Chapter 622: The Fat Sheep from Holland

In the meeting room, the transaction is still going on,

Ye Tian's voice reached everyone's ears, his tone was very firm, with an unquestionable taste.

"Mr. Bertrand, I'm very sorry, I can't agree to your request, let's do the transaction according to the contract, so that it can save a lot of trouble, so as not to toss again!

Qi Baishi's "Ink Shrimp", Li Kuchan's "Sunny Snow Picture", and Zhang Daqian's "Lady Picture", these three masterpieces from modern Chinese art masters must be included in this deal!

If this condition is not accepted, our transaction may have to be canceled. If so, I can only take away my share of the five stolen top art works!

I have to get one of Picasso's "The Pigeon with Green Peas" and Matisse's "Pastoral", and among the other three top famous paintings, I only need Modigliani's "Woman with a Fan".

In other words, among the five stolen top art works, I will take two of them, and the other three still belong to the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. You don't lose!"

After speaking, he smiled and looked at the Frenchman opposite, with a very relaxed expression.

But he was very sure in his heart that the French would never accept this transaction plan.

After all, the five top paintings stolen from the Museum of Modern Art in Paris were estimated to be as high as 635 million U.S. dollars when they were stolen in 2010!

But this is not a true manifestation of the market value, but the lowest estimate given by the museum.

Of course, they will not report the true value of these top artworks, and that will only stimulate the art thieves to be even more crazy! Other than that, there are no other benefits!

If calculated by the real market value, in 2010, these five top artworks were worth 800 million U.S. dollars! Even higher!

After several years of surging prices of top art works, in the current market, the prices of these five top art works may have more than doubled, and they are worth more than one billion U.S. dollars.

Among the five top famous paintings, Picasso's "The Pigeon with Green Peas" and Matisse's "Pastoral" are the most valuable. They are one of the masterpieces of the two top art masters, and their artistic value is extraordinary!

In the history of western modern art, these two famous paintings are also famous and top art works. Their status is very important, and they are the objects of countless people's enthusiasm and crazy pursuit!

If sent to auction, these two famous paintings are definitely the top lot, and it is not impossible to create a new auction record!

Of course, the possibility of this top-level artwork appearing at auction is very low, who can afford it?

Even if another famous painting, Modigliani's painting "Woman with a Fan", can be sold at a sky-high price of 150 to 200 million U.S. dollars.

The reason why the estimate is so precise is that Sotheby's just recently sold a Modigliani work, "Nu couché", with a falling hammer price of US$170 million.

That famous painting, like this "Woman with a Fan", was a work of Modigliani's peak period. The artistic level is no different, and the size is basically the same.

And the creation time of the two paintings is very close, even the model is the same woman, Modigliani's lover!

Therefore, their market value is destined to be the same!

The other two top paintings are "Olive Tree near L'Estaque" by the French cubist master George Braque, and "Still Life with Candlestick" by the mechanical cubist master Fernand Leger!

The market value of these two famous paintings is a bit lower, but that is also relatively speaking. In the current art market, they are worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars!

Compared with the masterpieces of these Western art masters, the market value of the works of three Chinese painting masters including Qi Baishi is not so high!

The market value of their three paintings combined may not be as good as one of Modigliani's paintings!

Of course, this is just a comparison of market value, and artistic value is another matter. The thing is too subjective and it depends entirely on personal preference!

Ye Tian just likes these three top artworks from China and thinks that they are far superior to those of foreign devils, especially the so-called Cubism! Also includes Fauvism!

But in the eyes of the French people on the opposite side, the views must be completely opposite!

In their view, these Chinese artworks are absolutely incomparable with the masterpieces of several Western art masters, and their respective market values ​​are the best proof.

Therefore, they would never accept Ye Tian's proposal and let him take away two of the top art works!

Without any hesitation, Bertrand, director of the Museum of Modern Art of Paris, immediately made a decision.

"That's impossible! Steven, I must bring all these five top artworks back to Paris, otherwise we will not be able to explain to all the citizens of Paris, nor to all the French people!

In this way, we can only trade in accordance with the previous contract. We have to pay with these three top modern Chinese artworks. This is really a painful decision!

We also have to pay a huge amount of repurchase money, wow! It hurts my heart to think of this, Steven, I can say with certainty that you are the most greedy guy I have ever seen!"

Seeing the bitter smiles on the faces of several Frenchmen, Ye Tian couldn't be more refreshed in his heart!

As soon as Bertrand finished speaking, he immediately laughed and said:

"Hahaha, Mr. Bertrand, your choice is very wise! The top artworks you will recover this time should be far more than these five famous paintings? There must be more!

As far as I know, there are several top art works from the Paris Museum of Modern Art in the diary that records the sold of the stolen goods, each of which is very valuable!"

Upon hearing this, Joey and another FBI art crime team agent nodded and agreed with Ye Tian's remarks.

The opinions are agreed, and the next transaction will naturally go smoothly!

...

More than an hour passed.

As the night got deeper and deeper, the banquet hall was still full of voices and lively.

With the opening and closing of the conference room doors, there are fewer and fewer museums and collectors who have not completed the transaction. This private trade fair that is destined to shock the entire field of antique art collection is not far from over!

A representative of another museum walked into the conference room.

This is a group of guests from the Netherlands, the director and subordinates of the Dutch Kunsthal Museum, and two Dutch police detectives investigating art crimes.

When they came in, they didn't bring any Chinese antique works of art in their hands, and they were all empty-handed.

It's not that they don't want to bring it, but the Kunsthal Museum doesn't have much Chinese art at all.

Ye Tian couldn't even look at the few pieces of modern Chinese art they had!

Therefore, if they want to take away all the four top famous paintings that were ransacked in 2012, they can only use money.

Seeing them coming in, Ye Tian immediately stood up, smiled and nodded, behaving very decently.

And in his heart, he said to himself:

"Here is the fat sheep! If he don't kill them severely, who can be worthy of?"

Several Dutch people took their seats one after another, and after a few polite greetings, they immediately entered the subject.

"Steven, let's start the transaction. Everything is in accordance with the previously signed contract. Of course, we must verify the four stolen artworks before then to determine their authenticity!"

Sure enough! He like this!

Ye Tian smiled and nodded, raised his hand and gestured to the four top famous paintings that had just moved into the conference room and were placed on the easel at the end of the conference table.

"Please, gentlemen, although I don't think there is any need for an appraisal at all!"

In the next moment, two well-known art appraisal experts from the Netherlands got up and walked towards the four top artworks.

They identified the first oil painting, which was Gauguin's famous painting in 1888, "Girl in Front of Open Window", which was also a top famous painting that Ye Tian liked very much!

The results of the appraisal are self-evident, and every painting is undoubtedly authentic.

The next thing is simple. Both parties review the contract, sign each other, and then the bank transfer is complete.

A few minutes later, these Dutch people left the meeting room, holding four top famous paintings with a painful expression on their faces!

There was cheers in the meeting room again, and everyone was extremely excited!

...

In a blink of an eye it was more than ten o'clock in the evening.

The transaction has come to an end, and only three or four museums and an art dealer remain.

The banquet hall is still very lively, everyone is excited and energetic!

Even those old men who are very old are the same, one by one, full of vitality as if they were beaten up with blood!

This is a private trade fair that has never been seen before in the field of antique art collection, and everyone is naturally very excited!

At this time, the people at the scene were chatting, or admiring the top antique artworks in the banquet hall, all lingering and intoxicated.

Compared with before, the layout of the banquet hall has undergone tremendous changes.

Those museum curators or collectors who completed the transaction have put their own antique artworks in one place and sent special personnel to guard them! Very vigilant!

Because of their approach, almost every corner of the banquet hall is placed with top antique artworks. The scene looks rather messy, but it is also quite spectacular!

Fortunately, this is a banquet hall that can accommodate more than a thousand people.

And those antique artworks that have not yet been traded, and antique artworks of no owner, are still placed in place, guarded by Raymond and other employees of the Brave and Fearless Exploration Company, very safe!

As for the Chinese antique artworks that Ye Tian obtained through the transaction, they have already been put into many portable safes and painting tubes, and a hill has been piled up in the meeting room!

These babies are under the noses of Ye Tian and Matisse, and they are naturally very safe!

The meeting room door opened again, and Jason walked out of it and walked straight to the group of British guys standing in the middle of the hall!

Coming closer, Jason said to one of the silver-haired old British men:

"Mr. Bryan, please come with me, it's British Museum turn!"

"Oh! It's finally our turn. If I don't trade now, I'm afraid I will fall asleep!"

Brian joked, and then followed Jason to the makeshift meeting room.

Behind them, the rest of the British Museum representatives followed!