Feb. 23, 2026 Est: $100 - $200 View sold prices
JOHN BORRACK (born 1933) Low Water Glenmaggie 1979 watercolour on paper signed and dated lower right: John Borrack '79 53 x 36cm PROVENANCE: Bridging Cultures: The Collection of Christine and James Tzeng Chiang Liao -a distinguished assemblage of Asian paintings and works on paper from the estate of the late Dr Christine McEchran Liao (1943-2025), founding director of the Chinese Museum in Melbourne, and her husband, James Tzeng Chiang Liao (1933-2021). The collection features works by important modern and contemporary artists including Huang Yongyu, Guan Shanyue, Zhao Shao'ang, Ding Yanyong, Huang Miaozi, Ai Qing, among many others. Born during the final years of the Second World War, Dr Christine McEchran Liao was one of twins to architect William Henderson Eales and microbiologist Jean Dudley Eales. In 1962, she entered the newly established Department of Oriental Studies at the University of Melbourne, becoming one of the institution's first students of Chinese language and linguistics. Christine's early fascination with Asia can be traced to her grandfather-a Scottish sea captain whose voyages stirred her imagination like a wind blowing in from distant oceans. Weekend dinners in the family home in Camberwell were often shared with visiting students from Singapore and Malaya. Asia, it seemed, had always been quietly guiding her path. Graduating with distinction in 1965, Christine received a full scholarship to study in Taiwan-the first time the University of Melbourne awarded such support to a newly graduated student. The move introduced her to a vibrant world of thinkers, artists and writers, and to the man who would become her husband-mentor, friend and future partner in life-James Liao, ten years her senior. Three months later the pair married, and their first son, Bill, was born the following year. While undertaking her master's degree, Christine returned to the University of Melbourne as a lecturer-the first alumna to teach in the Chinese department. Her MA thesis, completed in 1972, examined the works of modern romantic poet Xu Zhimo. Her doctoral thesis, completed in 1980, compared the symbolist poetry of Bian Zhilin and Ai Qing. She became the first Western scholar to earn a PhD in Chinese Studies at the University of Melbourne-an enduring testament to her devotion to the lyric romanticism of modern Chinese literature. In 1985, when the Chinese Museum opened its doors in Melbourne's Chinatown, Christine was the natural and unanimous choice as its founding director. Her fluency in Chinese, her passion for Asian culture, and her deep commitment to cross-cultural understanding positioned her uniquely for the role. At a time when contemporary Chinese and Asian art was gaining momentum, Christine recognised a profound absence within Australia's cultural landscape: a need for visibility, scholarship, and representation. She devoted herself wholly to the museum-juggling donors, sponsors, funding bodies, and community expectations-so intently that, as she joked, she nearly lived inside its walls. Her second son, Tristan, was born amid that whirlwind of purpose. During this time, James Liao served with Radio Australia, overseeing Chinese-language programming and producing extensive interviews with leading Chinese artists and cultural figures. Together, the couple co-founded the Chinese Artists Society of Australia, championing Asian art and artists across the nation. Their advocacy paved the way for exhibitions-including presentations at the National Gallery of Victoria-and helped foster a vibrant artistic community bridging continents. Among the family's closest friends was the celebrated artist Huang Yongyu, who visited Melbourne many times and stayed with the Liaos for extended periods. Huang was charmed by Australia's landscapes-most of all the soaring mountain ash forests of the Dandenong Ranges, which sparked new creative energy. Several works in the present collection were born from these visits, including portrait drawings of Christine's father and sketchbooks for her young son-rare and intimate gestures of affection. The Liaos also enjoyed lasting friendships with Guan Shanyue and poet-painter Ai Qing, whose inscriptions and dedications across works in the collection speak to decades of shared ideals, artistry, and camaraderie. This collection is, above all, a portrait of two lives lived across cultures. It reflects Christine and James Liao's scholarship, friendships, and unwavering belief in art as a meeting ground between worlds. More than a gathering of paintings, the collection charts a journey across languages, communities and continents. Here, art becomes not only a bridge between cultures, but a vessel of memory-carrying forward the spirit and legacy of a family whose lives were shaped by both China and Australia. 淡水河谷：单一藏家廖伊利斯博士（Dr Christine McEachran Liao）与廖增强（James Tzeng Chiang Liao）伉俪亚洲艺术珍藏 2月23日，LEONARD JOEL将隆重带来墨尔本澳华历史博物馆（Chinese Museum)的奠基人/首任馆长廖伊利斯博士（Dr Christine McEachran Liao），与其先生廖增强（James Tzeng Chiang Liao）伉俪的亚洲艺术书画珍藏，其中包括：黄永玉，关山月，赵少昂，丁衍庸，黄苗子，艾青等重要的现当代艺术家。 廖伊利斯博士（Dr Christine McEachran Liao）出生于二战时期，是建筑师William Henderson Eales和微生物学家Jean Dudley Eales的双胞胎女儿。1962年，恰逢墨尔本大学新开设了Department of Oriental Studies东方研究系，Christine如愿成为了墨尔本大学的第一批汉语语言学学习者。 伊利斯女士的祖父是一位苏格兰船长，远航的种种经历像一阵海风，为伊利斯捎来了对于亚洲最遥远的想象。在墨尔本Camberwell家中的周末餐桌上，父亲和母亲也常常会自邀请来自新加坡和马来亚的交换学生一起用餐。与亚洲的不解之缘似乎一直在引导着她未来的每一步。 1965年，伊利斯以优异的成绩从墨尔本大学毕业，并获得了去台湾留学的全额奖学金，这是墨尔本大学首次给予应届毕业生此等殊荣。来到台湾，她接触到了更多的有趣而鲜活的灵魂，像是换了一个世界，她的周围聚集着作家、艺术家和哲学家们的讨论，也遇见了比自己大9岁的老师，未来的人生伴侣，廖增强。三个月后，他们结婚了，第二年，他们有了第一个孩子Bill。 伊利斯在攻读硕士学位期间便被任命为墨尔本大学中文系的导师，成为该系首位重返母校任教的墨尔本大学毕业生。她的硕士论文于1972年完成，研究对象是现代浪漫主义诗人徐志摩。她的博士论文于1980年完成，论文比较了象征主义诗人卞志林和艾青。是墨尔本大学首位获得中文研究博士学位的学者。一个西方人，却始终眷恋着东方文学中的浪漫主义情怀。 1985年，澳大利亚华人历史博物馆（Chinese Museum)在墨尔本唐人街开幕，伊利斯博士也当仁不让的成为了博物馆的创始馆长。她流利自然的中文，对于亚洲文化的热情和理解，对于亚洲艺术的关注和积极推动，使她成为了这个角色的不二人选。80年代，正是中国的现当代艺术蓬勃发展的年代，伊利斯深切的感到亚洲文化与亚洲艺术在澳大利亚的多文化体系中的存在的认知上的空白。为了改变这个现状，伊利斯博士几乎住在了博物馆里，努力在捐赠人、赞助商、拨款机构和社区期望等各方利益冲突中寻求平衡。她的第二个儿子Tristan便是在这样积极而繁忙的工作中出生的。 届时，丈夫廖增强先生在澳洲广播电台（Radio Australia）担任中国部的工作，他监制的华语节目为多位重要的现当代华人艺术家做了大量专访。而在伊利斯女士的不懈努力之下，许多本地和国际的现当代艺术家得以将他们的作品在澳华博物馆展陈。之后，伊利斯与增强伉俪又共同创立了「澳洲华人艺术家协会」，致力于支持与推广华人艺术在澳洲的发展。在他们的推动下，协会成员作品曾在维多利亚国家美术馆展出，伊利斯与增强伉俪作为跨文化交流倡导者，也始终积极活跃在中西文化交融的领域中，并乐在其中。 著名的艺术家黄永玉先生，曾多次到访墨尔本，与伊利斯夫妇二人及两个儿子感情十分亲厚，多次在其家中居住。黄老的性格幽默豁达，十分喜爱澳洲的风土人情，尤其钟爱丹德农山脉的参天巨木，深得创作的灵感。本次收藏中，多件作品正出自此段往来，包括黄永玉为伊利斯的父亲所绘肖像，以及为其幼子创作的写生手稿，珍罕亲切。著名画家关山月，中国现代诗人艾青也是夫妇俩的挚友，在此收藏中亦可见多次为「澳洲华人艺术家协会」题字题诗作画，尽显文人风华。 廖氏夫妇的艺术珍藏，映照着他们融合和跨越中澳文化边界的一生，传递者他们的专业素养、私人关系和共同的艺术热情。这并非单纯的艺术品汇聚，更是跨越两种文化人生轨迹的叙述。在其中，艺术既是桥梁，更是一种情感的沉淀和精神的传承。 OTHER NOTES: © John Borrack/Copyright Agency, 2024
Leonard Joel 
