The Versatile Master Artist

”This is the contract. If there are any legal terms you find difficult to understand, I’ve arranged for a professional business translator for you.”

Hanks took a printed contract from the side pocket of his briefcase. He took a black pen, added a few numbers at critical points, and then handed it to Old Master Gu Tongxiang.

”Please take a look; you can read it slowly.”

”A 75% commission on art sales and a ten thousand dollars annual stipend for creation—I don’t see major issues with these.”

Gu Tongxiang glanced over it.

He didn’t have significant objections to these benefits; it’s natural for a big shop to exert leverage. To be honest, this commission rate is not excessive.

The only thing that gave the old man some concern was: ”Isn’t a twenty-year contract a bit too long?”

An artist’s career is much longer than that of an athlete, and twenty years basically covers Gu Weijing’s entire youthful period.

It equates to tying up a substantial part of his prime career period with Ma Shi Gallery.

Gu Tongxiang didn’t see a problem with potentially collaborating with Ma Shi Gallery for twenty years.

However, given the old man’s experience, he knew there are always negative sides to consider.

If the collaboration becomes unpleasant,

a contract this long would require breach damages that couldn’t be covered even by selling Gu’s Calligraphy and Painting Shop.

To put it bluntly,

once this contract is signed, his grandson Gu Weijing would truly become like the tenant girl working for the landlord, Huang Shiren.

Whether he turns into a White-Haired Girl depends entirely on the gallery’s mood.

Connections at a large gallery are intertwined and more complex. Offending the wrong people could see you shelved for a decade—do you really think a gallery is incapable of doing that?

”You need not worry. The artists are our most important assets at Ma Shi Gallery, and our interests are highly aligned. Twenty years might seem long, but considering your grandson’s age, we won’t be in a hurry to push him into the market. During his university years, we might arrange for him to intern at a grand master’s studio like Dike Anren’s, gradually bringing him into the collectors’ view.”

Dike Anren, a watercolor and oil painting artist, was awarded the 2011 International Watercolor Award and Barcelona Watercolor Award by the AWS Association and won the 2014 Antwerp Art Biennale Gold Award.

Last year’s total sales of his works exceeded five million dollars, accounting for more than a tenth of Ma Shi Gallery’s annual revenue.

Though not quite on par with Professor Jiu Kai Yicheng’s standing, he is still a top-tier international artist and one of the gallery’s most important quality assets today.

Hanks wasn’t lying.

The exposure resources that a grand gallery can command are overwhelmingly superior to those of a smaller gallery.

From entering a grand artist’s studio to hosting personal exhibitions, Ma Shi Gallery can facilitate all of that, provided that his performance is excellent enough to warrant such actions by the gallery.

And if a newly signed artist doesn’t perform well or falls short of expectations—there’s no need to consider their feelings.

”You can think it over. It’s now 6:53 PM...”

Hanks glanced at his watch, ”I’m about to fly to the Abu Dhabi National Art Gallery. Next month, Ma Shi Gallery will hold a personal exhibition for Dike Anren there. I don’t want to stay too long in Myanmar. So, if time can be saved and the contract signed before midnight tonight.”

He lifted the briefcase onto the table forcefully.

”I am willing to pay you a signing bonus.”

This was half true.

Using a countdown and temptation to coerce people isn’t exclusive to the fat one’s tricks; Professor Jiu Kai Yicheng can do it, and naturally, Hanks can too.

The agent calmed down a bit upon returning to the hotel that night.

There was no denying that young Gu Weijing was remarkably talented, but the art market is rife with variables, often only concerned with tangible outcomes.

In truth, the most prominent aspect of Gu Weijing’s current work is his age.

Coming from the small locale of Yangon, unlike Miss Shengzi Jiu Jing, he lacks connections and resources.

His brush and ink skills are no more than the standard of an ordinary professional painter. While Fusion Painting is novel, it resembles Lang Shining too much, lacking originality of his own if overly similar.

Hanks couldn’t be sure if Gu Weijing could maintain his current high-speed improvement in technique in the future.

It’s a matter of probability; the notion of the golden age of rapid maturation for painters under thirty is merely a statistic.

For individuals, it’s not a sacred rule.

Some painters exhibit exceptional talent at a young age.

Many a promising youth ends up just average as adults, just like the disappointing Shen Zhongyong.

As for innovation in painting techniques, offering something new on top of predecessors can be simple with a moment of inspiration or might genuinely hit a bottleneck lasting a decade or two.

Desha Luo, Monet, Picasso all explored for three to five years before attempting to blaze their own trails.

Gu Weijing is the kind of wild, young talent Uncle Sakai discovered by chance.

Medium-sized galleries lack the cultivation resources of Ma Shi Gallery; even if Uncle Sakai recommended him to larger galleries than Ma Shi, they might not take him seriously.

Thus, as the buyer, he was in a position to set terms.

Hanks unzipped the briefcase, exposing bundles of blue and green notes, blatantly displaying them with an enticing allure to everyone in the study room.

”Sign! We can sign right now!”