arts College during his youth, he nevertheless viewed himself as a self-taught painter who grew up and learned from his social environment. He resided overseas for many years after leaving Shanghai; his independent and uninhibited character was rarely found in Asian societies. He had some exciting times during his stays in Paris, New York, and Amsterdam.During the 1950s, Ting became closely acquainted with members of the CoBrA movement. Their shared philosophy: They were disinterested in geometric abstraction and social realism, but favored a natural and abstract form to interpret a passion for primitive art. Ting's passion toward his creative instincts and fearless use of colors originated from his subtle knowledge of Eastern culture, expressing allure and strength in his strokes as a result.

In the Dutch RTL 5 show "Trendies" at the beginning of 2000, renowned host Irene van de Laar interviewed Ting in his studio in Antilles, sparking an interesting conversation that displayed his true character. The show took the audience through a fuchsia corridor into a room bright with shades of purple and red. This was a room dedicated to Amedeo Modigliani, with five classic paintings of female nudes after Modigliani interspersed on the wall, evidence of Walasse's admiration for the master painter. There are two paintings on the right from the current auction. He brought back imitation paintings by unknown Vietnamese painters bought in Asia, and from 1997, he spent three to four years gradually contemplating, repainting, and re-creating. Upon completion of the pieces, he signed and dated the back of the painting. Walasse Ting was deeply influenced by Western modern art, and greatly respected masters like Gauguin, Matisse and Modigliani. Nicknamed "Butterfly Gangster", he was renowned for depicting women in his art and wanted to own a classic Modigliani nude painting, so he imitated Modigliani and meticulously painted unique female nudes in his style. Walasse Ting died of an illness in 2010, and the two rare paintings are now in the collection of his close friend who was associated with the artist for eighteen years.