Painted by renowned Chinese artist Li Keran (1907-1989), this remarkable painting is a visual representation of a poem written by Chairman Mao Zedong himself. The poem was written in 1925, and it is known as Qin Yuan Chun – Chang. The words that inspired the artist were: “I see thousands of hills in crimsoned view, the woods piling up in deep dye”, and they were beautifully put in shape and color, using a lot of autumn red, brown, and black.
This is not the only version of the paining, as Keran also created sex other similar works. This one, however, is the largest and most valuable. It measures 1.31 meters by 0.84 meters (4.29 feet by 2.75 feet), and it fetched a whopping $46 million, establishing a new record for the artist. The name of the painting is “Wan Shan Hong Bian” (Thousands of Hills in A Crimsoned View)
All seven versions of the painting were created between 1961 and 1964. Three of them can now be admired in the National Art Museum of China, Rongbaozhai, and the Chinese Painting Academy, two more are part of a couple of Taiwanese collectors, and one is still in the hands of the artist’s family. Poly International Auction sold the seventh one(the one seen in the picture) during their Spring sale.
