The Versatile Master Artist

“Artists from all walks of society had almost certainly acknowledged this matter ten years ago, but now hearing you confess it personally still makes one’s heart race. This truly is a historic moment.”

The journalist’s face was full of the excitement and honor of witnessing and personally participating in such a historic event.

Whether Cao Xuan is a greater painter than Dali is unknown.

But he is certain.

The significance of Mr. Cao formally stepping down is no less impactful in society than the shocking news when Dali announced to the Spanish media in 1974 that he would refrain from artistic creation due to health reasons.

An artist announcing their retirement and sealing their brush has always been a significant event.

This means that his artistic career has come to an end, and there will be no new works produced.

From this point onward.

Cao Xuan will merely be a living cultural symbol, rather than a great painter whose brush is akin to a US Federal Reserve printing press.

Note.

This does not mean the value of “Cao Xuan” has decreased.

On the contrary, this is extremely good news for all collectors who hold Mr. Cao’s works.

To put it bluntly, this news excites them almost as much as seeing Mr. Cao’s obituary on the Saturday evening TV news would.

Stepping down and passing away both signify the different degrees of conclusion to his life as an artist.

From today onwards, all works bearing Cao Xuan’s stamp in the market become limited editions.

Grand galleries and art museums can begin preparing retrospectives of Mr. Cao’s career.

And art academies around the world can formally start compiling chronicles of Elder Cao’s life, art style, and creative history.

They can even begin preparing biographies and documentary films like “Mei Lanfang” about this contemporary master of art.

Hmm… Based on Elder Cao’s birth year, the academic community might categorize him alongside modern art figures like Xu Beihong, rather than in the contemporary art icon list.

In any case, auction houses and the art market will heat up regardless.

Rarity creates value.

Even the price of Pocket Monster cards doubles when they become limited, let alone a great artist.

Usually, when a renowned artist gets shot or kicks the bucket, the price hike is a common occurrence.

Back in ’18, when Elder Cao announced he was sealing his brush, the market price surged once already.

This time, the news of the handover means not only the already astronomical average price of Cao Xuan’s paintings will increase, but also the worth of this 43-year-old female artist before the reporter.

Just as if the contemporary Dongxia painting circles were like during the Republic era, with the Southern Painting Sect, Northern Painting Sect, Shanghai Art School, and Capital City Art School schemes.

After Cao Xuan formally hands over his position under him to his female disciple.

Lady Tangning’s title could rightfully bear the honorable mention of “Southern Painting Sect Leader.”

The Southern Painting Sect is a scholarly painting of the scholar class, which must be both elegant and noble.

Even someone like Lang Shining was a bit inadequate in this aspect.

Many of the Name Family members were officials or Imperial Relatives, like the Er Li and Eight Great Mountains, all genuinely of the Imperial Family.

In history, painters with this honor were often the Emperor’s esteemed guests, boasting extraordinary influence.

“Miss Tangning, you are now one of the sixteen Five-star Painters in our buyer’s guide.”

“Before the interview, I originally planned to say congratulations on your impressive achievement in the art market, but unfortunately, I personally estimate that the ‘Oil Painting’ magazine will not raise your recommendation rating because of this. After all, putting painting aside, the peak value of 54 million Hong Kong Dollars for a 43-year-old mid-generation painter is really already too high.”

The journalist sniffed: “God! I saw the media reports, and my lifelong salary as a critic wouldn’t even amount to the price of one random bracelet on your wrist.”

The buyer’s guide in art publications is a section that offers buying advice for investors.

When deciding a rating for each painter, they not only consider the artistic value of the painter’s work but also the investor’s return on investment.

In the mid-high-star field above three stars, ‘Oil Painting’ magazine’s rating for more expensive-selling painters is not necessarily higher.

In ’08, at a single auction, Hirst exploded just like Lady Tangning.

Tangning only sold over two billion Hong Kong dollars.

Fifteen years ago, at just forty, Hirst achieved over two billion US dollars in a single auction, making him the most prestigious art emperor on this planet that spring.

However, in the same spring,

the ‘Oil Painting’ magazine blatantly went against the trend and lowered Hirst’s recommendation rating.

It dropped from six stars to four and a half stars, and it was noted in the buyer’s guide—There is currently a large volume of Hirst works on the market, eager to be sold. Along with parting ways with the Gagosian Gallery, there’s uncertainty in his career path, so please cautiously observe.

Thus, beginning in ’09, Hirst’s works entered a long winter, and even without accounting for inflation, collectors who held Hirst’s works back then mostly faced negative returns.

The ‘Oil Painting’ magazine, like a contrarian prophet, calmly predicted all this during the hottest market trend.

Of course,

there are also many opinions that, like the financial crisis, Lehman Brothers Bank’s bankruptcy, the act of downgrading recommendation ratings by investment-guiding magazines like ‘Oil Painting’ itself, played a crucial role in Hirst’s market collapse.