All the sketches are in black and white, with distinct shades and tones. Picasso used extremely simple strokes to create a series of images that drive people crazy.
Whether it's the naked women with slightly shy expressions or the innocent children chasing and playing, they all appear so lifelike, as if they're about to leap off the page.
Although Zhuang Rui could distinguish the authenticity of these sketches, he had no knowledge of the international art market and was completely clueless about the market value of these genuine Picasso works.
"Zhuang Rui, I can't help you with that, but I heard last year that a book of seven Picasso sketches sold for eight million dollars. You have thirty-two here, so it must be even more expensive, right?"
Although jewelry and Picasso's paintings are both works of art, Qin Xuanbing didn't really know much about them. She had only seen some information about Picasso in the information of some auction houses.
"I see?"
Zhuang Rui carefully put the painting away and lowered his head in thought. After a while, he looked up and said, "Let's go take a shower first. I'll ask Huangfu Yun to let us have dinner together tonight..."
Qin Xuanbing nodded obediently. She knew Zhuang Rui was up to something again, because they had agreed to have a candlelight dinner that morning. ...
"A Picasso painting?"
Zhuang Rui clearly underestimated Picasso's influence abroad. After he almost whispered to Huangfu Yun that he had more than thirty Picasso sketches, Huangfu Yun almost shouted out the question, which drew the attention of everyone in the Western restaurant.
"Can you please be a little more composed?"
Zhuang Rui glared at Huangfu Yun with annoyance. Luckily, Huangfu Yun was speaking Chinese. Otherwise, if the people here knew that he had Picasso's paintings, those international thieves might come after him.
This has happened before. Some billionaires abroad often hire international thieves to steal valuable artworks from museums or private homes in order to acquire their desired pieces.
Of course, even if they acquire these artworks, they can only appreciate them within their own small circle and keep them extremely secret; otherwise, Interpol would probably be on their radar immediately.
"Brother Zhuang, even if I have a strong heart, you can scare me to death. First it was the light-fixing sword, and now it's Picasso's sketches. How come all the good stuff ends up with you?"
Huangfu Yun angrily cut off a piece of steak with his knife and fork, put it in his mouth and chewed it vigorously, as if only in this way could he vent his frustration.
"By the way, can you be sure that all those sketches are real?"
After swallowing the steak with Zhuang Rui as his imaginary rival, Huangfu Yun suddenly thought of this question. He and Qin Xuanbing had the same idea: Zhuang Rui might be very knowledgeable about Chinese antiques, but compared to foreign art, they were two almost completely different fields.
Zhuang Rui slowly took a sip of red wine, nodded, and said, "It's probably 90% real, Brother Huangfu. If you don't believe me, you can have it authenticated..."
Huangfu Yun was a little confused by Zhuang Rui's meaning and said, "What does the treasure you found have to do with me? What do I have to do with you? What do I have to trust or distrust?"
“Hey, Brother Huangfu, don’t you have connections abroad? I’m thinking of this: tomorrow you invite the organizing committee of this auction, and then invite the people from the Guimet Museum. I want to discuss a business deal with them…”
Zhuang Rui looked around and shared his thoughts. In fact, ever since he received this batch of sketches, Zhuang Rui had been thinking about how to deal with them.
As for keeping it for his own collection? Zhuang Rui really doesn't appreciate this style of sketching from abroad. Besides, if he were to spend all his time sketching naked women, his backyard would definitely be in turmoil.
If he didn't want to keep them, then he would have to sell them. However, Zhuang Rui wasn't short of money, and he didn't want to simply sell these sketches. For some people, money couldn't measure the value of these drawings.
Although he didn't know the market price of these paintings, Zhuang Rui knew Picasso's status among international collectors—he was absolutely the center of attention. If he were to announce that he was going to auction Picasso's drawings, collectors all over the world would be shocked.
Compared to Picasso's works, Chinese artworks, which have appreciated rapidly in recent years, seem insignificant; in the minds of foreigners, the two are simply incomparable.
Therefore, Zhuang Rui had an idea in his mind: could he use these Picasso sketches to exchange for the Chinese collection that was about to be auctioned or that existed in the Guimet Museum?
Those precious cultural relics were stolen by the ancestors of foreign robbers, but Zhuang Rui essentially got these Picasso works for free. It's a tit-for-tat situation where neither side loses out.
Chapter 633 A Clash of Titans (Part 2)
The precious Chinese cultural relics that appear in foreign museums all have their historical background. Most of them were donated by the descendants of the Eight-Nation Alliance, and the number of them is quite considerable.
The Guimet Museum in Paris alone houses more than 20,000 Chinese artworks, including Neolithic jade artifacts, bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, horse ornaments and chariot fittings, bronze mirrors, ancient coins, and lacquerware.
In the field of sculpture, the Guimet Museum not only possesses some large-scale works showcasing Buddhist art, but also has collections from the Han and Tang dynasties. In the field of decoration, it presents a complete historical picture, reflecting the technological innovations in the history of porcelain through more than 10,000 pieces of ceramics, coarse porcelain, celadon, and hard porcelain.
In addition, the Guimet Museum houses more than a thousand paintings from the Tang to the Qing dynasties. It can be said that, apart from some porcelain pieces, almost every work there would be considered a first-class cultural relic if it were brought to China.
As the saying goes, things are valued for their rarity. With the increase in the number of Chinese artworks, foreigners have not paid much attention to them.
For example, some of the Chinese Qing Dynasty court paintings and ceramics donated to the Guimet Museum by the French General Frey are stored in the museum's warehouse and have never been exhibited.
China has a long history and civilization spanning five thousand years. Due to well-known reasons, approximately 60% of its precious cultural relics have been lost overseas. This is an extremely large number, estimated to be in the millions.
However, the situation is different for artworks abroad. In other countries, it may take decades or even centuries for a genius artist to emerge, such as Mozart, Beethoven, Van Gogh, and Picasso.
Although the two mentioned above are music masters, they are still within the realm of art. For example, Beethoven's handwritten sheet music once fetched an astronomical price at auction. Similarly, the violins used by Mozart are also highly sought after by many collectors.
However, it's important to know that Mozart only used a few violins, and Beethoven composed even fewer original works. Even though Picasso was a prolific painter who created over 60,000 works in his lifetime, that's not a huge number considering the number of collectors worldwide.
As the only person in art history to witness his own work being collected by the Louvre during his lifetime, Picasso's fame is self-evident. During his lifetime, tens of thousands of his works had already been acquired by others and rarely circulated on the market.
Therefore, it is easy to find Chinese artworks in the international art auction market, and they are frequently seen. However, it is extremely difficult to find works by Picasso, Van Gogh, and others. Auctions featuring their works often attract major collectors from all over the world.
This is not to say that Chinese antiques are inferior to foreign artworks; it's just a matter of quantity and the perception of foreign collectors. The influence of artists like Picasso and Van Gogh is global; their names can be heard almost anywhere people live.
Because China was closed off from the world in its early years, and its calligraphy and painting styles were mostly abstract and freehand, they were not appreciated or accepted by foreigners. Therefore, the influence of some great calligraphers and painters throughout history was obviously not as great as that of Leonardo da Vinci and Picasso.
However, everyone has their own preferences. In Zhuang Rui's eyes, the things left by his ancestors are naturally better. That's why Zhuang Rui had this idea: to use Picasso's works to exchange for Chinese cultural relics that were lost abroad.
"Brother Huangfu, what do you think of my idea?"
Zhuang Rui told Huangfu Yun his thoughts completely, because he didn't have any connections in the international art collecting circle, while Huangfu Yun had frequented various auctions over the years and knew many well-educated collectors and museum representatives.
Huangfu Yun clearly hadn't fully processed Zhuang Rui's words. He sat there pondering for a long while before finally speaking, "Brother, are you really willing to part with those Picasso works? You know, those are collectibles that everyone dreams of..."
"What I've always dreamed of?"
Zhuang Rui curled his lip in disdain and said, "Whoever brings me a bronze artifact on par with the Dingguang Sword, I'll trade all thirty-two sketches for it. I'm not into that kind of stuff; they're all sketches of naked old women, their flesh drooping, what's so interesting about them..."
"Couldn't you have put it more tactfully? It's all about art..."
Sitting next to him, Qin Xuanbing couldn't stand it anymore and pinched Zhuang Rui hard in annoyance. As women get older, their skin always becomes loose, and Qin Xuanbing didn't want to hear such comments about herself in the future.
"Hehe, my dear wife, you're getting old, but you're still my precious darling..."
After arriving abroad, Zhuang Rui felt very relaxed. Perhaps influenced by the romantic city of Paris, he became much bolder in his speech, making Qin Xuanbing blush.
"Come on, you two should find somewhere else to flirt..."
Huangfu Yun rolled his eyes impatiently. Wasn't this just taking advantage of his lack of women? However, Zhuang Rui had really ignited Huangfu Yun's anger. If he didn't want to use his five fingers to relieve his lust tonight, it seemed he would have to go to a bar to "show off his national prestige" again.
"Brother Huangfu, do you think what I'm saying can be done? If not, I'll just take all those manuscripts back to China. Who's going to beg these foreigners for anything then..."
Seeing that Huangfu Yun was getting impatient, Zhuang Rui quickly changed the subject, thinking that he should at least consider the feelings of single, older men.
"It's not impossible to exchange collections with private individuals and museums abroad, but there's a prerequisite: your sketches must be genuine..."
As Huangfu Yun spoke, he suddenly became excited and continued, "If it's true, brother, then this deal is going to be a success. We won't be done until we've ripped the foreigner off..."
Zhuang Rui's actions were essentially a barter, similar to exchanges between domestic collectors, only elevated to an international level. Huangfu Yun's understanding of the value of Picasso's works far surpasses Zhuang Rui's.
Since Picasso's death, his works have only been auctioned once every three to five years. If all of Zhuang Rui's paintings are genuine, they will surely cause a huge stir in the international auction market.
"Oh? Brother Huangfu, how do we strike the right balance?"
Zhuang Rui understood that the Picasso paintings he owned were extremely rare and valuable, and he certainly couldn't exchange them for Chinese cultural relics of equal value. However, Zhuang Rui didn't understand the international auction market, and he was afraid that if he set the price too high, he would scare away those people.
Huangfu Yun laughed and said, "Thirty-odd sketches, if they were all really Picassos, hehe, you think you can trade them for a single scimitar? Show them that, they'd be more likely to give us at least ten, and they'd have to beg us to trade them..."
"Damn, that's too ruthless! Will they even switch?"
Zhuang Rui was startled by Huangfu Yun's words. These antiques all have prices. National treasures like the Dingguang Sword are extremely valuable in the international auction market. Although Picasso's works are rarely auctioned, they are still circulated among the people. Would anyone do a deal that is obviously a loss for them?
"Yes, someone will definitely trade," Huangfu Yun nodded affirmatively, saying, "Auction houses won't trade; they prioritize maximizing profits. But some private collectors who admire Picasso's works, and museums that own Chinese art, will definitely trade. For those people, the market value of the collection isn't the most important thing; they value the work's reputation. In the minds of some major collectors, 100 Chinese antiques might not be worth as much as one Picasso piece..."
Zhuang Rui was not angry when he heard Huangfu Yun's words, because he knew that Huangfu Yun was telling the truth. In previous years, the prices of Chinese antiques on the international market were not high. It was only in recent years that the prices were driven up by some international speculators and auction houses.
However, in the minds of many collectors in Europe and America, the value of Chinese antiques is still far from comparable to that of works by Van Gogh, Picasso, and others. This can be seen from the 10 most expensive paintings ever sold at auction, four of which are works by Picasso, but none of which are ancient Chinese paintings.
"Brother Huangfu, I'm going to London in a few days, so you'd better hurry up and make the most of your time..."
After thinking for a moment, Zhuang Rui still told Huangfu Yun that it didn't matter whether he attended the Paris Chinese Art Auction or not, but his time was really tight, and he had to do what his mother-in-law had asked him to do.
"Don't worry, brother, this time we'll make those foreigners bleed a lot..."
Huangfu Yun was excited just thinking about it, and then said, "Alright, I'm not eating this meal anymore. I'm going to go find someone first. By the way, brother, you have to make sure that thing is real, otherwise I won't be able to stay in this circle abroad..."
In the past few days, a considerable number of people have come from all over the world to attend this Paris auction, including some billionaire collectors. They are all Huangfuyun's sales targets, and Huangfuyun also knows that these people have some precious cultural relics from China in their homes.
After Huangfu Yun left, Zhuang Rui immediately called Peng Fei. Hearing Huangfu Yun's words, Zhuang Rui felt a mix of anxiety and uncertainty. If the sketches were stolen, he'd be devastated. It was better to let Peng Fei keep them safe. ...
"Brother Zhuang, where are you? In your hotel room? Good, get ready, I'm bringing an English friend over, we'll be there soon..."
Zhuang Rui had just returned to his hotel room when he received a call from Huangfu Yun.
Chapter 634 Professional Ethics
"Zhuang Rui, what's wrong?"
When Qin Xuanbing saw Zhuang Rui take the phone, her expression turned strange, and she couldn't help but ask a question.
"It's alright. Huangfu Yun said he'll bring people to see those Picasso sketches soon. Xuanbing, why don't you go inside and watch TV? I'll entertain them in the living room..."
It hadn't even been an hour since Zhuang Rui parted ways with Huangfu Yun at the restaurant. He hadn't expected Huangfu Yun to be so efficient. Peng Fei had only just arrived; the guy had gone out to buy perfume for his girlfriend. French perfumes are world-renowned.
"Okay, Zhuang Rui, good luck!" Qin Xuanbing obediently waved her fist at Zhuang Rui before going into the room. They were staying in a deluxe suite, which had a living room outside for handling official business. ...
"Huangfu, you and I have known each other for several years. You wouldn't lie to me about something like this, would you? Are you sure that it's a Picasso sketch?"
In a car heading towards Zhuang Rui's hotel, an Englishman in a tuxedo was chatting with Huangfu Yun in broken Chinese. Next to him sat a white man who looked to be around fifty years old.
This Englishman is named Ezkenazi, a very famous collector in London, England. The Ezkenazi family is a very influential collector of Chinese art worldwide. To date, three of the ten highest-priced Chinese porcelain auction records are from the Ezkenazi family collection.
The reason why the Ezkenazi family possessed so many Chinese artworks was, of course, inseparable from their ancestors. Like the Frenchman Frey, they had all participated in the looting of the Old Summer Palace.
To become a world-class collector, it is not enough to lack precious cultural relics from China, or to have only cultural relics from China; you also need Western art.
The Ezkenazi family has no shortage of Chinese antiques, but they don't have many Western artifacts. So after receiving Huangfu Yun's call, Ezkenazi abandoned a dinner party he was attending, immediately took his appraiser, drove to pick up Huangfu Yun, and headed to the hotel where Zhuang Rui and the others were staying.
“Mr. Ezkener, with your discerning eye, you will surely be able to tell at a glance whether those sketches in my friend’s hands are Picasso’s works. Do you think I would use such a lame reason to make you appreciate some fake paintings?”
Although Huangfu Yun had not known Zhuang Rui for long and had not seen the Picasso works that Zhuang Rui claimed to have made, he believed that Zhuang Rui was not the kind of person who spoke carelessly.
"The whereabouts of Mr. Picasso's works have been largely verified, and we haven't heard of any being lost yet. Mr. Ezkener, I think we're wasting our time..."
The appraiser Sterling, sitting next to Ezkena, shrugged. For him, who was already off work, this was all his private time.
"Look, Easterners are a nation that excels at creating miracles. Perhaps that Zhuang guy really does have Picasso's works?"
For antique dealers, there's no chance of missing out; even with slim odds, seeing is believing. Stories of finding hidden gems often happen within these seemingly insignificant opportunities.
"Zhuang Rui, this is Mr. Ezkener from England. His family owns a large collection of Chinese art, but they are quite lacking in European art. They would like to see if your sketches are works by Picasso?"