Rebirth: How A Loser Became A Prince Charming - Chapter 405

Chapter 405

 "Can I hold it and take a look at it?"

 "Sure . "

 His hand touched the heavy wooden mask, which was made of solid wood .

 Thanks to its rich, gorgeous paint and finely-ground wood, the mask looked as smooth and embellished as jade .

 "I’ll take it . I have no cash on me though . Can I use a credit card?"

 Lan Jin almost hit his head against the wall . What? You’ll take it? You should think it over . It's 500 dollars!

 That was why people needed to be educated . The Nuo Opera was one of the symbols of the Han civilization and a piece of cultural heritage . Its price was quite reasonable .

 Lan Jin had been born in a family of businessmen though . Each mask cost about 30 dollars, and the price got even lower at larger quantities .

 Qin Guan was not in a rush to swipe the card . Instead, he told the man carefully, "Actually, we are opening tomorrow . I see that you are familiar with artwork though . May I ask what you do for a living? Are you perhaps a member of an art foundation or the owner of a gallery?"

 The man was stunned . He looked at the Asian boy carefully .

 He was handsome and graceful . He looked like a particularly modest, gentle fellow .

 The man took off his hat, gesturing silently for a place to hang it .

 Cong Nianwei took it and hung it in the closet behind the cash register, along with his coat .

 "If I may introduce myself . . . I’m Resnais, the owner of a C-level gallery chain . I also work as a private art dealer in Los Angeles . "

 Wow, if you are an art dealer, this mask must be worth far more than 500 dollars .  

 Qin Guan remained calm when he heard his identity . He was clear about what the man was talking about .

 The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York only exhibited traditional paintings and works of renowned artists . None of its albums and publications were about modernism .

 The Los Angeles Asian Art Museum in California, on the other side, was a famous history and art museum with all kinds of exhibits, including famous paintings of different Chinese dynasties, as well as sculptures, stone carvings, furniture and clothing . That museum was dedicated to Chinese culture and history .

 As an art dealer from California, Resnais was deeply influenced by the local art market . His trip to Chelsea Street had been a big surprise .

 "Okay, you can take a seat here . The next artwork I’ll be showing you will shock you . "

 Resnais nodded . Just as Qin Guan said, the first exhibit was a surprise .

 Cong Nianwei took the pieces of art out of the box one by one . Lan Jin jumped up and rummaged inside the box, sensing a great opportunity . Money! They are all worth a lot of money!

 "These are Tantou New Year pictures . They flourished at the end of the Ming Dynasty . Ordinary people loved them for their bright colors and pellucid, simple way of narrating . "

 "Chinese people traditionally purchased New Year pictures before the Spring Festival . They were like the customized oil paintings sold by B-level galleries . "

 "Oh, here it is!" Cong Nianwei showed Resnais a square wooden board .

 "This is another form of a New Year picture . We call it a New Year wood-block print . Artists used to carve a picture on a wooden board and print it out . They were all three-dimensional . "

 "They have a history of hundreds of years . These boards are the origins of the press . Show Mr . Resnais, Cong Nianwei!"

 "No problem . "

 Cong Nianwei brushed some ink and pigment on the board carefully before gently putting a thick rice paper over it .

 After 10 minutes, she pulled the paper back gently to reveal a beautiful picture of "The Three Lucky Stars" .

 The calm, refined man looked shocked .

 In most countries, an oil painting took an artist several years to complete . These prints were meticulously customized artwork though . They also had an outlandish feeling to them that customers of B-level galleries would love .

 Resnais went into art dealer mode immediately . Pointing to the artwork, he asked, "How many do you have? Shall we have a talk about them?"

 Qin Guan answered calmly, "Not that many . I only have one original, the one you have in your hand . The finished products are 20 pieces . I only have 10 Tantou New Year pictures . . . Plus the mask you like . . . 5,500 dollars in total . "

 Lan Jin nearly fell into the box .

 Liar! That's just a broken wooden board!

 After debating about it, Resnais and Qin Guan reached a final price . The man left the small gallery reluctantly .

 That Chinese man is really cunning . He wants to bring a multitude of Chinese artwork to the US art market . That small store could be considered a C-level gallery .

 A-level galleries sold only original artwork . They were of high professional level, and most of them were members of the National Chinese Merchant Union . They enjoyed a local influence in the US . B-level galleries were inferior in comparison . They sold copies of famous artists’ works at reasonable prices . C-level galleries sold both artwork and other products .

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