If there is anything in Myanmar that is most famous, then it must be the jade auction.
In its heyday, mainland businessmen came to Myanmar’s jade market every year to purchase jade. The transaction volume reached tens of billions of dollars, accounting for one-third of the Myanmar government’s fiscal revenue. The jade economy was as high as the national income. More than half.
Correspondingly, this place is modeled after the jade public market. Those selling fish have a public market for seafood, those selling fruits have a public market for fruits, and those selling calligraphy and painting naturally have a public market for calligraphy and painting.
When Gu Weijing's taxi stopped, his uncle and a middle-aged man with shiny hair were already waiting at the door of the warehouse.
The middle-aged man was wearing a brown coat and had an upturned mustache at the corners of his mouth. Due to long-term smoking, the beard turned smoky brown.
"Hello Mingla."
Mustache was very polite and quickly opened the taxi door for Gu Weijing.
"Boss Wu, this is the nephew I told you about. The old man wants him to come and see the world this time." The uncle waved to Gu Weijing.
"Happy New Year."
Gu Weijing nodded towards the other party.
This Boss Wu is the second dealer who sold them the picture of kingfishers singing and bamboos before.
Today’s calligraphy and painting fair was organized by Boss Wu and several familiar colleagues. These few people control many local calligraphy and painting vendors in Yangon, and it is said that they hold a lot of money in their hands. Nice painting.
Several larger local galleries and all well-known collectors who are interested in antiques and paintings have received invitations from Boss Wu and others.
The market opened in the morning.
Gu Weijing saw that many people had gathered in the open door of the warehouse, including his uncle.
The uncle has been running the calligraphy and painting acquisition business of Gu's Book Gallery in recent years.
Gu Weijing originally had no interest in this kind of thing, but this time it was a calligraphy and painting auction that favored old paintings from the last century.
The works of the Impressionists have had a great influence on the group of painters in the past hundred years.
He wanted to see if there were any works that met his requirements in the hands of second-tier dealers like Boss Wu, who had a mixed collection of works. Even if he couldn't buy them, it would be good to have them appraised on the spot and go back to copy them.
So after talking to the old man for a few words at noon, Gu Tongxiang sent him over.
Perhaps it was because of the bamboo painting of kingfishers singing at first glance that the old man admired Gu Weijing's vision.
This time he was given a quota of two thousand US dollars, and together with the US$500 returned by Boss Wu, it was put in an envelope for a total of US$2,500.
Theoretically, U.S. dollars cannot circulate in Myanmar, but green Franklins have always been hard currency in any chaotic area.
In private transactions, the exchange rate quotas these merchants can offer are even higher than the official exchange rate quotas.
Their family is doing foreign businessPeople who do business usually like to receive U.S. dollars.
Two thousand five thousand, plus Gu Weijingaya still has some money, Ling Ling Zongzong should have collected it to buy a good painting.
This is also the reason why he wants to try his luck here.
"Mr. Xiao Gu, right? He is really a dragon and a phoenix among people, it's amazing."
When Mr. Wu, the mustache boss, saw Gu Weijing, he was not at all negligent because of his youth. Picked Brother Thumb.
This made Gu Weijing a little strange.
Boss Wu is much older than him. Although the business of Gu's calligraphy and painting shop is important to him, it cannot be called someone else's meal.
Considering that the other party was not very honest in dealing with him before, Boss Wu should be more polite, but this attitude is almost flattering.
It doesn’t make sense
“Your nephew has a lot of potential, and he is actually favored by Brother Hao. I heard that Brother Hao is very loyal to his younger brother. I think in a few years, I need Mr. Gu to take care of me."
Boss Wu handed the uncle a Marlboro and lit the cigarette for him himself.
Okay,
Gu Weijing knew what happened.
The business of this second-hand art dealer is divided into black and white.
Boss Wu's calligraphy and painting auctions are a white business. The real ones who make big money are the art dealers in the underground black market.
Many of the paintings in their hands are not known to have been obtained, and may even be stolen goods. They are considered clean as smuggled goods simply for tax avoidance.
European and American art museums, especially some less famous private universities with excellent collections or art galleries affiliated with churches, have been robbed and stolen. News comes out every month.
It would be strange for a famous painting worth millions of dollars or tens of millions of euros not to be robbed ten or eight times a year.
Interpol estimates that the art black market is a genuine tens of billions of dollars market every year.
The bald boss Brother Hao is a tycoon engaged in this underground black market and fake and stolen art works.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have told Gu Weijing so boldly that he could afford to buy a Ferrari within a year and live in a villa within two years if he worked for him.
Boss Wu obviously didn’t know where he heard the news, and mistakenly thought he was Brother Hao’s subordinate, so he became a little frightened.
"You are mistaken. Brother Hao did come to me, but I refused. I just want to be a painter down-to-earth and have no ability to eat that rich meal. No matter what Boss Wu hears None of the news is true."
Gu Weijing said expressionlessly.
“Uh, this”
The expression of Boss Wu with a mustache was obviously startled.
There is no way for a person like him to get involved with Brother Hao. He never imagined that someone would refuse the opportunity to make a fortune with Brother Hao.
The uncle, who was waving a cigarette and puffing away smoke, was also a little embarrassed.
Myanmar, rather messy.
The more chaotic the place, the greater the influence of this kind of underworld tycoon.
Ever since the news came out that his nephew was attracted by Brother Hao, it was obvious that his uncle would be looked down upon by others when doing business, and he actually quite enjoyed this feeling.
In his opinion, even if he didn’t want to get too close to Brother Hao, it would be fine if he didn’t refuse or agree. There was no need to be so cold-hearted and not give in to others.
"Let me go, your nephew would refuse Brother Hao's invitation"
Boss Wu's tone was filled with surprise, as if he was looking at a fool.
"Well, our family's tutoring is relatively strict."
Under Gu Weijing's stern gaze, the uncle finally answered honestly.
The smile on Boss Wu's face immediately turned cold at a speed visible to the naked eye. He shook his head, muttered something in his mouth, and walked away.
"Be more diplomatic. The world is not black and white." The uncle advised.
"Uncle, don't get too close to people like Brother Hao. It's best not to show any signs of it. White is white and black is black. If you mix a drop of black ink into the white paint, you will never be able to wash it. Not sure."
Gu Weijing disagreed with his uncle's opinion. He shook his head and didn't want to continue this topic. He was about to walk towards the warehouse ahead, but he was pulled back by his uncle again.
"How much money will my dad give you?"
The uncle took Gu Weijing's hand.
He actually doesn't have a bad feeling towards his nephew, and he doesn't have as big of an opinion as his wife does about the old man's desire to pass on the family business to his nephew in the future.
He has a sense of how much his daughter Gu Lin weighs.
Obviously she is neither a painting material nor a business material. In the future, she will be sent to a foreign university to be gilded, and then find a good son-in-law.
The uncle’s surname is also Gu, and he knows that someone will eventually inherit the family business passed down from his ancestors.
My nephew is obviously the type who has some talent for painting.
Uncle will also be happy for him if he becomes famous and starts a family in the future.
However, when he saw the thick envelope in Gu Weijing's hand, he felt a little uneasy. He felt that such a large investment in calligraphy and painting had to be made by himself.
"What paintings do you want to buy? I will help you advise." The uncle licked his lips. He had already regarded the money in his nephew's envelope as his own.
"There's not much money, it's all Myanmar currency."
Gu Weijing came with a mission, and he looked at the envelope in his hand very closely.
He knew that if he nodded, the money in the envelope had nothing to do with him, so he immediately refused coldly, and then stopped talking to his uncle and walked towards the warehouse where the public sale was located.
Although the auction of calligraphy and painting sounds mysterious, it is actually nothing more than an auction with public bidding.
The entire warehouse covers an area of several hundred square meters and has many exhibition areas.The booth is full of calligraphy, paintings and painting tubes. Next to it is the origin and introduction of the painting. Everyone has a small number plate when entering.
If you like this painting, then drop your intended price and amount in the small mailbox next to the painting, and the highest bidder will win.
Gu Weijing walked into the warehouse and walked around casually.
He is not interested in other oil paintings and watercolors.
Focus only on works in the Impressionist style.
Impressionism is, after all, one of the most influential painting schools in modern times. As expected, there are many paintings with Impressionism or Impressionist techniques.
The most eye-catching one is an oil painting called Mountains in the Snow, which was brought to Myanmar by a Japanese collector in the Taisho era.
This is also the highest bidder in this calligraphy and painting auction. The base price of the bid alone is US$12,000.
From the Meiji to the Taisho era, a large number of Japanese painters were influenced by the new art trend and turned from classicism to impressionism, and many Japanese collectors loved to collect Impressionist works.
In 1921 alone, collector Kojiro Matsukata personally visited Monet and purchased nearly 20 Impressionist paintings from him.
Unfortunately, although Japanese collectors hold a large number of Impressionist masterpieces, the one in front of Gu Weijing is not included.
Gu Weijing seemed to think that the quality of this painting should be similar to the works of the master group at the Singapore Art Exhibition he had viewed before.
Cannot reach the level of a master.
He released a calligraphy and painting appraisal technique.
Sure enough, there is almost no strong mental stimulation.
The name of the work is Mountain in the Snow
Sketch Technique v4 Professional Level 1 41025000
Oil Painting Technique v5 Professional Level 2
This painting is truly The valuable thing is that it was exhibited at the National Gallery of Myanmar as part of a private exhibition the year before last. The insurance policy next to the painting stated that the standard of insurance at that time was US$30,000.
Many collectors, let alone ordinary people, cannot understand the artistic value and technical skills of a painting.
But the more stories a painting has to tell, the higher it can be sold for.
How much a collector is willing to pay for a painting depends first on the author and then on the history.
As for the quality of the painting itself, sometimes the size of the oil painting is not as important in the minds of art speculative buyers.
For example, many of the seals next to ancient Chinese paintings were stamped by later collectors. If they are from famous collectors or royal collections in history, their value will increase. On the other hand, if a modern ordinary person puts his or her own seal on it, the value will be devalued, and at worst, he may be arrested for destroying cultural relics.
Not to mention non-professionals who regard art as financial speculation, even top-notch companies such as Sotheby’s and Christie’sTop art auction houses also like to use size comparisons to determine prices in the purchase brochures sent to collectors.
For example, Monet’s water lily series is a symbol of simple truth: the larger the size, the better, the more leaves, the more expensive.
The transaction price of a water lily at the brother's auction house next door is 20 million US dollars. The size of my water lily is larger than yours, and it is better than you. It will sell for 25 million US dollars
p>This mountain in the snow became the top bidder in this public sale because the collector who once owned it was well-known in Japan, had participated in art exhibitions, and had an insurance record.
Although the National Gallery of Myanmar is not a well-known art museum, it is not one of those pheasant exhibitions used to fool people for hype.
Many people were talking in front of the painting. Gu Weijing estimated that the final transaction price of the painting, even if it did not reach the standard of 30,000 US dollars, was not far off.
For him, what attracted his attention more was actually a ten-inch small impressionist style work in the corner.
Because that painting did not have so many stories to tell, it was just an unknown work by a small French painter, so it received much less attention.
There are shadows of Impressionism in the painting, and there is also a bit of aestheticism in the painter's brushwork. It should be the work of the painter in his transition period.
Although the minimum bidding price for this painting is only US$1,700, which is one-tenth of that of the mountain in the snow, the oil painting technique itself has even reached the level of v6 professional level three.
But it is still a pity that it is only a little short of the master's rating, but it still does not meet the minimum requirements of the task.
Gu Weijing arrived here around 11 noon and spent about three hours in the warehouse until 2 pm, looking at hundreds of works.
Except for those two paintings, none of these works were worthy of his calligraphy and painting appraisal skills. Most of them were in poor quality.
"It's a pity, after all, it's just a public sale held by a few calligraphy and painting dealers. Maybe I should go to the galleries in the diplomatic district in the afternoon to see if there are any fine works. But even if there are, they can let me move them. Did you go over to the easel and copy?"
Gu Weijing was a little confused.
This is the shortcoming of Myanmar, a country with relatively average artistic environment and economic conditions.
If you are in art galleries in Eastern Xia, Japan or Europe, even in second-tier cities, not to mention master-level works everywhere, but you still find one or two suitable works to copy. Very easy.
Gu Weijing even walked around the miscellaneous area.
The calligraphy and painting works in the miscellaneous area are even less interesting. Many of them are works by local students. Of course, the things here are not too expensive.
"Hmm"
Gu Weijing noticed that a woman who did not look like a collector had been wandering back and forth in front of a sparsely populated booth like a pendulum for a long time.
HersHis eyes were always looking at the objects on the stand inadvertently, and he was holding a lady's handbag tightly in his hand, and his expression seemed a little nervous.
"You are also looking at paintings." Gu Weijing was a little curious and said hello politely.
"Uh, no."
Female O immediately shook her shoulders unnaturally.
She is not a collector herself, but a translator for the Yangon Tourism Department. The Yangon government has recently had a big project.
Many international artists fly to Yangon.
While the woman was accompanying a painting master to visit the calligraphy and painting night market, the well-known artist accidentally saw a very good work at a street stall.
The master was He didn't stop at the stall, but promised her that she could get up to five thousand US dollars, and any extra money would be considered as remuneration for the translator.
There is a reason why the master did not buy it directly.
The master is a prominent figure in the painting world, and his appearance is very distinctive. Many people in the calligraphy and painting night market can recognize his identity.
If the other party shows interest in a certain painting, it is very likely that he will raise the price. It may only cost a few hundred dollars, but the master may not be able to get it even if he buys it in person for $5,000.
What other masters enjoy is this kind of pleasure of discerning pearls with a discerning eye.
Otherwise, if you go to an auction house, there won’t be any famous paintings.
Sure enough, when the translator found the vendor, he only offered $200. The translator was not in a hurry to close the deal. She thought she could grind it out a little longer.
Based on her understanding of these local vendors, she was confident that she could bargain down the price to one hundred dollars. Although she is a little greedy, one hundred dollars is what ordinary people in Myanmar earn in a month.
A few days later, when she went to the street stall again, the items were gone.
The wage earner who was looking after the stall said that all the items on the stall had been collected by his boss for a calligraphy and painting auction.
The translator searched in this warehouse all morning, and then found her goal again.
Fortunately, those who have the artistic vision of a master will always be a minority among the minority.
Especially since the objects were placed in the miscellaneous area, no one paid any attention to them all morning. The few people who saw the painting shook their heads and left.
When she saw someone asking, the woman immediately became nervous.
She was relieved when she saw the face of a minor, but she had no interest in saying anything to the other person. She snorted, turned around, and left aside. .
Seeing the other party's nervous look,
Gu Weijing felt even more strange.
He glanced at the booth where the woman O had been staring.
There are miscellaneous things on the table, arranged like a garbage dump.
There is a painting tube, a tablecloth, a few pens, two candlesticks, a rusty faucet, and several deliciousCoke bottle
The label on it says "Renovation of the Great Writer's Hotel", three pens used by Somerset Maugham in writing, several brass candlesticks, three fine oil paintings of the 20th century, two antique Coke bottles, packaged For sale, reserve price one hundred and fifty dollars.
Gu Weijing felt a little funny when he saw the label.
There is a reason why no one is interested in this booth.
There is an old colonial British hotel in the local area,
Because Maugham and George Orwell both lived in this hotel. Yangon people are accustomed to calling it the Literary Hotel, and every year many Western literary and artistic young people come to stay there.
As the passenger flow increases, hotels have been modernized in recent years while maintaining the original building structure, and a large amount of construction waste has flowed out.
Although Somerset Maugham and Orwell did stay in this hotel, you can claim that a few pens are used by famous writers, just like Dongxia, if it is a time-honored brand, you will have to write a paragraph about Emperor Qianlong Same story as coming to dinner.
That’s just to deceive foreign tourists.
The most valuable items on the table may be those Coca-Cola bottles from the early 20th century. Some Americans will indeed buy these as antiques, and they may actually be able to sell them for some money.
But, if you buy it and take it home, you may not encounter such a scammer in a year or so. The cost of time is also money.
With these scraps of scrap metal, there was naturally nothing worthy of that woman’s attention.
Something weird.
There must be something weird.
Gu Weijing thought of this, picked up the painting tube on one side, and gently unscrewed the lid. Please remember to collect it, the latest and fastest website is free to read without anti-theft