Chinese Art Lovers Scratching Heads Over Student Claim
"…Chinese press…reported that that a painting, ‘Put Down Your Whip’ by Xu Beihong…which sold last year at auction in Beijing for 14 million dollars, is claimed to have been painted by an art student in the 1980s.Ten former students signed an open letter…stating that the painting had been ‘a class ex
In case you missed this tidbit, here it is for your enjoyment:
Story of the week must go to the Chinese press which reported that that a painting, “Put Down Your Whip” by Xu Beihong (1895–1953) which sold last year at auction in Beijing for 14 million dollars, is claimed to have been painted by an art student in the 1980s. Ten former students signed an open letter to Southern Weekly stating that the painting had been ‘a class exercise from one of us.’[Telegraph]
Sadly, the painting is not nearly as racy as the title would suggests.
At the time of the sale, AFP reported that:
The patriotic Xu, who was renowned for his horse paintings, was inspired to paint “Put Down Your Whip” after watching a street play in Singapore about a father and his daughter in wartime exile due to the Japanese invasion.
The life-size female character in the painting was Xu’s actress friend Wang Ying.
Image courtesy sawfnews.com
