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Chinese Painting Sells for Record Price
On
April 7th, a painting by China's Xu Beihong fetched 8.19 million USD,
setting a new record price for a Chinese oil painting. Protest painting "Put
Down Your Whip" went to an anonymous phone bidder who paid more than twice the
estimated price for the painting. The sale was part of the three-day Sotheby's
Asian Art 2007 auction in Hong Kong, offering 180 lots of both classical and
contemporary Chinese art.Xu, known for his portraits of horses and birds, painted "Put Down Your Whip" in 1939 as a critique of Japan's occupation of China. The painting's subject is Xu's friend Wang Ying, an actress who performed in many Chinese-language plays, performing an anti-Japanese street play in Singapore. Xu met Wang while holding art exhibitions in Singapore, the proceeds from which went to support an anti-Japanese resistance movement in China.
Born in Jiangsu province in 1895, Xu is considered a master of Chinese modern art. He served as the president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts after the formation of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and was one of Mao Zedong's favorite Chinese artists. Prior to the Sotheby's auction, "Put Down Your Whip" hadn't been viewed publicly since 1954, a year after Xu's death. Since then, the painting was passed around between various collectors.
Sotheby's told the press "Put Down Your Whip" sold for such a high price because the painting is exceptionally rare and represents a crucial period in Chinese history. CK Cheung, Sotheby's head of Chinese paintings said, "It's important because it exemplifies Xu's technique -- which is to have combined Chinese and Western influences." Moreover, the inflated prices of modern Chinese art can be attributed to mainland China's nouveau riche, who have become loyal patrons.
The previous record for the highest price on a Chinese oil painting was also set by a Xu Beihong work, "Slave and Lion," which fetched 6.88 million USD at a November Christies auction also in Hong Kong. Xu never did get to see the true monetary value of his work, but his oil paintings have become some of the most sought after pieces of art in the world. And 54 years after his death, the artist has become a central figure in China's 21st century art boom.
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