One of Chinese oil painter Chen Yifei's work became the highest auctioned piece for Chinese realistic oil paintings on Tuesday as his painting, 'Warm Spring in the Jade Pavillion' was sold for $22.7 million at China Guardian's autumn auction.
The piece was made in 1993 and was sold in Hong Kong after it was finished for HK$2 million. The subject of the piece showed life in Shanghai in the 1930s.
Chen is considered one of China's most influential contemporary artists and his works often showcase melancholic and lonely women wearing the country's traditional outfits.
He learnt his craft in the 1980s in the US and then returned to China in 1990, basing his studio in Shanghai.
The lucky winner of the piece was Chinese collector Liu Yiqian, who already purchased several other pieces, including the 1917 portrait done by Amedeo Modigliani for $170.4 millin in the 2014 Christie's auction.
