Top 15 entertainment events in 2011
- By Zhang Rui
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail
China.org.cn, January 2, 2012
5, Xu Beihong painting sells for record price
Poly Auction House auctioned a Xu Beihong painting for 266.8 million yuan (US$42 million) on December 5, smashing the previous world records set by the father of modern Chinese painting.
The traditional Chinese painting, which portrays three farmers cultivating their land with an ox, achieved a record bid after a fierce bidding war which started at a reserve price of 150 million yuan.
The record-setting painting, which measures 150 by 250 cm, was completed in 1951, and is Xu's largest work since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
The magnum opus was initially sent as a gift to Guo Moruo, a Chinese literary and cultural celebrity and close friend of Xu. It was later purchased by a collector, who commissioned the sale to the Poly Auction House.
Xu died in 1953 and is best known for his ink paintings of horses.
In December 2010, another work by Xu, depicting a group of southwestern Chinese residents drawing water from a river, sold for 171 million yuan (US$27.16 million), which at the time set a world record for modern Chinese paintings and calligraphy.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)