£35m scroll underlines strength of Chinese art market
IT took 50 bids and half an hour to auction this RMB370m (£35m) scroll, by Qi Baishi (1864-1957) at Beijing's China Guardian on May 22 – the latest demonstration of the breadth of mainland demand for modern Chinese paintings by the country's most acclaimed artists.
Towering Pine and Cypress with its four-character couplet in seal script was painted as a birthday p…