"In recent years, Pudong has invested a lot of pioneering policies in the cultural industry, providing transaction guarantee for auction companies. This time, we 'crossed the river' and came, and we also 'tried first' in the industry. "As China's earliest and industry-leading comprehensive cultural relics and art auction company, China Guardian will present the only concentrated 2024 Spring Auction in Shanghai in Pudong, bringing more than 400 Chinese and foreign art treasures. Hu Yanyan, managing director of China Guardian, hopes that this "first-of-its-kind" move will bring a zero-distance experience to more collectors and art lovers in the Yangtze River Delta region, and explore new market potential.
On April 27, with the opening of China Guardian's 2024 Spring Boutique Exhibition (hereinafter referred to as the "Boutique Exhibition") in Shanghai Tower, a new sample was added to the "Pudong Model" of cultural relics and artwork trading. This is also the first time that the "Shanghai International Cultural Relics and Artworks Exchange Center" joint trading body has assisted the leading domestic auction house to carry out the "Pudong debut".
Explore the "Pudong Model":
From Shanghai to Beijing, the art trade and circulation are more flexible
With the theme of Huashan, Fu Baoshi's "Xiyue Majestic" Zhang's huge work is magnificent, showing the majestic posture and dragon momentum of Huashan. During the same period, Fu Baoshi created two masterpieces of Huashan, one of which is now in Diaoyutai and the other is on display in the exhibition. David David, general manager of modern and contemporary painting and calligraphy of China Guardian, led the audience to stop in front of the master's treasures one by one and introduced them in detail.
On the other side, Zhao Mengfu's "Three Scrolls of Xingshu" is also considered by the industry to be a "once-in-a-lifetime" treasure of ancient Chinese calligraphy and painting. "This work can be described as 'rare', and we are honored to be able to bring it to the scene. David said.
The three-day exhibition will present more than 400 Chinese and foreign art treasures. These treasures will be auctioned at China Guardian's 2024 Spring Auctions, covering Chinese paintings and calligraphy, 20th century and contemporary art, porcelain and antiques, antique furniture and crafts, rare books, fine wines, jewelry, jade watches, philatelic coins and more. There are not only rare treasures at the level of national treasures, but also classic masterpieces by famous artists and palace imperial beauties, etc., and the treasures are gathered and wonderful. During the exhibition, the Guardian Lecture Hall will also invite famous experts, scholars and industry leaders to hold wonderful lectures such as "A Once-in-a-lifetime True Face, the Traces of Hanmo and Ink - The Discovery of Zhao Mengfu's Three Correspondences" and "The Collection and Appreciation of Bamboo Carvings in the Ming and Qing Dynasties".
The reporter saw at the scene that many works were marked with the word "tax" on the introduction, and specially reminded: "This auction object is in a bonded state". This means that the treasures from overseas will be exhibited in bonded condition, and will be sent to Beijing for the spring auction after the exhibition. The success of this exhibition is expected to promote the flexible circulation of the art trading markets in Beijing and Shanghai through Pudong's leading role.
"Since 2016, we have been working closely with the Shanghai Free Trade Zone Bonded Regional Cultural Platform. It is precisely because of the high level of service quality in Pudong that there are standardized channels for the entry of cultural relics and artworks, and the quality of art trading services in the whole country has also been improved, which has helped the development of the entire industry. Hu Yanyan said.
It is reported that the cultural industry platform of the bonded area of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone has provided one-stop full-chain services for cultural relics and artworks, including consultation, customs clearance, entry, bonded display, logistics, etc., for the successful landing of the "Pudong debut", helping these cultural relics and artworks to come more conveniently and "show" more excitingly.
From aggregating resource elements to leading and driving price factors
Promote the formation of "Shanghai Index" and "Shanghai Price"
In recent years, with the continuous deepening of the country's first comprehensive reform pilot project for the management of social cultural relics, Pudong's development in the field of cultural relics and artworks has also been upgraded from "small steps" to "fast steps". The Shanghai International Cultural Relics and Art Trading Center was inaugurated in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, the "Several Regulations" came into effect, the "6-month ×N" system for the temporary entry of cultural relics was implemented on a regular basis, and measures to support the bonded display and trading of cultural relics and artworks...... These institutional innovations and explorations under the current legal framework have greatly improved the convenience of the whole process of cultural relics and artwork display and trading, and realized the gathering of resources, the convenience of transactions, and the improvement of efficiency.
This exhibition is the first large-scale exhibition of cultural relics and artworks held by a leading auction house in Pudong New Area, and it is also the first "Pudong debut" completed by the "joint trading body" of Shanghai International Cultural Relics and Art Exchange Center to assist a domestic head auction house.
In November last year, Shanghai Free Trade Zone International Cultural Investment and Development Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Shanghai Free Trade and Cultural Investment"), a subsidiary of Waigaoqiao Group, joined hands with the Shanghai International Cultural Exchange Association and Shanghai Tower to announce the official launch of the "Shanghai International Cultural Relics and Artworks Trading Center".
Relying on the speed advantage of the whole process service function of cultural relics and artworks entering and leaving the Shanghai Free Trade Zone and the hardware advantage of Shanghai Tower, the "tallest building in China", the superposition effect of the policy advantages of the Pudong Leading Zone and the pilot of comprehensive reform of social cultural relics will be further amplified, and the bonded function will be extended to Binjiang. At the end of the same year, the joint trading body achieved the "first auction", creating the first large-scale cultural relics and artworks auction in Pudong, and also marking the successful implementation of the first sample of the "Pudong model" of cultural relics and artwork trading.
"Through the creation of a joint trading body, we have formed a full-process and full-scene agglomeration in Pudong. From the overseas entry and domestic collection of exhibits to the exhibition and display in the landmark building of Shanghai Tower, the whole process of art trading is realized in Pudong. Hardware elements, auction and resource elements are gathered together to form the 'Pudong model'. Tan Yi, general manager of Shanghai Free Trade Cultural Investment, further introduced that this year plans to achieve 3 to 5 transactions and cultural relics and artworks exhibitions through the joint trading body, "the whole process will be done well in Pudong, and Shanghai will have more say in the entire Chinese cultural relics and artworks trading market, forming a gathering of more price factors." “
Relevant data show that since 2013, the annual cultural trade volume in the bonded area of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone has increased from the initial 500 million yuan to 35 billion yuan, and the cumulative value of cultural relics and artworks in and out of the operation has reached 100 billion yuan, and the total number of pieces operated in a single year has grown from less than 100 pieces in 2013 to more than 10,000 pieces (sets) in 2023.
With the abundance of sample cases of the "Pudong model" of cultural relics and artwork trading, it will further enhance Shanghai's global resource allocation capacity in the field of cultural relics and artwork transactions, promote the formation of the "Shanghai index" and "Shanghai price" of international cultural relics and artwork transactions, and create "Shanghai standards" and "Shanghai plans" for the high-quality development of the cultural relics market.
Text: Yang Zhenying
Editor: Wu Ting
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