Almighty painter

Chapter 312 The Head of the Painting Sect

"Artists from all walks of life have almost confirmed this matter ten years ago, but now that I hear you admit it in person, my heart can't help but speed up. This is really a historic node."

The reporter's face was full of excitement and honor, as if he was lucky enough to witness this scene and participate in history personally.

I don’t know whether Cao Xuan is a greater painter than Dali.

But he was sure.

The significance of Mr. Cao’s formal handover is no less significant than the impact on society caused by Dali’s 1974 announcement to the Spanish media that he would withdraw from artistic creation due to health problems.

It is always a big event for an artist to announce his handover or seal his pen.

This means that his art career has come to an end and no new works will be produced.

Since then.

Cao Xuan is just a living cultural symbol, not a super-great painter whose paintbrush can be used by a Federal Reserve money printing machine.

note.

This does not mean that the value of "Cao Xuan" has been reduced.

Quite the opposite, this is great news for all collectors who hold Mr. Cao's works.

To put it bluntly, this news made them excited only second to seeing the obituary of Mr. Cao's death on the Saturday night TV news.

His handover and death both represent the end of his creative life as an artist to varying degrees.

Starting from today, all works with Cao Xuan's seal on the market will become out of print.

Large galleries and art museums can start preparing for a retrospective exhibition of the old man’s career.

And art academies around the world can officially begin to chronicle Cao's life, artistic style and creative history.

We can even start preparing to write a biography of this contemporary art master and make a documentary film like "Mei Lanfang".

Hmm...Based on Cao's birth year, the academic community may also classify him as a modern art master like Xu Beihong, rather than in the list of contemporary art masters.

Anyway, it’s right that auction houses and the art market are getting dry.

Things are rare.

Pokémon cards are out of print and the price has doubled, let alone a great artist.

Usually when a well-known artist is shot, his hair will change several times, which is a common thing.

In 18, Mr. Cao announced that he would stop writing, and the market price had already risen sharply.

According to the news of this handover, not only has the average price of paintings painted by Cao Xuan increased, which is already astronomical, but also the value of the 43-year-old female artist in front of the reporter has also increased.

If the contemporary Eastern Xia calligraphy and painting world is still the same as it was during the Republic of China, there will be Southern Painting School, Northern Painting School, Shanghai Painting School, and Beijing Painting School.

After Cao Xuan officially gave up the position under his buttocks to his female disciple.

After Ms. Tang Ning’s title, she can be crowned with the honorific title of “Head of the Southern Painting Sect.”

The Southern Painting School is the literati painting of the scholar-bureaucrat class, which must be both pure and noble.

Castiglione almost feels like this.

Among them, many famous people are themselves noble ministers or relatives of the emperor, what are they, Erli, Badashanren, and serious descendants of the clan.

In history, most of these distinguished painters were guests of the emperor, and they were so awesome.

"Ms. Tangning, you are now one of the sixteen five-star painters in our buyer's guide."

"Before coming to the interview, I originally planned to say, congratulations on your achievement in the art market, but unfortunately, in my personal assessment, Oil Painting magazine will not raise your recommendation star rating because of this. After all, Leaving aside the painting itself, the peak of HK$400 million for a work is already too high for a 43-year-old Mesozoic painter."

The reporter sniffed: "Oh my god! I saw the media reports. I have been a critic all my life, and my salary in total is only the money of a random bracelet on your wrist."

The buyer's guide of an art publication is a section that provides buying advice for investors.

When determining stars for each painter, not only the artistic value of the artist's own artwork is considered, but also the buyer's return on investment.

In the field of medium and high stars above three stars, the stars assigned to them by Oil Painting Magazine, which sells more expensive paintings, do not necessarily mean they are higher.

In 08, Hearst's single auction was as popular as Ms. Downing's.

Tang Ning only sold it for more than [-] million Hong Kong dollars.

Fifteen years ago, Hirst, who was just 15 years old, made more than 40 million US dollars in one auction. That spring, he was the most prosperous artist emperor in the history of this planet.

It’s the same spring,
"Oil Painting" magazine openly lowered Hirst's recommended star rating, as if to play devil's advocate.

It dropped from six stars to four and a half stars, and was noted in the buyer's guide - [Currently, there are a large number of Hirst works on the market waiting to be sold eagerly.At the same time, parting ways with Gagosian Gallery brings uncertainty about career paths, so please be cautious. 】

So starting in 09, Hirst's works entered a long winter. Even if inflation is not taken into account, most of Hirst's works held by collectors at that time had negative returns.

"Oil Painting" magazine, like a prophet going against the current, predicted all this with ice-cold calmness when the market was at its hottest.

of course.

There are also many opinions that, just like the financial crisis and the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, the fact that investment magazines such as "Oil Painting" lowered their recommendation stars also played a crucial role in the collapse of Hearst's market.

The two things cause and effect each other.

"Oil Painting" feels that a certain artist is about to collapse, and it is difficult to think about whether he will collapse or not.

Even if you are Damian Hirst, the best in the world, you cannot escape this law.

In short, after Tangning's net worth rose significantly this time.

"Oil Painting" magazine is still willing to keep its five-star recommendation unchanged and give investors a relatively optimistic evaluation, which can already boost buyer confidence.

"However, now I feel it is necessary to retract this statement. Five stars is not high for the heir personally selected by Mr. Cao Xuan. I'm afraid I would like to congratulate everyone who bought your paintings at today's auction. For those of you, Teacher Cao Xuan’s words are enough to instantly increase your work by another 10 percentage points.”

"I think that after Sir Brown receives the press release from me, you will become one of the few six-star painters like your master Cao Xuan."

By the rules.

Before the senior management of "Oil Painting" makes a decision, reporters should not say anything that may greatly affect market price fluctuations.

For a small role like Detective Cat, Miss Irina can directly mention it with two and a half stars just by making a phone call.

Five-star and six-star painters.

All in all, I couldn't find thirty of them even after searching through the buyer's section.

Such changes in the ratings of major painters are endorsed by the golden name and credibility of Oil Painting magazine.

In an instant, a tsunami of billions of dollars of capital can be set off in the investment market.

Even when Miss Elena's aunt is still alive, whoever wants to be promoted to a six-star recommendation level needs the approval of all shareholders on the board of directors.

But the reporter still made an exception and spoke his mind.

Mr. Cao's officially selected successor deserves the honor given by Oil Painting magazine.

The board of directors will not stand in the way of such matters at this time.

Now is a critical period of restructuring and power struggle for "Oil Painting" magazine. Only the board of directors would be crazy to offend Mr. Cao Xuan, a cultural symbol with great symbolic significance.Think of how well Sir Brown can conduct himself.

The reporter felt that the chairman would even take advantage of this time when Mr. Cao announced the handover.

Cao Xuan mentioned that after Andy Warhol was shot in 1967, the representative seven-star throne that had been vacant for half a century was sold as a favor.

In the past, Oil Painting magazine was very noble and cool, and was not willing to pursue financial hot spots in the art market.

The Hong Kong spring auction was still in the preparatory stage when he received an interview assignment. "Oil Painting" was going to do a cover interview for Tang Ning after the auction.There is an implicit meaning of showing favor to Tang Ning, and more importantly, the meaning of showing favor to Tang Ning is Cao Xuan.

Flower sedan chairs are carried by everyone.

I'll give you a hand, and you'll give me some face.

I don’t expect Mr. Cao to side with Sir Brown in the fight between the Irina family and Oil Painting magazine.

Just sit quietly in the small Jiangnan garden courtyard and do your academic research.

It's good if everyone is in peace.

"A pair of masters and apprentices, two six-stars. I think this is also a kind of inheritance and succession? Isn't it?"

The reporter turned to look at the camera and spread his hands to the readers who were playing the video: "If this is not outstanding, what else is outstanding? Art history has not remembered Andy Warhol's apprentice or Picasso's son. Who is it? But I think history will definitely remember Ms. Cao Xuan and Tang Ning, two masters of the same discipline."

"I thought about what the title of our cover news should be - [Legend: Like the Master, Like the Disciple]"

"Cough cough."

Ms. Tangning cleared her throat, temporarily interrupting the reporter's emotional speech.

"Well, actually, the old man hasn't officially announced yet that he wants me to, um...according to you, want me to take over the brush from him."

The female artist looked at the reporter's stunned eyes and shrugged reluctantly: "At least now, at this moment, not yet."

"Then you say..."

"But it's just a matter of time. It doesn't matter whether the old man said it himself or not. I am definitely the most suitable one."

For some reason, Tangning's tone showed some obvious dissatisfaction.

"I'm afraid, Miss Tangning, strictly speaking, there is quite a difference. At least the confidence of art investors will be different. You know what I'm talking about."

The reporter was stunned for a few seconds.

He is also an old fritter.

The reporter suddenly noticed that Tangning's mood seemed to fluctuate abnormally when the issue of heir was brought up.

Huh?
interesting.

The reporter narrowed his eyes.

People from all walks of life have long felt that it was a certainty that Tang Ning would take over from Mr. Cao.

But now-

"Who else but me? Does it matter whether the old man said it himself or not?"

The reporter tried to figure out the subtle difference in the tone of the middle-aged woman in front of him.

His first reaction was, don't forget that Mr. Cao passed away suddenly.

wrong.

Mr. Cao has a lot of public activities this year. He went to Southeast Asia at the beginning of the year and will speak at the European Art Annual Conference in a while.

My body has always been strong and I have never heard of any bad rumors.

Then,

Perhaps Teacher Cao's family is not as peaceful as he imagined, and the issue of the successor-will there be another twists and turns?
His heart skipped a beat.

I thought that what I was interviewing was a touching drama about the master holding hands with the master. Unexpectedly, I might have unearthed a drama about a palace fight with an undercurrent of artistic painting.

This is simply... awesome!

The scene of the master's heirs fighting each other is no less interesting and topical than the scenes in Hong Kong's Taiping Mountains where wealthy families compete for property in villas.

Picasso's wife and lover had children out of wedlock and had children out of wedlock. They fought and cursed each other, swallowed guns, hung themselves, were deprived of visitation rights, and were expelled from the house. The drama has been gossiped by the art media from the day Picasso died until today.

There are a lot of autobiographies published from different perspectives.

Will this scene happen again in 2023?

Art circles value inheritance, and Asian art circles especially value inheritance.

The meaning and benefits behind the title of Cao Xuan's heir are no less than those of Picasso's family fortune.

"I would like to ask, your senior brother Mr. Lin Tao..."

The reporter was thinking about which apprentice made Mr. Cao suddenly have other thoughts.

The most likely one is Lin Tao.

He is the oldest, and is also the signature of Central Academy of Fine Arts. As the most powerful art school in Eastern Xia, all kinds of relationships are complicated, so he may not have the idea of ​​pushing Professor Lin Tao to take over.

Thinking about it this way, should I go home and clear out my stocks in exchange for some Lin Tao paintings?

Well, it could also be Mr. Liu Ziming, the fourth junior brother.

Rumor has it that Cao Xuan's two youngest disciples have always been competing to take over. Tang Ning's achievements are currently higher, but the fourth disciple Liu Ziming also has a personal advantage.

Although he is a Malaysian and Mr. Cao's only overseas apprentice, he is also the one with the best family background among his brothers.

Almost all of the few disciples who could become the disciples of Mr. Cao were from scholarly families, and none of them had particularly poor family backgrounds.

It's just that Mr. Liu is not an average person.

He was the third son of an old Malaysian Chinese shipping king. He was an elegant person who loved art but not business.Although the huge shipping group has long been inherited by his brother, he is definitely an extremely wealthy uncle.

In the art industry, the underlying logic is that wealth equals strength.

If he had the will, he might not have been eliminated from this succession battle.

"You may have misunderstood."

When Tangning saw the reporter's dazed look, she knew that the reporter was overthinking.

The woman shook her head angrily: "My brothers and sisters are all very good, and they dote on me very much. They won't compete with me. It's just that the old man is old and has a childish temper. Sometimes, he doesn't mean what he says. That's it. It will give some people thoughts they shouldn’t have.”

During this time, she was very confused about something.

At the birthday party that year, Tang Ning had clearly held his hand. Not to mention the outside world, at that moment, even Tang Ning believed that she was Mr. Cao's successor.

Why did you suddenly think of recruiting another disciple?
Go crazy.

Recruit a child who is not yet an adult into the school.

Does he fit too?
(End of this chapter)