140 years ago, after becoming wealthy, American entrepreneurs quickly invested their fortunes in various luxury goods and collections of famous art pieces. In the 1980s, under the impact of a bubble economy, Japanese wealthy individuals became passionate about collecting masterpieces by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masters. At the beginning of this century, Middle Eastern oil tycoons also wanted to keep up and began to create their own art kingdoms. In the past decade or so, with the rise of China’s economy, Chinese wealthy individuals have also started to purchase Western oil paintings.
Today, let’s learn about the Western classic paintings collected by three of these wealthy individuals!
Gauguin’s “Morning”
“Morning” is a painting by Gauguin in 1892 in Tahiti, depicting a Tahitian woman bathing under a mango tree, and it is considered one of the more unique works of his life. At the age of 43, Gauguin moved to Tahiti and married a local woman. The work features strong colors and is full of the atmosphere of the Pacific Islands.
On November 7, 2007, Hong Kong businessman Liu Luanxiong won this famous painting “Morning” at a Sotheby’s auction in New York for $39.241 million. This was the second consecutive year that he purchased famous paintings at a high price of over a hundred million Hong Kong dollars at an American auction, making him one of the internationally renowned art collectors.
01 Lau Luen Hung
Picasso’s “Two Children”
“Two Children” is a painting created by Picasso in 1950 when he was 69 years old. In the painting, one figure is seated and the other is standing, both gazing directly at the audience outside the painting. Their facial expressions are distinctly cubist, and although the shapes are exaggerated, they are not the most intense distortions in Picasso’s works. The brushstrokes are relatively delicate and thoughtful.
The painting does not have strong, contrasting colors. The brownish tone visually unifies and stabilizes the painting. The row of circular wheels at the bottom of the painting creates a sense of movement within the overall tranquil atmosphere. Picasso uses perspective to depict both two-dimensional and three-dimensional spaces.
This painting is a cubist work created with Picasso’s son and daughter as models. The boy sitting in the picture is his three-year-old son, Claude, and the girl standing is his one-year-old daughter, Paloma. This painting is a typical representative work of Picasso’s mature style and was created at the same time as the world-famous “Picasso’s Dove of Peace.”
“Two Children” has been hanging in a prominent position in Picasso’s studio from the time it was completed until Picasso’s death, and it is a work that Picasso himself cherished very much. On October 4, 2013, the painting was bought by Wanda Group in New York for 172 million yuan.
02 Wang Jianlin
Monet’s “Water Lilies and Roses”
“Water Lilies and Roses” is a painting by Monet, described as a masterpiece of Impressionism and one of the important works in Monet’s artistic career. When creating, Monet painted three pieces on the same theme. This work is the largest in size among the three and is very precious. In the water garden, the roses are in full bloom, contrasting sharply with the soft pink colors reflected in the water, creating a delightful contrast. Monet captured the vibrant vitality of Giverny’s garden in the lush summer with joyful and smooth brushstrokes.
This painting was once collected by the famous art dealer and connoisseur Durand-Ruel. On May 11, 2015, Sotheby’s announced that Dalian Wanda, a Chinese company, bought the painting for $20.41 million at the “Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale” in New York.
Guo Qingxiang, the person in charge of the art collection of Dalian Wanda Group, said: “It has become a trend for many powerful Chinese enterprises to enter the international art market. The works with real artistic value are circulated internationally. Wanda Group will continue to collect works of painters that occupy an important position in the history of world art at international auction houses or private negotiation meetings to enrich and expand our collection system.”
Pablo Picasso, “Seated Woman with a Bun”
“Seated Woman with Braid” is an oil painting created by Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso in 1948. At that time, Picasso had just returned from the Warsaw Conference. His lover, Françoise Gilot, was pregnant with their first child, and the couple was having a disagreement. Picasso gave her an embroidered jacket in the hope of reconciliation, which is the jacket Françoise is wearing in this portrait, so it can be inferred that the person in the painting is Françoise Gilot.
In the early 1950s, Picasso lent this work to several European museums for his personal retrospective exhibitions until the Goldwyn family purchased it through the Galerie Beyeler in 1956. Samuel Goldwyn, a member of the family, was one of the founders of MGM and a well-known art film producer, who bought the painting in 1956. In January 2015, Samuel Goldwyn passed away, and the Goldwyn family’s heirs decided to auction off the family’s art collection.
On May 5, 2015, at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, Wang Zhongjun, chairman of Huayi Brothers Media Co., Ltd., bid a whopping $29.93 million for this oil painting. Wang Zhongjun stated, “I fell in love with this painting at first sight, and then I fell in love with the story behind it. The Goldwyn family is a legend in the film industry. In this work, I can not only appreciate the talent of the painter Pablo Picasso but also see the vision of the late Mr. Samuel Goldwyn.”
Van Gogh’s “Vase with Daisies and Poppies”
“Vase with Daisies and Poppies” is a creation by Van Gogh completed in June 1890. According to the introduction, this vivid and contoured work was completed a few weeks before Van Gogh’s death, showcasing the artist’s fervent artistic passion. At the same time, this work also witnessed the sincere friendship between Van Gogh and Dr. Gachet, and it was created by Van Gogh to pay for Dr. Gachet’s medical expenses.
This work originally belonged to the Impressionist collector Gaston Alexandre, and was later sold to the Paul Cassirer Gallery. Later, this work wandered to the United States and was purchased by collector Anson Goodyear, who later donated it to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, where it was exhibited for more than 30 years until the painting was sold at the owner’s request.
On the evening of November 4, 2014, local time in the United States, at the Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Auction in New York, this highly anticipated Van Gogh oil painting was sold for $61.765 million. Sotheby’s called it “the most important Van Gogh still life work to appear at auction in over 20 years.” The media later confirmed that the buyer was Wang Zhongjun, chairman of Chinese Huayi Brothers company, and it was a personal investment behavior.
