Chapter 1609: Vision and confidence
"I think for a person like him, there is a high probability that he will not." Zhou Zhi smiled and said, although Zhou Zhi has no psychological pressure to take advantage of such a person's crisis, but he has to It's a matter of course, so Tony Huang's reminder cannot be ignored.
Then he added: "If you feel that you can't get through it emotionally, then let Sister Wanqiu take action. You can also ask Sister Wanqiu to transfer it to me."
"That should be the problem. Not much." Tony Huang extended his hand to Zhou Zhi and Liang Pingyi: "Happy cooperation!" "Happy cooperation!"
Although there are still many procedures to be completed in the follow-up, and it will take time for the two-sided relief statue to be returned to the country, the news has quickly spread in a small area, and even Zhou Zhi has received encouragement and congratulations from Mr. Wang and others.
This is the first time that our country has recovered a national treasure free of charge through legal means. The Consulate General also specially held a small banquet for this purpose. In addition to celebrating Liang Pingyi, Tony Huang, and Zhou Zhi, they also had to Thanks to all the Chinese and foreign people who have helped China in this collective effort.
As the direct provider of the most important evidence and the donor of the other relief warrior statue, Ellsworth, of course, also received an invitation from the Consulate General.
As the richest collector with the richest collection in the United States and even the West, Ellsworth's agreement to attend immediately attracted the attention of countless antique dealers, who all used their connections to try to get an invitation from the consulate.
The reception was very successful. Zhou Zhi also got to know many people at the meeting. What he didn’t realize was that he was freely switching between Mandarin, Cantonese and English at any time while talking to everyone. His ability actually attracted him a lot of attention, and Ellsworth's attitude of valuing him was also noticed by many participants.
However, everyone was relatively reserved. On the day of the banquet, the Consul General and An Siyuan kept Zhou Zhi with them, and there were not many opportunities for others to test him.
After the banquet, Zhou Zhi called his hometown and told him that the national mission had been completed, but in exchange, he had to stay in New York for a month and work for others as a reward.
Every favor you receive should be repaid with a spring of water. What’s more, An Siyuan not only provided winning evidence for this case, but also donated this evidence to China. My mother felt like this after hearing this. The old foreign man had a "good character" and told Zhou Zhi to be obedient in other people's homes and not to cause trouble to others.
The tone of my mother's words was exactly the same as if Zhou Zhi was going to stay at Yang He's house for a month. She probably didn't even know what this American old man and his home were like.
Forget it, it’s okay not to know, so as not to put more pressure on the family.
When calling Jiang Shuyi, Jiang Shuyi's tone was obviously a little downcast. If Zhou Zhi really worked part-time for a full month, the two of them might not be able to see each other again during the winter vacation.
Zhou Zhi comforted her that if the two of them could not meet in their hometown, they would fly directly to Shanghai when he returned home. The same would happen if they met in Shanghai. Jiang Shuyi did not say anything, but only wished him a Happy New Year. , just hung up the phone.
After reporting to his family, Zhou Zhi moved to An Siyuan’s home next to Central Park.
Ellsworth is recognized as one of the most discerning and tasteful antique dealers and collectors in the Western art world. The son of a dentist, a genius antique adventurer who almost smokes and always wears riding boots. His wisdom and legendary experiences are destined to bring endless thinking and inspiration to collectors all over the world. In the 1950s, Ellsworth's mentor Pang Nai often wore silk nightgowns and antique jade jewelry to receive guests, visually displaying the beauty of Chinese antiques. Ellsworth excelled at this set of tricks, and he ran it even more smoothly in his private house in Manhattan. Everywhere in the mansion, people can not only encounter the antiques and treasures collected by the owner throughout his life, but also feel the visual impact and spiritual pleasure brought by the contrast between Eastern and Western cultures from time to time.
This atmosphere is both unique to museums and ordinary private houses. It is particularly attractive to countless scholars and collectors. Therefore, in this apartment that integrates collection, research, reception, living and business, people often The house was full of guests.
The guests include museum directors from all over the world, as well as researchers and collectors from China, island countries and peninsulas. There are national-level collection institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cleveland Museum of Art, as well as big bankers and industrialists like Christian Schumann and John D. Rockefeller III.
These guests are not only attracted by Ellsworth’s reputation and status, but also because of the authority of his collection.
For example, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, half of the collection of the Charlotte and John Weber Galleries of Ancient Chinese Art was purchased from An Si;
Florence and Herbert Irwin The Museum of South and Southeast Asian Art also has many important collections purchased from Ellsworth.
Ellsworth is diligent, good at collecting and researching, and is decisive and generous in his dealings. He has now become the richest person in the antique circle.
He loved collecting, and he also loved using collections to earn enough profits for himself. In 1981, when the banker Sherman passed away, Ellsworth purchased a piece of Sherman's collection for US$12 million. After selecting 1,600 pieces of ancient Asian art, he sold half of them, and then auctioned the rest at Christie's and Sotheby's the following year and four years ago respectively. In the end, he only kept a few pieces. My favorite Chinese artwork.
Lin Wanqiu once valued Ellsworth's transaction. Half of the antiques purchased for US$12 million were disposed of that year, and US$8 million was recovered. The next two The auction fetched him another 18 million US dollars, and the remaining fine works were estimated to be around 18 million US dollars.
It means that Ellsworth's capital of US$12 million was earned back in the second year alone, and the rest was put into the third sale in 1990, making a profit of US$10 million. In this way, several fine products worth at least 18 million US dollars were left unsold.
This is vision.
It was just one of many transactions that not only made him money, but also established him as a world-class authority as a connoisseur and dealer of Asian art.
The restoration materials have not yet arrived. Zhou Zhi is like a mouse falling into a rice vat these days. He is helping Ellsworth do some sorting work. He heard with his own ears that Ellsworth was facing "Independence". "I may not be the greatest Asian art dealer, but I must be the richest."
This is another source of confidence.
Unlike Zhou Zhi who only goes in and out, Ellsworth seems to advocate a mood of "as long as you have owned it, it is not a regret", whether it is ten years, twenty years or thirty years, no matter how valuable the thing is It's so precious that when the time comes, he will sell it without any hesitation.
And he also has another characteristic, even if it is something he doesn’t like or doesn’t understand, as long as it has potential value, he will not hesitate to take it and then cover it up for several years to decades. Don't wait, then sell it again.
These characteristics allowed him to make a lot of money in the art market and create an art kingdom that he alone owned and was coveted by major museums around the world.