The oil painting Eulogy of the Yellow River, by the
late artist and film director, Chen Yifei, was sold for 40.32
million yuan (US$5.25 million) at Sunday's China Guardian 2007
Spring Auctions, to become the most expensive oil painting in
China's auction history.
China News Service reported that the deal was made after fierce
competition from bidders at the auction. The price finally reached
40.32 million yuan to make the work the most expensive of Chen
Yifei's and also a record among domestic oil paintings.
Wu Guanzhong's oil painting, Ten Thousand Kilometers of
Yangtze River, was sold at 37.95 million yuan (US$4.94
million) last December and set the record of most expensive oil
painting at that time.?
Previously experts were expecting Chen Yifei's oil painting to
be sold at a minimum of US$2.86 million at the auctions, but the
actual result is far better.
A preview was held on last Wednesday, where 2,000 paintings and
sculpture works, from a range of modern and contemporary artists,
were displayed. They would also be auctioned in this spring
sale.
The 297 by 143.5 centimeter work depicts a Red Army soldier
standing on the mountain top overlooking the Yellow River. The Red
Army was the name for the People's Liberation Army of China before
1946.
Chen Yifei is reported to have said he personally considers the
work beautiful, heroic and romantic.
It was produced by 25-year-old Chen Yifei in 1972, and is
considered representative of his early style. Chen Yifei died in
2005.
(CRI.cn May 14, 2007)
