Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1633: Chapter 1617: The Plan

“Later, when my grandfather passed away, this matter became his legacy. Over the years, I’ve been committed to this task, but the artworks by Mr. Pablo that I managed to collect are few and far between. I had to exert great effort to retrieve that painting ‘Woman in a Shirt’.”

At this point, Adrien’s expression was visibly forlorn. It’s not that he was obsessed with Picasso’s paintings; it was only because it was his grandfather’s last wish, and not fulfilling it left a lingering regret.

Huo Sining stood nearby; initially, she asked offhandedly, not expecting to stumble upon such significant news.

Why did she put in so much effort traveling to Dover to salvage the shipwreck?

The purpose was to retrieve a batch of European antiques, and using those antiques to trade for Huaxia relics with this old Earl.

Although this voyage didn’t yield any European antiques, she at least recovered a dozen paintings.

If those paintings are indeed authentic works by Picasso, given the relationship between the Albert family and Mr. Pablo, along with Old Albert’s legacy, Count Adrienne would undoubtedly do everything to buy those paintings back.

In this way, she has gained the upper hand. Every Picasso painting starts at tens of millions of British Pounds in the market. With over a dozen in her possession, it certainly presents a significant allure.

Moreover, Huo Sining understands the stature Picasso’s paintings hold in the hearts of these Europeans.

Undeniably, Picasso was a true genius; the twentieth century belonged to him. During this era filled with war and rebellion, he traveled from Spain to Paris, the art capital, embarking on his life’s glories, unfolding a unique artistic exploration journey.

There are many foreign master artists, but talents like Mozart and Beethoven are rare.

Mozart played the violin from a young age; Beethoven composed music early in life, yet both left behind relatively few works compared to Picasso, who was a prolific painter, creating tens of thousands of paintings, an enormously vast number.

But Picasso stands out in art history as the only artist who witnessed his artworks being included in the Louvre during his lifetime, which greatly amplified his acclaim at the time.

During that era, almost everyone who owned Picasso’s paintings realized their worth and potential for further appreciation.

As a result, Picasso’s paintings scarcely circulated in the market at that time; many collectors hoped to acquire his artworks but could not succeed due to the widely recognized high value, and even auction houses rarely released them.

This is part of why Adrien’s grandfather couldn’t fully realize his wish during his lifetime.

Picasso’s works wield global influence, not confined to Europe; his fame resonates worldwide. Any international auction house featuring Picasso’s works can attract major collectors from around the globe without strenuous promotion.

Contrarily, the artifacts of Huaxia Country are innumerable, after all, Huaxia’s five-thousand-year civilization isn’t just a boast, and these civilizations are vividly reflected in Huaxia relics.

From Neolithic jade artifacts, Bronze Artifacts and vehicle parts of the Shang and Zhou periods, Bronze Mirrors, ancient coins, and lacquerware, to ceramics, pottery, and Buddhist large art items from the Han and Tang periods, Song Dynasty poetry and paintings; and Blue and White Porcelain, Doucai, enamel of the Ming and Qing Dynasty — these all present a complete historical panorama of Huaxia Country’s five thousand years.

Each item can be considered top-tier artifacts on the international stage. However, due to Western powers’ plundering during the invasion of Huaxia, these splendid artifacts were largely divided and depleted by the invaders.

As the saying goes, rare things are valued more — though Huaxia has a long history of five thousand years, over sixty percent of its precious artifacts were lost overseas, a number measured in millions, directly diminishing the international impact of Huaxia relics.

In international art auctions, Huaxia artifacts and art pieces are almost ubiquitous, thus suppressing their price, unlike Van Gogh or Picasso’s artworks which instantly cause a sensation.

Of course, this contrast doesn’t imply Huaxia’s cultural relics are inferior to foreign antiques; it’s just that Huaxia Country’s early blind arrogance and self-isolation led to a lack of cultural dissemination. Additionally, many Huaxia relics lean towards expressionism, emphasizing artistic conception, which is deep and esoteric, thus rarely understandable to foreigners, resulting in Huaxia relics, especially calligraphy and painting works, having significantly less international influence compared to Picasso.

Though in recent years, with some international collectors and auction houses collectively raising awareness, and Huaxia Country’s rising global status, Huaxia artifacts gradually gained in prestige, overall, in the minds of many Western collectors, the status and value of Huaxia relics still can’t compare to Picasso’s works.

This might sound frustrating, since the craftsmanship and depth of Huaxia’s works undoubtedly rival Picasso’s. Yet, among the ten most expensive auctioned paintings worldwide, Picasso’s works occupy four spots, while not a single Huaxia ancient painting is present.

Nonetheless, currently, the humble status of Huaxia artifacts in the international arena is precisely what Huo Sining is happy to see.

Foreigners may not understand Huaxia civilization, but Huo Sining does.

Those treasures left by ancestors, although unappreciated by foreigners, are highly favored domestically.

The less foreign importance placed on Huaxia relics, the more delighted she feels.

Because the more indifferent the Albert family is towards these artifacts, the more advantageous position she gains in negotiation.

Indeed, Adrien turned out to provide a perfect opportunity, just as she posted a few Gold Coins on Weibo, the old Earl eagerly rushed to offer her relics. Now, if this old Earl knows she has over a dozen Picasso paintings, one wonders what his reaction would be?

Thinking thus, Huo Sining’s mischievous nature emerged, prompting her to ask, “Mr. Adrien, you wish to collect Pablo Picasso’s works so fervently. If I have his genuine artwork, Mr. Earl, what would you use to exchange with me?”

Clearly, Huo Sining intended to drive a hard bargain, but this old Earl didn’t perceive the ulterior motive in her words. Upon hearing Huo Sining’s question, his eyes lit up:

“Huo, if you truly possess Picasso’s works, you can choose anything here; for one painting, I’d be willing to offer ten, no, twenty Huaxia relics in exchange!”