Guan Shanyue Landscape Screens Top RMB 210 Million Auction

Guan Shanyue Landscape Screens Top RMB 210 Million Auction

On July 10, 2022, the “2022 Fine Art Auction” in Shenzhen closed with RMB 210 million in sales across 80 lots of modern Chinese painting. The top price went to Guan Shanyue’s “Eight Landscape Screens” (Shanshui Baping), which sold for RMB 41 million.

The Top Lots

• Guan Shanyue (1912–2000), “Eight Landscape Screens” — RMB 41 million. Guan, a master of the Lingnan school, is best known for sweeping, vigorous landscapes. This set of eight screens (each 178 × 46 cm) appeared at auction for the first time.
• Pan Tianshou (1897–1971), “Vulture, Rock, and Red Lotus” — RMB 33 million
• Li Keran (1907–1989), “Spring Mood” — RMB 16.8 million
• Xu Beihong (1895–1953), “Galloping Horse” — RMB 12.3 million
• Zhang Daqian (1899–1983), “Willow and Spring Lady” — RMB 7.5 million
• Qi Baishi (1864–1957), “Golden Melon and Insects” — RMB 6.3 million

Debuts at Auction

Many works appeared at auction for the first time, including Li Keran’s “Spring Mood,” Pan Tianshou’s “Vulture, Rock, and Red Lotus,” Zhang Daqian’s “Lotus and Poetic Mood,” Wu Guanzhong’s “Shepherd,” Lin Fengmian’s “Autumn Forest Homestead,” Huang Binhong’s “Tianma Peak,” Huang Zhou’s “Teaching the Son,” Lai Shaoqi’s “Pavilions by the Mountain Stream,” and Xie Zhiliu’s “Pines and Flowing Spring.”

Online and On-Site Bidding

Organized by Shenzhen Zhizheng International Auction with Jinmao (China) Hotel Investment Management, and held at the JW Marriott Shenzhen, the sale paired online and on-site bidding to adapt to pandemic restrictions. Tens of thousands followed the auction online and nearly a thousand bidders registered; both channels saw lively competition.

Reading the Market

Sales like this confirm a familiar rule of collecting: rare works by modern masters, fresh to the market and in excellent condition, still draw strong competition. Guan Shanyue’s screens — grand in scale, forceful in brushwork, soaring in mood — are exactly the museum-grade pieces collectors wait years to see.

The results also illustrate how the modern Chinese market is organized: a handful of towering figures — Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, Xu Beihong, Pan Tianshou, Li Keran — anchor demand, while first-time offerings of major works keep seasoned collectors engaged season after season. For buyers, the lesson is to follow quality rather than fashion: condition, rarity, and provenance matter more than any trend.

For those drawn to the modern era, the masters of this sale remain the backbone of the Chinese market. If you are building a collection of your own, Badou Art’s specialists are happy to help you commission original works from today’s calligraphers and painters.

Source: https://www.cntizi.com/2683.html