405 The Art Dealer

"Can I hold it and take a look at it?"

"Sure."

His hand touched the heavy wooden mask, which was made of solid wood.

Thanks to its rich, gorgeous paint and finely-ground wood, the mask looked as smooth and embellished as jade.

"I’ll take it. I have no cash on me though. Can I use a credit card?"

Lan Jin almost hit his head against the wall. What? You’ll take it? You should think it over. It's 500 dollars!

That was why people needed to be educated. The Nuo Opera was one of the symbols of the Han civilization and a piece of cultural heritage. Its price was quite reasonable.

Lan Jin had been born in a family of businessmen though. Each mask cost about 30 dollars, and the price got even lower at larger quantities.

Qin Guan was not in a rush to swipe the card. Instead, he told the man carefully, "Actually, we are opening tomorrow. I see that you are familiar with artwork though. May I ask what you do for a living? Are you perhaps a member of an art foundation or the owner of a gallery?"

The man was stunned. He looked at the Asian boy carefully.

He was handsome and graceful. He looked like a particularly modest, gentle fellow.

The man took off his hat, gesturing silently for a place to hang it.

Cong Nianwei took it and hung it in the closet behind the cash register, along with his coat.

"If I may introduce myself... I’m Resnais, the owner of a C-level gallery chain. I also work as a private art dealer in Los Angeles."

Wow, if you are an art dealer, this mask must be worth far more than 500 dollars. 

Qin Guan remained calm when he heard his identity. He was clear about what the man was talking about.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York only exhibited traditional paintings and works of renowned artists. None of its albums and publications were about modernism.

The Los Angeles Asian Art Museum in California, on the other side, was a famous history and art museum with all kinds of exhibits, including famous paintings of different Chinese dynasties, as well as sculptures, stone carvings, furniture and clothing. That museum was dedicated to Chinese culture and history.

As an art dealer from California, Resnais was deeply influenced by the local art market. His trip to Chelsea Street had been a big surprise.

"Okay, you can take a seat here. The next artwork I’ll be showing you will shock you."

Resnais nodded. Just as Qin Guan said, the first exhibit was a surprise.

Cong Nianwei took the pieces of art out of the box one by one. Lan Jin jumped up and rummaged inside the box, sensing a great opportunity. Money! They are all worth a lot of money!

"These are Tantou New Year pictures. They flourished at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Ordinary people loved them for their bright colors and pellucid, simple way of narrating."

"Chinese people traditionally purchased New Year pictures before the Spring Festival. They were like the customized oil paintings sold by B-level galleries."

"Oh, here it is!" Cong Nianwei showed Resnais a square wooden board.

"This is another form of a New Year picture. We call it a New Year wood-block print. Artists used to carve a picture on a wooden board and print it out. They were all three-dimensional."

"They have a history of hundreds of years. These boards are the origins of the press. Show Mr. Resnais, Cong Nianwei!"

"No problem."

Cong Nianwei brushed some ink and pigment on the board carefully before gently putting a thick rice paper over it.

After 10 minutes, she pulled the paper back gently to reveal a beautiful picture of "The Three Lucky Stars".

The calm, refined man looked shocked.

In most countries, an oil painting took an artist several years to complete. These prints were meticulously customized artwork though. They also had an outlandish feeling to them that customers of B-level galleries would love.

Resnais went into art dealer mode immediately. Pointing to the artwork, he asked, "How many do you have? Shall we have a talk about them?"

Qin Guan answered calmly, "Not that many. I only have one original, the one you have in your hand. The finished products are 20 pieces. I only have 10 Tantou New Year pictures... Plus the mask you like... 5,500 dollars in total."

Lan Jin nearly fell into the box.

Liar! That's just a broken wooden board!

After debating about it, Resnais and Qin Guan reached a final price. The man left the small gallery reluctantly.

That Chinese man is really cunning. He wants to bring a multitude of Chinese artwork to the US art market. That small store could be considered a C-level gallery.

A-level galleries sold only original artwork. They were of high professional level, and most of them were members of the National Chinese Merchant Union. They enjoyed a local influence in the US. B-level galleries were inferior in comparison. They sold copies of famous artists’ works at reasonable prices. C-level galleries sold both artwork and other products.