Art investment is nothing new for the upper class in any country.
As early as the end of the 19th century, American steel magnate and art collector Henry Clay Frick once commented with great satisfaction, "Even during the period of ownership, some paintings appreciate faster than Hundreds or even thousands of times faster than the best-managed joint stock companies.”
And unlike stocks, paintings have no theoretical value.
They generate no cash flow and have no dividend yield or price-to-earnings ratio to allow collectors to distinguish prudent investments from reckless speculation.
Once an auction establishes the price of an artist's work, it sets the benchmark for all subsequent valuations.
As Hughes said, "The price of art depends on the balance between real or artificial scarcity and the pure, irrational desire to possess, and the most easily manipulated thing in the world is desire."
So when it comes to Japan's upper class, whether it's the old aristocrats from famous families or the chaebol families that emerged later, they didn't give up this habit even during the war years.
It can be said that the more profound a family is, the more collections they have.
Especially after the signing of the Plaza Accord in 1985, due to the continuous appreciation of the yen, large-scale purchases of art by Japanese people occurred frequently.
This new change, which is enough to affect the international art market, not only became the headline news at the time, but also attracted more and more attention. Japanese collectors have also become the main force in the global art market. military.
Even in 1986, the dollar value of Japan's imported foreign art alone had tripled from the previous year.
Ambitious Western auctioneers have various sales techniques learned from books in their minds, while Japanese speculators have their pockets filled with banknotes brought by the bubble economy.
It can be said that the two parties hit it off and jointly created the most indulgent art market in history.
In this historical background, as the executive director of the Japan Composers Association, the honorary president of Showa University of Music in Japan, the president of the Japan Music Improvisation Society, and one of the main leaders of the Japan Record Awards Development Committee .
As celebrities in the music industry, it is completely natural that Mihara Masahashi and his wife Ruriko become one of the participants in the art collection of this era.
As a member of the upper class, how can we not have some elegant hobbies?
So the couple often visit well-known galleries and art auctions in Tokyo, and sometimes even travel to Osaka and Kyoto.
However, they are not willing to pursue the works of well-known artists in the international market, but prefer the works of local Japanese artists.
In addition, they not only buy, but sometimes also sell. It can be said that they are a very active part of the art market.
Although the reasons they claim are extremely high-sounding, they say that they are out of their responsibilities as artists and focus on supporting talented local artists in Japan.
But in fact, anyone who really knows a little bit about art collection knows that people like them, although their social status is not low, do not have a steady stream of cash flow.
After all, it is just an artistic family, which is incomparable with a truly wealthy or aristocratic family.
Mihara Masahiro's salary, important positions in various associations, and academic lectures alone are not enough in art collection.
If a family like them wants to participate in the art market, they can only use this method of speculating on art based on their vision to satisfy their hobbies in art collection and decorate their appearance to decorate their own style.
This is the most practical approach and it counts as a small player, not a collector at all.
But for Ning Weimin, this is something he is very happy to hear.
Because desire brings weakness, as long as he gives in to what he likes, he is sure that Mihara Masahiro's "artistic conscience" will not be too stubborn.
…………
On the evening of Christmas Eve, Akira Okamoto, who was ordered to investigate the whereabouts and preferences of the Mihara couple, followed the couple in a taxi to Taichung. A prestigious gallery in the area.
This gallery was transformed from a Japanese bathhouse. It looks like a traditional wooden Japanese house. It still retains many details of the bathhouse, such as the cabinets where people used to store items and shoes before bathing.
But once guests enter the sento, which has a history of more than 200 years, they will find that it is completely filled with modern art, as if they were displaced in time and space.
The taxi stopped in front of the gallery. Akira Okamoto got out of the car and was not in a hurry to get in immediately.
He is a smart man and has some talents as a private detective.
He was afraid that following too closely and leaving too many traces would make the target he was following suspicious.
So I stood at the door and patiently smoked a cigarette before walking in.
At the entrance of the gallery, there is a vertical signboard "Exhibition of Works by Somei Aoki in Europe".
Somei Aokino is a famous contemporary Western painting master who is very popular in the art world. Even Akira Okamoto knows this figure.
Okamoto Akira put out the cigarette butt, took a deep breath, and straightened his coat before gently pushing open the gallery door and entering.
As soon as you entered the reception hall, you saw many paintings hanging on the walls lined with black velvet.
However, Okamoto Akira did not look at the paintings. Instead, he looked around and stood. Figure in front of the painting.
In a space of about 150 square meters that is connected by several rooms, there are thirty-five six figures, each standing in front of a painting, leisurely admiring it carefully.
Okamoto Ko stared at each figure one by one, looking for the familiar figure he had followed all the way. Just when he turned his gaze to the back of the second room, his gaze stopped.
I found the pink profile and gray hair of Mihara, the executive director of the Japan Composers Association, as well as the slightly plump figure of his wife Ruriko.
Obviously, they were watching very slowly and appreciating it with their heart.
So Okamoto Akira did not rush over immediately, but stayed where he was for the time being, pretending to admire the painting, but observing the Mihara couple with his peripheral vision.
None of them noticed the presence of Akira Okamoto, and they were blushing with excitement, talking in low voices and looking at the paintings on the wall.
After walking and walking, the couple finally stopped in front of the painting on the far left of the third room and looked at it carefully.
Okamoto Akira walked around behind him deliberately without making any footsteps.
Unexpectedly, a well-dressed man suddenly walked in beside the Mihara couple and greeted them politely.
"Teacher Mihara, I didn't expect you to come here again today. It's such an honor."
Of course, Akira Okamoto was taken aback, but Masahiro Mihara seemed to be very familiar with him.
He turned his head and took a look, then said familiarly, "Oh, isn't this the store manager? I didn't see you when I came in just now. I thought you were not in the gallery today."
Only then did Akira Okamoto realize that this person was the owner of a gallery.
"Excuse me, I really have something to do with me. Somei-sensei's paintings are very popular, and I was just discussing the price of the paintings with the customers." "Oh, that means the exhibition was very successful. Congratulations. Your business is booming.”
"Haha, it's also thanks to you. This is not a courtesy, it's true. Your visit to our store, Professor, is really rare. I heard that you have been very busy recently because of the Record Awards. I don’t even have time to eat. But it’s really an honor to visit our store so often. It seems that you are also very interested in Mr. Somei’s works..."
"Where, where, every year. It's all like this, actually it's okay once you get used to it. As for these paintings, I can't say whether I like them or not. I just think that this local painter has a unique style and some of them are worth supporting. It's relatively promising. But when it comes to buying it, I haven't made up my mind yet..."
Mihara responded vaguely, and his intention was just to gain some control over the price.
The gallery owner naturally understands this, but businessmen are also very persistent about price, and no one will let go easily.
Especially if the Mihara couple comes again in a short period of time, the store owner will of course assume that they already have the desire to buy.
So they began to use professional words and praise to deal with discounts, trying to make them relax their vigilance about prices.
"Teacher Mihara, your vision is really great. With all due respect, from my professional experience, good paintings must show wealth and exclusive privileges, and most importantly, they must be able to impress others. You can see it. High degree of identification is the key to the appreciation of paintings. And Mr. Somei's paintings have such potential. You and I have the same view, and this painter is the same as you. I am also from Osaka, so maybe the nostalgia in the paintings is more likely to move you..."
"Haha, even so, in my opinion, the prices of these paintings are a bit expensive for me. He said that in addition to supporting Japanese artists, buying paintings is also an investment. If you buy them when they are cheap, you will make money in the future. Don't just drag me to encourage you, and don't think about the death of a standing director just because of me. How can I afford such an expensive painting with my salary? Take the painting in front of me as an example. It is so small that it costs 600,000 yen for the first size! I don’t understand why it is so expensive. This price It’s almost time to catch up with Yokoyama Taikan’s works. If that’s the case, then why don’t I buy something from a famous artist..."
"Mihara-sensei, those are different from Yokoyama Taikan’s works. It is a pure Japanese painting, which is not popular nowadays. But Somei’s works are different. They are not only Western paintings, but also Impressionist paintings. This kind of works is more suitable for modern decoration..."
"What kind of excuse is this? How can you measure a work of art in such a simple way? It's just nonsense and too perfunctory..."
"Teacher, don't be angry. I understand your mood. Yes, this excuse sounds outrageous. But you also have to understand that not all guests know how to appreciate art. I won't hide it from you. For most customers, they don't particularly care about the artist's identity or artistic level. What they really want is capital gains, not a painting. The simpler the painting, the better it will be sold. From another perspective. Come to think of it, although such works will lower the threshold of the art market, it will also make it open to everyone and ensure that speculative enthusiasm remains concentrated, thereby helping to increase the value of a few selected artists. If you believe that. As for me, you must not miss Somei's works. To be honest, the buyers of the works I sold recently are financial practitioners. If you invest 500 yuan now. If it's 10,000 yen, it will definitely double in a few years..."
"If you want to say that, what is the price of the two works by Takehisa Yumeji that I bought from you a few years ago? Didn’t you say that the bankers were optimistic about it at the beginning? How much has it increased now?”
“It will probably appreciate by about three to four million yen. If you want to sell it, I can help you contact me. Buyer..."
"Sell? No, no, I'm not satisfied with this price, let me think about it again...Hahaha!" Mihara Masahiro laughed proudly in a loud voice.
At this point, Akira Okamoto has understood the thoughts of the executive director who holds half of the decision-making power of the Record Awards.
He quickly walked out of the gallery and found a nearby grocery store selling cigarettes, where he made a call from a public phone.
"Please help me turn to President Ning's office. I am Akira Okamoto from Matsumoto Office..."
After waiting for a long time, Ning Weimin's voice finally came. . "Okamoto? How about..."
In this phone call, the two people talked for at least ten minutes about what Okamoto Akira observed.
However, when Akira Okamoto returned to the gallery, he was a little surprised that Masahiro Mihara and his wife had already left.
After searching all the exhibition rooms, Akira Okamoto found no trace of them. When he went out to look, even the private car they came in was gone.
But it doesn’t matter, anyway, with Ning Weimin’s latest instructions as the basis, Akira Okamoto still has the backbone.
He walked over to the painting that had stopped the Mihara couple when he had just eavesdropped on the conversation, and looked at the painting carefully.
The painting is Notre Dame de Paris. The painting style is a bit abstract, with brown oil paint thickly covering the canvas.
Although he stood in front of the painting for a long time, Okamoto also showed a confused expression. He really couldn't understand why such a painting was valuable.
But the next moment, he still waved to the clerk standing in the corner of the room, "Hey, I want to buy this painting..."
The clerk looked at the strange-faced customer blankly for a while. Just reacted.
"Yes, I will ask our boss to come over right away. Please wait a moment." He slipped towards the office.
After a while, the well-dressed man appeared, rubbing his hands while walking towards Akira Okamoto.
"I am the boss, thank you for your patronage. Hey? Is this it? You are really discerning! This painting is the best among all the works displayed here..." He said in the unique way of an art dealer Responding with respect and cunning.
"How much is it?"
"Ah, every time one number of Mr. Somei's paintings jumps, it is 600,000 yen. This is the price agreed by the market. Come, please sit inside." He led Okamoto Akira Go into the reception room with the sofa.
"Do you think this is good? Let me calculate it for you. If you jump to the first number, it will be 600,000, and if you jump to the third number, it will be 1.8 million..."
"Can I get a discount?" Isn’t this a dead price?”
Okamoto replied without hesitation, “How about 1.5 million?”
"One and a half million, this is really stumping me. It costs 1,680,000 yuan less than Chengdu. What's more, the painting itself has already been liked by customers, but they haven't made up their minds yet. You are bargaining so hard, so directly Just 20% off the price is too much..." The art dealer shook his head vigorously.
"Is the guest you are talking about Mihara, the executive director of the Composers Association?"
"Hey, do you know the conductor Mr. Mihara?"
"To tell you frankly, The painting is my gift to Mihara. If you agree to give me a 20% discount on the price, I can even buy another work that Mihara likes, and then you can help me deliver it to Mihara who just came to see the art exhibition as soon as possible. Home."
"Huh? Mr. Mihara's home... In this way, I can't say no. I hope you will visit the store again next time. Okay, I agree, and I will give you a 20% discount. The price is settled." The dealer finally clapped his hand, indicating that he had reached an agreement.
"Then take the painting off the wall quickly. Wrap it up for me."
Okamoto Akira took out Ning Weimin's business card from the briefcase he was carrying in his right hand and handed it over carefully.
"Tomorrow, in the name of the owner of this business card, you must deliver these paintings to Mr. Mihara's home early in the morning. Do you understand? This business card is also entrusted to you. It needs to be handed over to Mr. Mihara or his wife in person. In my hand..."
"I understand, I will definitely do it." The art dealer respectfully took the business card and looked at it for a while, full of respect, but then asked, "Excuse me, guest, what do you want to do about purchasing the painting? How about payment? It is true that our store also has a painting that Mihara likes, but that painting is larger than this one. If the two paintings are added together, it will cost 4 million yen. Do you want cash or... "
"I don't have that much money, but it's easy. Someone has already sent the check. Just wait a moment. It'll be here in half an hour..."
"That's great. If the guest doesn't dislike it, why don't you come to my office to take a break and have a glass of whiskey or coffee?"
Seeing Okamoto Akira not frowning when he heard the price of four million. In the blink of an eye, the art dealer suddenly began to flatter him.
"Well, thank you!" Akira Okamoto said arrogantly, slowly stood up from his seat and straightened his tie.
Unknowingly, he seemed to have become a wealthy and powerful person while working for Ning Weimin. (End of this chapter)