Is one Liu Ye equivalent to 0.6 of Van Gogh?

Is this children’s painting worth 42.55 million? When the hammer of China Guardian Auctions struck a record price for Liu Ye’s “Eileen Chang”, the entire art circle was doing the math, this price could buy a small-sized Van Gogh!

This tough guy is best at encapsulating the complexity of the adult world in a childlike style. Mondrian’s color blocks serve as the background, Magritte’s hat as a prop, and even Zhou Xuan was transformed into a high-priced art piece by him. The round-faced Eileen Chang is brimming with untold stories. This is no children’s painting; it’s a dark fairy tale for adults!

His works blend the absurdity of Surrealism, the geometry of Mondrian, the serenity of Vermeer, and the blank space of Chinese painting, creating a unique aesthetic that combines innocence and melancholy.

The seasoned auction connoisseurs have long understood that buying Van Gogh is buying history, while buying Liu Ye is buying the art history that is unfolding. One Liu Ye is equivalent to 0.6 of Van Gogh, but with infinite possibilities! If you had 42.55 million, would you choose Liu Ye or Van Gogh?

The tea has run out. Let’s brew a new pot next time and continue to explore art together.