van gogh.jpg (Photo : South China Morning Post)
Chinese film mogul Wang Zhongjun was presented the $61.76-million Van Gogh painting "Still Life, with Daisies and Poppies" at Sotheby's Hong Kong on Saturday after winning it last month at an auction at Sotheby's New York.
The winning bid, which Wang made via telephone, set several records, including the most expensive Van Gogh still life sold at an auction, the highest price paid by a Chinese for a Western artwork, and the highest price a Van Gogh piece was sold at since 1998, according to Sina.
Created in June 1890, the painting is among the last ones made by the widely celebrated Dutch artist.
He painted the still life after he was released from a mental facility in France, a month before he committed suicide.
Wang, the 54-year-old co-founder of Huayi Brothers film studios and himself a painter, said that he was not adequately knowledgeable about the painting before buying it.
"Yes, I just had a feeling that I wanted to buy it after I saw it, but it's not a must-do as you don't even know how much they'll sell it for. I just wanted to give it a try," Wang said.
Wang, who is among China's wealthiest, said that he became interested in the artwork when he saw if himself at a pre-auction event in Hong Kong in October.
"I will hang it in my home here in Hong Kong. It will make my home more colorful," Wang said when he picked up the painting at Sotheby's.
This purchase adds to the growing number of expensive artworks being bought by wealthy Chinese buyers.
Last month, Beijing billionaire Liu Yqian bought a Tibetan religious tapestry, known as thangka, for $45 million at a Christie's auction in Hong Kong.
