Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1632: Chapter 1616: A Century-Long Connection

Of course, Huo Sining didn’t go too far, only exchanging four Gold Coins for seven Huaxia artifacts. After all, she still planned to cooperate with this old gentleman and coveted the remaining treasures in the museum.

Adrian, though somewhat helpless, was straightforward in trading those artifacts with Huo Sining once he agreed, unlike ordinary people who are often awkward, stingy, and prone to going back on their word.

Perhaps this is the charm of the English Earl; otherwise, so many would not comment that this old earl is an absolute gentleman. It seems this old earl’s personality charm has gained many people’s recognition.

Coming out of the collection room, while passing through the corridor leading to the surface, Huo Sining’s gaze suddenly fell again on those European oil paintings embedded in the wall.

Several months ago, Huo Sining had visited Adrian’s private collection gallery. The first time she entered this underground corridor, she inadvertently used the Heavenly Eye to detect and confirm these were antique paintings. However, not understanding European classical paintings—an unfamiliar realm—she did not pay it much attention.

But this time, as she walked through this corridor again, Huo Sining’s gaze inadvertently fell on one painting, leaving her stunned.

”Miss Huo, what’s the matter? Is there something wrong with my painting?”

Seeing Huo Sining staring intently at the painting, Adrian noticed something was off and couldn’t help but ask.

Huo Sining shook her head and smiled, ”No issues, I’m just surprised that this painting turned out to be Picasso’s work. I didn’t expect this master to have such simple and straightforward works.”

This was a portrait of a woman in a shirt. The woman in the painting wore a sheer, translucent shirt, softly outlining the emerging figure from the darkness. The determined extension revealed a young woman’s arrogance and confidence, with a ghostly flow of slender, hidden beauty.

The overall atmosphere of this painting conveyed a softly delicate aura, causing the mysterious body to exude a morose beauty amidst the haze. Yet, Huo Sining’s focus wasn’t on the painting’s atmosphere or mood but rather the familiar signature at the bottom.

Hearing this, Adrian was taken aback, ”Miss Huo, you also understand European classical paintings?”

Huo Sining shook her head, ”Not really, I just noticed Picasso’s signature on this painting. And I know, given Mr. Adrian’s financial strength, you would never embed a counterfeit outside the gallery.”

Upon hearing Huo Sining’s analysis, Adrian’s face broke into a smile, with a hint of pride showing in his eyes:

”All the pieces hanging here are European antiques. In fact, I have a specialized European antique storage room with many masterpieces of sculpture. And of course, besides these, the artworks with the highest collection and market value must be the oil paintings.”

Saying so, Adrian pointed to the painting in front of Huo Sining and laughed:

”Next to you is a Van Gogh work, and on the right are some modern works by Vincent and Paul Cézanne. As for the Renaissance, world-renowned artists like Donatello, Masaccio, and Sanzio, I have not taken those out. Just the one in front of you, ’Woman in a Shirt,’ is worth over tens of millions of British Pounds.”

Hearing Adrian’s evident expertise in these oil paintings, a thought sparked in Huo Sining’s mind. She couldn’t help but recall the dozen or so suspected Picasso sketches and ink paintings she had previously salvaged from the sea.

When she first saw those paintings, Huo Sining was filled with doubt because the painting style was so strange. An outsider would definitely not clap in approval but rather couldn’t help but criticize.

Can this messy stuff be called painting? And it’s so expensive? Can this Picasso really paint?

However, such doubts vanished upon seeing ’Woman in a Shirt.’

Picasso could indeed paint normal sketches. On the contrary, this ink painting of ’Woman in a Shirt’ was excellently done. His mastery of brushwork and grasp of light and color could undoubtedly be called masterful.

At this thought, Huo Sining couldn’t resist looking at Adrian and asking:

”It seems, Mr. Adrian, you really like European classical oil paintings. I wonder how you would rate Picasso’s works?”

Adrian probably didn’t expect such a question from Huo Sining. He was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said:

”Mr. Pablo’s paintings are indeed a bit obscure, and quite different from those straightforward and easy-to-understand works of ordinary painters.”

”The status of European Realism is actually higher than Abstractism, but Mr. Pablo had such a high achievement in Realism and yet decisively abandoned it to turn towards abstract painting. For that, I admire him.”

”Just as Mr. Pablo said, every one of his paintings contains his blood; that’s the meaning of his works. His paintings, much like a vast world, allow each viewer to find their own understanding within.”

Saying this, Adrian smiled and took Huo Sining to a room upstairs: ”Come with me.”

Huo Sining didn’t know what Adrian wanted to do but still followed the old man upstairs.

Once upstairs, the old gentleman dug out an old box from his bedroom, opened it, and took out a very old notebook to show Huo Sining.

”This is my great-grandfather’s journal. He once studied in Paris and had the fortune of meeting Pablo. Back then, Pablo was just over twenty, traveling between Spain and Paris under challenging living conditions. My great-grandfather met him and even provided some financial assistance.”

”My great-grandfather greatly appreciated and admired this unrestrained romanticist and even traveled with Mr. Pablo across various European countries. This diary records some of the interesting stories and insights from their travels.”

”Later, when my great-grandfather passed away, my grandfather inherited the family estate and learned of the connection between my great-grandfather and Mr. Pablo. At that time, Mr. Pablo was traveling widely, and once, passing by the Thames River, my grandfather personally invited Mr. Pablo to stay at Albert Castle and even had him paint portraits of my grandfather and grandmother.”

As he spoke, Adrian carefully retrieved the sketches pressed at the bottom of the box.

”Although Mr. Pablo didn’t stay long at the castle, my grandfather held this gentleman in high regard. After Mr. Pablo’s death, my grandfather was deeply saddened and instructed us descendants to collect Mr. Pablo’s works at all costs. However, due to the high rarity and value of Mr. Pablo’s paintings, this task proved challenging.”