Treasure Hunt all over the World

Latest website: Chapter 3159: Heartbroken Moroccans

In an antique store.

Faiz was still introducing the unknown Cubist painting.

“After receiving this Cubist oil painting, I asked someone to authenticate it. Unfortunately, no one could identify the origin of this painting or which artist it was.

But one thing is certain, that is, the artistic level of this Cubist oil painting is not low, and it has a certain history, so it should be considered a good work of art."

Ye Tian nodded slightly, confirming Faiz's words.

"Yes, Mr. Faiz, this Cubist painting does have a certain artistic level. Because of this, I pay attention to this painting and ask about its origin."

Hearing this, Faiz's eyes suddenly lit up and shone brightly.

He looked at the Cubist oil painting again, trying to see something and see if the oil painting contained any secrets.

The same goes for everyone else present, all looking at this unknown Cubist painting with gleaming eyes.

It's a pity that no one, including Faiz and the Moroccan antique art appraisal expert, saw the reason.

No matter how hard they racked their brains, they could not imagine that any painter in Moroccan history would have created such a Cubist painting.

To be precise, at the beginning of the last century when Cubism was prevalent, Morocco was a desert for Western painting art. There were not many painters who painted oil paintings at all, let alone the avant-garde and radical Cubism!

Excluding local Moroccan painters, they really couldn't think of any Cubist painter who had ever been to Morocco and painted such a Cubist oil painting with a Berber theme in Morocco!

For many people present, this was the first time they had seen this oil painting, the first time they had seen a Cubist work on this theme, and they had never even heard of it before.

Without exception, everyone was confused.

After observing carefully for a moment, Faiz found nothing.

In desperation, he could only look at Ye Tian.

"Mr. Steven, can you tell me what you think of this Cubist painting? I wonder if you can be sure which painter it is and what era it was created in?"

Following Faiz's words, everyone at the scene turned to look at Ye Tian to see what answer he would give.

Ye Tian looked at Faiz, then at the others, and then said with a smile:

"As I just said, this Cubist painting has a certain artistic level and is a good work of art, but I am not sure it is the work of the artist.

As for my specific views, I can’t say yet. The reason is very simple. If the price is right, I would like to buy this Cubist oil painting as a souvenir of my trip to Rabat.

This is the first time I have seen a Cubist oil painting with a Berber theme. This is one of the reasons why I want to buy this oil painting. Mr. Faiz, please give me an offer! "

As he spoke, he looked at Faiz, and everyone else at the scene also looked over.

"Ah! Do you want to buy this Cubist oil painting?"

Faiz exclaimed and was immediately stunned.

"Yes, I want to buy this oil painting. Of course, the premise is that the price is right. After all, this is a work by an unknown artist, so the price must not be too high!"

Ye Tian nodded and gave a positive answer.

Before he finished speaking, Faiz looked at the oil painting again.

His eyes were excited, but also a bit uneasy and hesitant.

When the painting was originally acquired, it cost less than two thousand dirhams, which was about two hundred dollars.

At this price, he would only accept it because the painting had a certain level of artistry.

But he never dared to expect how high the price of this unknown painting would be.

I never thought that one day, this painting would be noticed by a top collector like Ye Tian!

For a moment, Faiz was in a dilemma.

He had no idea what the appropriate price should be for this painting!

If the opening is too high and the guy in front of you doesn't accept it, you may miss this opportunity, and the painting may fall into your hands!

Since receiving this painting, due to the high price tag and the different collection environment in Morocco from Western countries, this painting has been in Faiz's hands for more than two years.

From this perspective, he wanted to get rid of the painting as soon as possible and turn it into real cash. Of course, he did not want to miss this opportunity.

However, he was worried that the offer was too low and he would miss an opportunity to make a fortune or even become rich overnight.

In case this is a work by a certain Cubist art master, this guy Steven has already recognized it, so he bought it.

In that case, you will lose a lot of money!

The scene fell silent and everyone looked at Faiz.

Faiz was still hesitating, his expression was changing, and he was obviously having a fierce ideological struggle.

At this moment, Ye Tian suddenly said:

"Mr. Faiz, if you haven't decided whether to sell this Cubist painting or considered the price, then forget it, I can't force you to do anything."

After saying that, he was about to leave and go see other things.

"Mr. Steven, I have decided that the price quoted for this Cubist painting is two hundred thousand dollars. If you can accept it, you can take away the painting."

Faiz said suddenly.

He didn't want to miss this opportunity and wanted to sell this Cubist painting.

But he was very cautious for fear of being robbed, so he made a very exaggerated offer.

Compared with the price he quoted to some other customers before, this quotation was a hundred times higher.

Prior to this, he had quoted $2,000 for this Cubist painting, but there was still little interest.

Hearing this quotation, Ye Tian couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

Then he laughed.

"Haha! Mr. Faiz, your quotation is too exaggerated. Although this Cubist painting has a certain degree of artistry, its origin is unknown and whose work it is.

In the market, two hundred thousand dollars can buy a sketch manuscript by the Cubist master Picasso, so why should I buy a Cubist painting by an unknown artist?

In view of the characteristics of this Cubist painting, I can offer up to twenty thousand dollars for it. If you can accept it, we can trade it immediately. If not, forget it."

After saying that, he walked to the side to admire a stone statue placed nearby.

Looking at Faiz again, his old face turned red instantly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

However, his expression returned to normal in the blink of an eye, as if the person who was asking for a price just now was not him.

After all, you run an antique store and it's normal to ask for sky-high prices and pay back when you land.

After a brief moment of embarrassment, he fell silent again.

The two senior Moroccan officials standing a little behind were looking at this Cubist painting with a hint of emotion.

While moving, they were also hesitant.

For Ye Tian, ​​twenty thousand dollars is not even a drop in the bucket!

But for them, although twenty thousand dollars is not too much, it is not a small sum of money either.

What's more, their identities are embarrassing.

The reason why they are here is to accompany Ye Tian and others to go shopping. If they try to cut off the gangsters at this time, it will become a joke if word spreads.

Moreover, Faiz has not made a final decision. Even if they want this Cubist painting again, they cannot ask now.

Another point is that two Moroccan officials are worried that this is a trap!

They have heard many legends about Ye Tian, ​​including those stories about tricking people to death without repaying their lives.

After hesitating for a moment, Faiz finally made a decision.

"Okay, Mr. Steven, I accept the offer. The deal is $20,000. This Cubist oil painting by an unknown artist belongs to you.

But I have a request. After completing the transaction, I hope you can explain this Cubist oil painting and tell me why you bought it."

Ye Tian turned to look at this guy, then nodded with a smile and said:

"Deal, Mr. Faiz, I can agree to your request and explain this Cubist culture after completing the transaction, but that is just my personal opinion and may not be accurate."

With that said, Ye Tian shook hands with Faiz and concluded the art deal.

The moment they shook hands, a look of regret flashed in the eyes of the two senior Moroccan officials who were staring at the Cubist oil painting.

After the deal was concluded, Ye Tian immediately transferred $20,000 to Faiz to complete the deal.

Next, they signed an art transaction contract.

As the transaction was completed, everyone at the scene looked at Ye Tian, ​​looking forward to his explanation.

Ye Tian took the Cubist oil painting off the wall, held it in his hand and admired it carefully.

Then he pretended to think seriously for a moment before starting to explain.

"Please take a look at the characters and scenery in this Cubist oil painting. Whether it is the old Berber man leading the donkey, or the houses and trees in the distance, they are all simplified into geometric figures.

Before the birth of Cubism, the most famous painter who used this painting technique the most was the post-Impressionist master Cezanne. It can be said that this expression technique came from Cézanne.

Cézanne summarized the various shapes of nature into cylinders, cones and spheres. In this oil painting, the painting style is more radical, and the painter is striving to pursue the geometric expression of natural objects.

The artist used a very unique painting technique to compress the depth of the painting space, making the house in the painting look like an offset cardboard box, somewhere between a flat and a three-dimensional effect..."

Following Ye Tian's explanation, when everyone looked at this Cubist oil painting, they suddenly felt different from before, and their understanding seemed to become deeper in an instant.

In this painting, everyone saw more things, saw the beauty of Cubism, and unconsciously became immersed in it and was intoxicated.

Looking at Faiz again, a look of regret quickly appeared in his eyes.

Listening to Ye Tian's professional explanation, he quickly realized that he might have missed a top-notch piece of art.

Moreover, this is probably the only top-notch piece of art that I have ever owned in my life. It is almost impossible to encounter such a piece of art in the future.

But just such a top-notch piece of art was sold by himself for US$20,000.

Thinking of this, Faiz suddenly felt like a knife, and he felt regretful and wanted to jump into the Atlantic Ocean.

But the transaction has been completed, there is no use regretting it, it can only increase the pain!

While talking, Ye Tian already mentioned the issue that everyone is most concerned about.

“Based on the characteristics I mentioned, I suspect that this is the work of Brac, one of the founders of Cubist painting and the master of Cubism, and a work from his Cézanne-style Cubism period.

Braque and Picasso are both founders of the Cubism movement. In the field of Cubism painting, their influence is no less than that of Picasso. The name Cubism comes from his works.

He was initially an Impressionist painter, and later turned to Fauvism. His Cubism was influenced by the visual reality and picture structure of Cezanne's paintings, but his painting style was more radical than Cézanne's.

The painting style of this painting looks very similar to Braque, very similar to his works during the Cubism period of Cézanne. Of course, this is just my personal opinion. Whether it is correct or not needs to be further evaluated."

Not surprisingly, everyone at the scene was dumbfounded.

Anyone who knows a little bit about Cubist painting will be shocked and stunned.

Those who don’t know Cubism or Braque have heard of Picasso’s name.

A Cubist master who is as famous as Picasso, can his works be any worse? It must be a top-notch work of art!

Faiz, who runs an antique shop, although he is Arab, knows Brac very well.

Listening to Ye Tian's explanation, he was so heartbroken that he almost died.

"How could it be Brac? I have never heard that he has been to Morocco, and I have never heard that he created Cubist oil paintings of Berber subjects?"

Faiz muttered in despair, his eyes full of pain.

At this moment, Professor Kane suddenly interrupted and said:

"Steven, I just checked the Internet on my mobile phone. During Braque's Cézanne-style Cubism period, he was always in Estac in the south of France. I never heard that he had been to Morocco!

During his time at Estac, Braque created one of his most famous masterpieces, "The House of Estac", but it is never known that he created a Cubist painting of Moroccan themes."

Hearing this, Ye Tian nodded immediately.

“The problem lies here, there is no evidence that Braque had been to Morocco at that time or created cubist paintings with Moroccan themes.

If I could be sure that he had been to Morocco at that time and had painted Moroccan-themed paintings, I would not have any doubts, but would be certain that these were Brac's works.

But this possibility exists. Estaque is near Marseille. There are many ships in Marseille that travel between Morocco and France. It is entirely possible that he came from Morocco by ship.

He may have lived in Morocco for a while and created some works, but no one knows it. Of course, these are just speculations and need to be verified..."

As he explained this, the audience was filled with exclamations of exclamation.

Faiz, who sold the painting, felt even more miserable.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Moroccan antique art appraisal expert suddenly asked:

"Steven, if this Cubist painting is not the work of the master Braque, but the work of an unknown painter, how much is it worth?"

Ye Tian looked at this guy, then smiled and said:

"If this was not a work by Braque, it would be worth $20,000, or at most $100,000."

After hearing this, Faiz's face suddenly looked much better, and he didn't seem to be in so much pain.

However, the good times don't last long!

"If this is really a work by the Cubist master Braque, then how much is it worth? It must be more than 20,000 US dollars, right?"

Professor Kane asked curiously, and everyone else was also very curious.

The next moment, Ye Tian gave the answer.

“If this Cubist oil painting is really a work by Brac, and it was created during the Cézanne-style Cubism period, it would be completely different.

You can refer to "Essetak's House". Cubism is named after this painting. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is the pioneering work of Cubism painting.

Braque's Cubist paintings of this period are of extremely high artistic value and have very special meanings. The same is true for the painting in front of you, which is absolutely a priceless treasure.

If I had to give an estimate, it would start at at least US$40 million. You may want to ask, why is there such a big price gap between the paintings by the unknown painter and Braque?

But this is the reality. This is the so-called celebrity effect. If you are a successful and famous art master, a single stroke can be worth tens of thousands of dollars, which is normal! "

Before he finished speaking, there was an exclamation of surprise on the scene.

"Ah, did I hear you correctly? It starts at least US$40 million. Isn't that too exaggerated?"

"I'll go! If this is really Braque's work, $20,000 will turn into $40 million in an instant. You can't even steal money so quickly!"

While everyone was exclaiming, Faiz felt his eyes go dark and almost fell to the ground.

Fortunately, his physical condition was pretty good. After shaking a few times, he didn't fall down in the end!