Almighty painter

Chapter 819: Reward Strategy (Part )

"Do you know why I decided to send Gu Tongxiang to Singapore? Hanks."

Marcel Schneider III had a somewhat shy smile on his face, as if he was an unsociable kindergarten teacher asking the kids what "1+1" equals.

"He is Gu's grandfather."

Hanks was well-behaved by his uncle and didn't dare to think divergently, so he just picked the answer that was least likely to go wrong.

"It's obvious."

Mars III shook his head, still dissatisfied with the answer.

"It's obvious. He is Gu's grandfather. Anyone can tell the answer." He moved his office chair back a little, put his legs on the solid wood desk in front of him, and then raised his chin towards the wall on one side.

"look?"

Marius III was not short, but his legs were not long.

He was like this when he was young.

Hanks stared at the news photos of the men's regional squash team from the last century hanging on the wall, imagining how the other team was desperately moving around the court with their short legs and smashing the ball back.

That scene was quite funny indeed... like a poodle trying hard to participate in a pet racing competition.

"Because you were moved by Mr. Gu's tenacious fighting spirit."

Hanks racked his brain.

"What the hell, what does this have to do with anything? I'm talking about the painting 'Women in the Garden' on the wall. I still don't understand it. I hope he is our Renoir!"

Mashi III frowned unhappily and pointed at the picture frame on the side.

So stupid.

If Hanks wasn't his distant nephew and a subordinate who couldn't keep up with his pace, he wouldn't even bother to give him any advice.

"Oh oh oh."

Hanks realized he had made a mistake.

He quickly moved his eyes away from the squash trophy and Harvard MBA certificate on the wall and fixed them on the painting frame on one side of the office wall.

"Women in the Garden" - Painter, Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Not a knockoff.

A genuine authentic work.

About twenty years ago, another work from the same series was sold at Christie's for $1780 million. The one on Maurice III's wall was even larger and was hung directly on the wall of his office.

This is the confidence of the old top galleries.

They have been in the art business for too long. Some of the artworks they handled in the early years were not sold for some reasons, or were collected by their ancestors by chance. Now, with the overall market going up, the prices are astronomical.

Selling just two paintings would be enough to make the gallery lose money for several years.

Today, in this headquarters building, this painting may be more valuable than the land beneath your feet.

"I have met Mr. Renoir once. My great uncle had a personal relationship with him. He received this painting at a friendly price when he went to the United States to develop during World War II. He only spent 5000 francs at the time. The return on investment is more than one million percent. There is no such good investment in the world, right?" Ma Shi III recalled, "At that time, the Ma Shi Gallery also had a film department. When I was a child, I went to Beverly Hills. My father patted me on the shoulder in front of Mr. Renoir and said, 'Jean, he is my son, Leo, I gave him the same name as my father.'"

The Renoir mentioned by Marcel III is certainly not the one who painted "Women in the Garden".

The Impressionist master Renoir died in the early 20th century.

He was talking about the other party's son, the famous French director Jean Renoir. In a sense, the influence of young Renoir in the film industry may not be weaker than the influence of old Renoir in the painting world.

Jean Renoir won a film award at the Venice Biennale and also won a major literary award for the biography he wrote about his father.

“I still remember him picking up a leaf from the lawn.”

"Don't pursue perfection too much, he told me, his father once told him so-"

Mashi III used his fingers to pick up a leaf as if from thin air. "Things that are too perfect are dead. Do you see the hole here? That is proof that light passes through life."

“The great painter Renoir is just an imaginary name to me, but as he tells my story, the whole image of him becomes intimate and natural.”

“People can always see the shadows of their elders and teachers in the younger generations.”

"Renoir the Elder, Renoir the Younger, Holbein the Elder, Holbein the Younger. Bruegel the Elder, Bruegel the Younger. Bellini the Elder, Bellini the Younger, Bach the Elder, Bach the Younger... grandfather and grandson, father and son, master and apprentice. The apprentice grew up under the protection and influence of their elders and masters and achieved success. And people can truly feel the shadow of their elders and get a complete image of the characters in the apprentice's artistic style and recollections."

“We influence each other and achieve each other.”

"To these names, adding the pair of Old Gu and Little Gu is not bad, right? I get a glimpse of Auguste Renoir's image from Jean Renoir. Those media interviews also allow people to see the real Gu Weijing from Gu Tongxiang's description—"

Mashi III said absentmindedly.

what.

Hanks twitched his lips.

Why is it that when it comes to the pair of Lao Gu and Xiao Gu, their relationship seems to be completely the opposite of those names mentioned above that are famous in the history of European art?
Who is "Old Gu" among these grandfather and grandson?

"Gu Weijing is really too young."

Mashi III scratched his chin.

"He became famous at a young age, participated in international biennials at the age of 18 or 19, and published important research papers. Most judges do not have strong empathy for such people. It is just another story of young people becoming famous in the industry. On the contrary, Gu Tongxiang has an ordinary career. He struggled until he was 60 or 70 years old, but he was still just a small painter. He was not starving, but he was not very successful. He was not too good, but he was not too bad. When he tells some of his own stories, it can resonate with the public."

"Many veteran judges and critics are about the same age as Gu Tongxiang. If he has a good effect, perhaps many judges will look at Gu Weijing like an old man looking at a promising younger generation. This feeling is completely different from the feeling you get when you look at a lucky person who is envied and hated by others."

“Even if Gu Weijing speaks well of himself, it won’t have such an effect. This is exactly the kind of news help Gu Weijing needs right now. Of course, this is also why I can’t influence the opinions of magazines like Oil Painting.”

Ma Shi III smiled.

"Moreover? From the perspective of interests, we have signed a long-term contract with Gu Tongxiang. Promoting him is also promoting ourselves. This favor is worth doing."

"Didn't we also sign a contract with Gu Weijing?" Hanks was a little confused.

"Doesn't Tangning have a contract with CDX? Aren't Hirst and Gagosian the golden partnership in the art world?" Ma Shi III asked with a smile.

Rare.

Hanks followed the pace of Mars III this time.

Hirst and Gagosian were once hailed as the golden partnership of the British and American art worlds. It is rumored that Hirst was once crowned the most valuable living painter in history, and Gagosian played a vital role in this.

But even after Hirst reached the peak of his commercial value, rumors of his breakup with Gagosian spread.

Tang Ning signed with CDX when he was 20 years old.

They have been working together for more than twenty years now, and it can be said that she has spent her entire career under the CDX Gallery system.

however.

She is also going to start her own gallery.

Some people cannot be defined. They don’t like golden partners or the constraints of galleries. They want to decide their own lives. Hanks just doesn’t know.

What Ma Shi III meant was that he felt that Gu Weijing might also reach this level in the future and would not be able to cooperate with Ma Shi Gallery for a long time.

Or was he saying that Gu Weijing was so powerful that he didn't need the gallery's help. Giving Gu Weijing his own publicity resources would only be icing on the cake, and it would be better to give his grandfather Gu Tongxiang a helping hand.

No matter which one it is.

Hanks didn't expect that King Mass III would think so highly of him.

"Send Gu Tongxiang over to do some publicity. This is the help I provide him. On the other hand, if Gu Weijing really creates a big scandal that cannot be covered up, it will be very convenient to use Gu Tongxiang as the middleman to pack up and take the grandfather and grandson away." There was a hint of coldness in Ma Shi III's eyes.

"What a wise decision! We won't lose out on either side."

Hanks cheered for his boss, "Very decisive."

Who knows.

Mashi III actually smiled bitterly upon hearing this. "No, Hanks, you are wrong. I don't know if this is a wise decision. But it is not a decisive decision."

“It’s not decisive at all.”

The wealthy man was deep in thought at the table.

There were times when, when faced with the gallery’s financial statements, Ma Shi III felt like a desperate gambler often seen at a Texas Hold’em table.

I counted every card clearly, but I kept losing.

The gallery has not had any huge losses over the years.

Looking back, it seems that every decision he made was not wrong, but he kept losing money and bleeding until the debt slowly piled up like a mountain.

It can be said that this is because the Ma Shi Gallery has had bad luck in recent years.

But why are some galleries more successful?
Marcel III was not really an incompetent leader, he just calculated everything very clearly and hoped to have the best of both worlds.

He was not optimistic about Deckard Anlen and reduced the scale of his exhibitions, but he still held a solo art exhibition for him in Abu Dhabi.

If he had simply canceled the exhibition, even if he had completely fallen out with the other party, there wouldn't be the current mess.

If the other party had really done what they hoped and spent 10 million or even 20 million dollars to create a grand exhibition of the century, the Herbert Arthur Gallery might have gone bankrupt and become a laughing stock of the world.

Is there any chance of success?

Mashi III sensed the risks of Sir Brown's Muse plan earlier than many others.

He sent gifts and cards, but also missed Sir Brown's grand appearance at the European Art Association, citing the Deckard Allen art exhibition as an excuse.

Looking back.

He made a very wise decision.

But what?
If he was willing to stand on the side of the Elena family, would Miss Elena save some face for his gallery in the report? If he really sold everything he had and supported Sir Brown, would Sir Brown have no way to refuse his request?
Even Gu Weijing.

He had heard in advance that he might become Cao Xuan's last disciple... Ma Shi III couldn't help but think that if his ancestor who built this gallery bit by bit by selling second-hand painting supplies on the street more than 150 years ago was here, he would definitely not have played any gambling contract to tie him up in the Ma Shi Gallery.

Otherwise, don’t sign.

Otherwise, we can go big and hold a top-notch art exhibition for him.

Including this matter -

"If Ma Shi I were here, he would think there was something wrong with the paper. I don't know if he would choose to terminate the contract with Gu Weijing immediately, or would he..."

The man paused.

"——will fly to Singapore as a savior. He will fight to the bitter end with Oil Painting Magazine, even if it means selling everything he has. He will drag Gu Weijing out of trouble by grabbing his neck. No, not only that, I saw the painting Human Noise. If he feels that he should participate, he will probably strive for the gold medal for him in the exhibition, right? I heard that CDX Gallery has invested a lot of resources to win this year's award?"

"Ah."

He turned his head.

sneer.

For a moment, the face of this seemingly introverted and shy old man revealed the vigor and vitality of the head of a veteran super gallery.

The Ma Shi Gallery has witnessed the rise and fall of the entire modern art market.

It's really a life-threatening situation.

Not to mention CDX Gallery, even Sir Brown would have a headache.

But it was only for a moment.

The expression on Mashi III's face became lonely again.

His ancestor was the kind of person who would lose his pants if he lost, and win everything if he won.

He is not, he has too many things to consider.

Even for Deckard Allen, the gallery's leading artist, Ma Shi III did not show any intention of risking his life for him and Oil Painting magazine.

What’s more, he is a newcomer who has only signed a preliminary contract?
The man at the desk waved his hand weakly.

"That's it. Follow the original plan. If you have any news, report directly to me at any time."

Hanks turned and left.

When the agent closed the door, he noticed that Uncle Leo was leaning back in his chair, staring intently at the authentic paintings on the wall that were worth tens of millions of dollars.

……

"Woman in the Garden, this work was a big hit at the Salon in Paris."

Mars III looked a little dazed.

“If one day, the painting on the wall is replaced with “Human Noise”, and someone at the helm of the Ma Shi Gallery is here to tell others how the Ma Shi family had close contacts with artists, how Ma Shi III helped Gu Weijing win the gold medal at the Singapore Biennale, and how he took him to meet Gu Weijing’s family and heard Gu Tongxiang tell stories about his grandson…”

"so good."

Mashi III smiled.

That might mean that the Ma Shi Gallery could thrive for another half a century.

He shook his head again.

"Child, but if you want me to help you, you have to help yourself first."

"Let's talk about it after you have safely passed the interview with Oil Painting. Only then will you be qualified to talk to me about whether the Ma Shi Gallery will devote resources to your exhibition."

"Not now. The Ma Shi Gallery can't afford to take any more risks."

(End of this chapter)