«GOOD BUSINESS IS THE BEST ART»

Chinese buyers are developing an eye for Western art (White Cube reported strong sales of Damien Hirst and Liza Lou at Art HK), but many others look homeward, focusing on works that escaped destruction during the Cultural Revolution. Popular artists include Qi Baishi, who came to prominence at the turn of the 20th century: His black–and–white Eagle Standing on Pine Tree  sold for $65.5 million last year in Beijing, a record for an Asian work. One piece Sotheby’s is hyping for its fall auctions in Hong Kong is Double Lotus for the Yongzheng Emperor , a hanging scroll painting by Giuseppe Castiglione, an 18th–century Italian who found favor with the Qing court.

-Forbes
 September 22 2012