Ink-brush paintings sold for US$144m
“Twelve Landscape Screens,” a set of ink-brush paintings by Chinese artist Qi Baishi, is seen at Hong Kong Poly International Auction in this file photo.
A set of ink-brush paintings by Chinese artist Qi Baishi has sold for US$144 million, breaking all records for Chinese paintings, a Beijing auction house said Monday.
The group of 12 panels painted in 1925 were sold at auction on Sunday night in Beijing for 931.5 million yuan, Beijing Poly International Auction said in a statement.
The self-taught painter (1864-1957) became the first Chinese artist to surpass the US$100 million mark for one piece of work, the auction house said.
The work, entitled “Twelve Landscape Screens,” depicts mountains, villages and trees in bloom, with soft blue, grey, brown and pink tones.
The 12 panels measure 1.8 meters by 47cm. The buyer’s identity has not been revealed.
Qi was one of the world’s most valued Chinese artists last year, according to a ranking published earlier this year by Artprice.
The value of his work by auction turnover came in third behind his compatriot Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) and Spaniard Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) in 2016.
In 2011 one of his works, an eagle on a pine branch, sold for US$55 million in Beijing.
