บท 471: Chapter 471: Stolen Artwork

More than an hour passed quickly and the auction process was already halfway through.

This is a long charity auction and dozens of lots are waiting to be displayed and auctioned on stage!

The auctioneer Richard had already shouted dry and was exhausted and his throat was about to smoke! At this time, he had already left the auction table, ready to change with another auctioneer to preside over the second half of the auction.

This is not a formal auction held at the auction house, but just a community charity auction! Naturally, there is not so much attention to it and it is not surprising that the auctioneer is changed halfway!

And these auctioneers are also community residents and they are all voluntary labor! Can't ask for more!

Because the changing of the auctioneer, the auction has entered an intermission, so that everyone can relax their emotions, relax their nerves, recharge their energy and prepare for the second half.

At the same time, it also provides opportunities for everyone to communicate with each other.

Soon, the whole auditorium became noisy. People greeted each other and then gathered to chat together. The voices and laughter filled everyone's ears.

Matthew and Fermi are counting their gains, both of them are full of big smiles and their mouths are almost reaching to the back of their heads!

In the first half of the auction, Matthew won three pretty good antique works of art and Fermi took two pieces, which were equally valuable.

This is the result of Ye Tian's deliberate collection, letting go of more than a dozen pieces of relatively low-value antique works of art, otherwise these two old men may sweep the army!

If they do that, it will be too ugly to eat! The two old men will definitely receive a middle finger or hitted by a shoe!

Ye Tian has never raised a placard for bidding. After all, he is not in this community. He can only be regarded as an outsider here and a top professional. The crazy looting of this charity auction is somewhat unreasonable!

Matthew and his family still have to live here and he can't make it too difficult for them.

Of course, if there are tens of millions of dollars of top art, he will not be polite and he will definitely take it. Who let they have no eyes? They really can't blame him!

"Steven, will the oil painting increase in value just now? I still doubt it! After all, it's just a college student's work and it's not even famous yet!"

Fermi asked in a low voice, a little nervous in his voice.

"Relax, Fermi, although this young painter is still unknown at this time, he will definitely become a well-known painter for no more than five years! You can definitely hear his name.

This is a very talented young painter, as can be seen from the paintings, talent is the most important thing! His painting techniques have also matured day by day and he has all the conditions to succeed.

You only need to collect this painting carefully. You can definitely wait for the day when the price soars. If you still worry, you can resell it in five years. I will buy it for $50,000!"

Ye Tian said with a smile, very confident.

Hearing this, Fermi let out a sigh of relief and his smile became brighter!

At this moment, Matthew interjected in a low voice.

"How about that, Fermi, when the auction is over, you transfer that oil painting to me and I have doubled the transaction price, how about it? Think about it and you will make twice as much if you resell it! What a bargain business!"

"Go away! You greedy fellow, don't even think about it! I plan to collect this oil painting. Maybe this young painter is the next Pollock!"

Fermi chuckled and cursed and immediately rejected Matthew without even thinking about it.

"Hahaha"

All three laughed!

The fifteen-minute intermission soon passed and the auction began again.

The new auctioneer stepped onto the auction stage. He was a middle-aged white man in his forties!

Behind him, followed by two Belmont High School boys, they carefully carried an oil painting onto the auction stage and put it on the display stage for everyone to appreciate and identify!

This is a portrait of a person. It is a profile portrait of a classical lady. It also includes the shadow formed by the profile. The size is about 1.5/1.2 meters. The size is relatively large to portraits.

At the moment when he saw this portrait, Ye Tian's eyes immediately became extremely bright, shining straight! Staring closely at the oil painting on the display stand.

At the same time, a faint look flashed across his eyes!

Leo must have come for this oil painting, no doubt!

He is the black market buyer of this painting, but the seller put the place of the transaction on this charity auction and the method is quite smart!

And Cook's goal on this trip is not the oil painting, but the art thief hidden behind the oil painting? But I definitely will not stay behind!

The show has begun!

Just as Ye Tian was preparing to see through this oil painting, Matthew next to him suddenly asked:

"Steven, how it looks like I saw this portrait before? I seem to have seen it somewhere. It should be in a museum. I don't remember it clearly!"

Ye Tian smiled softly, then explained in a low voice:

"It's normal for you to have seen this oil painting. Not only have you seen it, but many people at the scene should have seen it. This is a copy on the stage and the original is on display in the Metropolitan Museum of New York at this time.

This is a famous portrait from the painter Ingres, with very high artistic value and market value. Most people who have been to the Metropolitan Museum in New York have seen this masterpiece!"

"So, it's no wonder that I'm so familiar. I visited the Metropolitan Museum once a few years ago and I must have seen this oil painting! That's why I feel familiar!"

Matthew said suddenly, he immediately lost interest in this oil painting.

"It's just a copy of the work, it's definitely worthless!"

Fermi went on to say, similarly not interested, with a hint of contempt in his tone.

Suddenly, the art knowledge of the two old men seemed to have improved a few levels and they were dismissive of fakes!

"I can't say that. Although this oil painting is a copy, it doesn't have much value, but it is undeniable that this copyist still has a certain level and the copying level is quite good!

If it is under US$1,000, this painting is still worth starting and it is also a good decoration to hang at home and you can feel a bit of the artistic atmosphere of a master painter!"

Ye Tian did not completely deny this oil painting, but gave a certain degree of praise.

But the two old men no longer like this kind of stuff and naturally they have no intention of making a move.

This is just a copy, why does it surprise Ye Tian and his eyes shine?

Because what this oil painting shows is an illusion that confuses people, its true value and secrets are hidden deeper, under the copy!

The first time he saw this oil painting, Ye Tian immediately discovered the extraordinary value of this oil painting.

The painting emits dazzling white light. Judging from the intensity of the light, it can be determined that this oil painting was created in the 1950s and has a history of more than 60 years!

In addition, there are 18 fascinating halos on the outside of this painting, which shows that it has extraordinary artistic value. It is a top-level work of art and is definitely from the hands of a master! The market value must be extraordinary!

Obviously, it is impossible for a copy to have such extraordinary value. Under this copy, there must be a secret hidden and it is probably a top-level painting!

Whose work will it be? Could it be a famous stolen artwork?

With these questions in mind, Ye Tian immediately opened the perspective and looked at the paintings on the exhibition stand with excitement.

His sight crossed the distance and he could see the oil painting on the exhibition stand thoroughly in an instant and all the secrets were all at a glance, clearly presented in his eyes!

Simple colors, grotesque styles, exaggerated shapes, deformed faces, twists and shatters and painful, disillusioning and animalistic horror feelings!

At the first glance at this hidden painting, Ye Tian already got the answer.

This is Francis Bacon's painting, no doubt!

Francis Bacon.

He is a British painter born in Ireland. He is known as the greatest painter of the 20th century in Britain. He often paints disgusting images with the themes of deformed images or morbid characters.

But these grotesque images have deeply exposed the disasters of the world and mankind. He deliberately emphasized the ugly face and the expression of pain and struggle.

In addition, he often reprocessed famous paintings such as photographs, pictorials and prints to create portraits that reflect his inner illusion and pain.

Bacon had been well-known before he was alive, but his paintings are not accepted by the public and even were repelled!

It wasn't until after his death that his reputation and popularity began to gradually improve and his works gradually gained the admiration of the public.

Of course, the voices of rejection and criticism are equally endless!

In recent years, his paintings have become the darling of the market, and they have been chased by countless people. The price of his works is like sitting on a rocket, soaring continuously!

The latest sales record for his paintings is US$142,4 million, and his work is "Three Studies of Lucian Freud" (triptych), which was sold at Christie's in New York!

The painting in front of him is not the "Three Studies of Lucian Freud", it is the first batch of works after the sudden change of Bacon's painting style in the 1950s. It is also of extraordinary artistic value and extremely valuable for research!

Soon, Ye Tian recognized the identity and origin of this painting.

This is "George Dyer", a famous painting stolen in London a few years ago. There is information about this painting in the stolen art catalog and there is also a reward issued by the British police. The amount is not low!

After confirming that it was the stolen artwork, Ye Tian began to observe other details.

Soon, he discovered another amazing situation that even made him dumbfounded.