Private Art Exhibition on show in Shenzhen, China
By admin on 2014-12-29

An exhibition of 137 Chinese calligraphy and painting works by ancient masters went on show last Saturday at the Shenzhen Museum.

All exhibits are from the collection of Wang Fu, a Suzhou collector, and include masterpieces from the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties as well as modern works.

The exhibition is one of the biggest collections of ancient masterpieces shown in Shenzhen.

Three exhibition halls on the fourth floor of the venue are home to the exhibits from a range of 1,000 years, including precious sutra scrolls from the Sui Dynasty.

Wang began collecting masterpieces in the early 1990s after making his fortune in business.
After buying several works that turned out to be fakes, Wang soon learned how to appraise works from eminent artists including Xu Zihe, a well-known painter and connoisseur of Chinese calligraphy and paintings.

In the 1950s, Xu worked at Anhui Museum, in charge of appraisal and collection of ancient calligraphy and paintings.

He also served as vice dean at Anhui Traditional Chinese Painting Institute.

Wang became Xu's last student. Under Xu's guidance, Wang collected works by masters such as Qi Baishi and Zhang Daqian, to hone his appraisal ability.

"It's an important step for an art collector to find a competent teacher," Wang said.

A 10-meter-long calligraphy scroll by Lu Yanshao, a late contemporary artist, cost Wang a Cadillac sedan.

In the spring of 2003, Wang saw the Lu scroll for the first time at a dinner with a student of Lu, Shen Mingquan and a collector named Wu who owned the scroll.

Shen spoke highly of the scroll, saying it was one of Lu's few masterpieces.

After several intense bargaining and being short of cash, Wang sold his Cadillac sedan so he could add the scroll to his collection. "It was definitely worth it," said Wang.

Wang frequented calligraphy and painting auctions throughout the country and abroad, gathering a rich collection.

In 2002, Wang saw a picture of a scroll written by Wang Shimao, a well-known scholar in the Ming Dynasty.

Wang rushed to Taicang in Jiangsu to meet the scroll owner surnamed Cao, who had inherited the scroll from his ancestors.

Wang was disappointed when Cao told him the scroll had been sold for 400,000 RMB.

The following year, by chance, Wang got to know scroll buyer at an auction in Beijing.

However, Wang missed out on the scroll again when the buyer asked for Wang's scroll written by Lu Yanshao in exchange.

In 2004, Wang learned that the scroll would be auctioned in Beijing. But he missed out again because of the prohibitive price of 600,000 yuan.

Wang finally realized his dream in the spring of 2006, paying 830,000 yuan to buy the scroll from a Hong Kong businessman.

"Besides persistence and courage, a qualified collector should have a rich knowledge of traditional culture and history, which could help increase the cultural value of his collection,"  Wang said.

None of the Shenzhen exhibits is on sale but the exhibition is a chance for local hobbyists to appreciate the masterpieces.

Time: Now through Feb 28

Venue: 4/F, Shenzhen Museum

Add: Shennan Road, across from the CITIC Plaza

Buses: 3, 8, 12, 101, 215

Metro: Grand Theater Station (Da Ju Yuan Station), Exit B