Qin Haodong said: "If I exchange Picasso's paintings with Sir Owen for the twelve zodiac bronze heads, how many will it take for him to accept it?"
Tian Ye said: "Mr. Qin, it seems that you still don't know how influential Picasso's works are internationally. If you take out any of these paintings in your hand, collectors all over the world will flock to them.
Although the value of Chinese antiques and artworks has appreciated rapidly in recent years, in the eyes of many collectors, there is no comparability between the two.
Especially Sir Owen, who has a large amount of Chinese art and antiques in his warehouse. What he lacks is an internationally influential art piece like Picasso.
If you take these paintings in your hand and exchange them with him for the twelve zodiac bronze heads, maybe he will exchange one or two with you. If you take out all 4 of them and put them together into a picture album, then he will definitely hold ten in both hands.
The bronze heads of the two zodiac signs will be delivered to you, and perhaps some other antiques will also be given to you."
"Really? You won't lie to me, right?"
Qin Haodong could not believe his ears. In his mind, the bronze heads of the twelve zodiac signs were priceless treasures. Because of this, he painted 40 Picasso paintings in one go, fearing that he would not be able to replace them if they were missing.
Tian Tian smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Mr. Qin, how could I joke with you about such a thing."
Zhang Chaohui said: "Mr. Qin, don't be surprised, maybe you are not familiar with the international art market.
Although China has a long history and civilization, due to well-known reasons, more than 60% of its precious cultural relics have been lost overseas. This is an extremely large number, which is somewhat beyond human imagination.
But foreign works of art are different. It may take decades or even hundreds of years before an artistic genius appears, such as Mozart, Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso, Van Gogh, etc.
Precisely because of their scarcity, the rarity of things creates the value of these works of art. For example, Beethoven's handwritten staff once sold for a sky-high price at an auction.
Because of the disparity in quantity, it is very easy to find Chinese works of art in the international auction market and can be seen anytime and anywhere.
But if you want to meet the works of Picasso, Van Gogh and others, it is very difficult. Once the news of a Picasso painting is uploaded to an auction, it will immediately attract countless collectors from all over the world.
With Sir Owen's financial resources and influence, he doesn't even have a Picasso painting in his hands, which shows how precious it is."
Qin Haodong said: "I have long heard that monks from far away can recite sutras, but I never thought that works of art can be like this."
Tian Ye said: "Actually, it's not that Chinese antiques are inferior to foreign works of art. It's entirely a matter of quantity. After all, Chinese culture is too long and there are many outstanding talents, so there will naturally be more antiques.
Another reason is the problem of human cognition. The influence of great artists such as Picasso and Van Gogh is global, and almost everyone knows their names.
In the early years, China implemented a policy of isolation from the country. Calligraphy and painting works are more in line with the aesthetics of our Chinese people, and it is difficult for Westerners to appreciate and accept them. Therefore, there are many outstanding Chinese painters, but their influence on a global scale is not as good as
People like Van da Vinci.
For those collectors, the market value of the goods is not the most important, they value the reputation of the work more. In the eyes of some big collectors, maybe 100 pieces of Chinese antiques are not as good as one Picasso work."
Zhang Chaohui said: "In the past few years, the price of Chinese antiques in the international market was not high. It is only in the past few years that they have been speculated by some international speculators and auction houses.
However, in the eyes of European and American collectors, the value of Chinese antiques cannot be compared with that of Picasso's works. Among the ten most expensive paintings in the world, Picasso's works account for 4, but there are no ancient Chinese paintings.
"
Zhang Tieniu listened for a long time, and he was shocked one after another. He couldn't help but said: "Just such a naked girl, even the skin is hanging off, I really don't know what's so good about her?"
The black line at the end of the field said: "Brother, is this called art?"
Qin Haodong said: "Can you please help me, thank you."
After saying that, he waved his hand to Zhang Tieniu, who immediately took the two red envelopes he had prepared and distributed them to the two people.
Tian Ye and Zhang Chaohui said: "Mr. Qin, it is our duty to help you, so there is no need for this!"
Qin Haodong said: "Take it, it's not a big deal to have delayed you for so long."
Ye Ye and Zhang Chaohui were no longer polite and accepted the red envelope directly. In fact, they often encountered wealthy donors giving red envelopes when they went out for appraisals in the past.
The two of them went out and got in the car. Zhang Chaohui took out the red envelope and squeezed it. It was thin and there didn't seem to be much money in it. He said, "Mr. Qin seems to be a little too stingy."
Tian Ye said: "Don't talk nonsense. Mr. Qin is a distinguished guest of the old man. It would be nice to give him a red envelope."
Zhang Chaohui curled his lips: "What are you afraid of? He can't hear me here. Rich people are so stingy..."
As he spoke, he tore open the red envelope and found that it was not cash, but a check with a face value of 1 million.
"My God, this is too generous!"
Zhang Chaohui screamed loudly. If he were not in the car at this time, he would definitely jump up with joy.
Tian Ye also caught a glimpse of a check in his hand. Seeing his gaffe, he curiously asked: "How much is it?"
Zhang Chaohui shouted excitedly: "One million is actually one million Chinese coins. From now on, I will be rich when I go out to pick up girls."
Tian Ye was extremely happy after the accident. In the past, they often received red envelopes from customers, mostly worth several thousand yuan. This was the first time they encountered a big benefactor like Qin Haodong who could spend only 1 million.
What he didn't know was that Zhang Chaohui actually borrowed his help, and Qin Haodong was most grateful to him. The money was regarded as information fees.
If it weren't for Tian Ye, Qin Haodong wouldn't know that Sir Owen still has a bronze head with twelve zodiac signs in his hand, let alone Sir Owen's preferences.
After sending Tian Ye and Zhang Chaohui away, Qin Haodong immediately began to make preparations. He was going to find Sir Owen to replace the bronze zodiac head. He couldn't wait for a moment.
However, after what the two people said just now, he did not want to give away all his wealth. If he took out all 40 Picasso paintings, it might be counterproductive.
After thinking about it, he decided to take 10 pieces to Sir Owen first.
Since Nalan Wushuang didn't like those nude sketches very much, he packed them all into a canvas bag, then borrowed Uncle Cheng from Li Dongguo, got in the car and rushed to Sir Owen's house.
Uncle Cheng was very familiar with the road conditions on Hong Kong Island, and they soon arrived in front of Sir Owen's home, an extremely luxurious manor.
Different from the Li family's manor, here are basically European-style buildings. The buildings in the entire manor are simple and grand. If you didn't know that you were in Hong Kong Island, you would have thought you were in some ancient castle in Europe.
There were four tall Caucasian bodyguards standing at the door of the manor. Uncle Cheng first went over to tell them his identity, and then made it clear why he was here, and wanted to see Sir Owen.
The head bodyguard said: "I'm sorry, sir, you can't see Sir Owen without an appointment, even if you are the butler of the Li family."
"this……"
Uncle Cheng looked at Qin Haodong in embarrassment. He thought Qin Haodong had made an appointment with Sir Owen, but he didn't expect him to come to the door rashly. It is basically difficult for a person with Sir Owen's status to meet someone without making an appointment in advance.
Qin Haodong walked to the door, presented the wrapped painting scroll in his hand and said to the head bodyguard: "Please go and inform me now. I want to exchange some antiques with Sir Owen."
The head of the bodyguard said: "Sorry sir, Sir Owen will not see you without an appointment."
"Give this scroll to Sir Owen, and he will come out to greet us personally after reading it."
He didn't want to waste too much time at the door, so he directly used the soul-stirring technique.
"Okay Mr. Qin, please wait a moment."
Amidst the different looks in the eyes of several other bodyguards, the head bodyguard hurried into the manor holding a scroll.
In the manor, in a luxurious living room, Sir Owen was talking to the butler Fred. He said angrily: "It's been so long, can't we still find Picasso's painting?"
Fred said respectfully: "Sir Owen, there is nothing we can do about it. I have already said hello to more than a dozen well-known auction houses around the world, and they all promised to contact us immediately as soon as there is news about Picasso paintings, but when
There is no movement now.
This is not surprising. Who would sell a Picasso painting if they have one now? If I had one, I would definitely not do it."
Sir Owen said: "But in a few days, my friend Cantona will come to my place as a guest. As you know, Cantona is a big collector. When he sees me, he will not even have a Picasso painting here."
No, it will make me lose face."
Fred spread his hands and said helplessly: "Dear Sir, I understand your mood very well, but there is nothing I can do about it."
At this moment, the head of the bodyguard hurriedly walked in with a scroll, saluted Sir Owen, and then said: "Sir, Uncle Cheng, the steward of the Li family, and a young man came to visit Sir, and they are now at the gate of the manor.
"
Sir Owen said dissatisfiedly: "Cisse, have you forgotten that I won't see anyone who doesn't have an appointment?"
The head of the bodyguard said: "Sir, the gentleman named Qin said that as long as I give you this scroll, you will go out to greet him."
Sir Owen said angrily: "Don't look at it. I'm in a bad mood right now. I don't want to look at messy things unless it's a Picasso painting."