The sudden death of Chen Yifei, one of China's best-known artists, sent tremors through the art world. Wang Jie with the Shanghai Daily reports on an upcoming auction and the excited anticipation that his death will mean record prices for two of his oil paintings. What are the factors that determine the value of a work of art in the market place?

Well, they can vary. It's either the artwork itself or the artist's unique life experiences that influenced his or her art or sometimes, sadly, even the sudden death of the artist. Chen Yifei, the 59-year-old Shanghai tycoon and artist who died from liver failure in April, is the latest case in point.

All eyes are looking to an auction on June 29 when bidders will vie for two of his oil paintings. The last time one of Chen's paintings was auctioned, it fetched nearly 4.4 million yuan (US$530,000) at the Guardian auction in Beijing last month, breaking the previous record price for one of his works.

"We are sure that his paintings to be auctioned here in Shanghai will break that record,'' says Ji Chongjian, the owner of Shanghai's Chongyuan Auction House, which will conduct the auction. "We have already received a 5 million-yuan offer from one of our clients.''

The two paintings to be sold through Chongyuan are said to be among the best of Chen's works. One, featuring a Western female cellist, was painted in 1988 and the other, of a watertown in southern China, dates from 1996. Both are representative works of the artist. Art circles are anticipating that Chen "could give the market another legend to talk about'' -- another story to match his legendary life.

Born in Zhenhai in neighboring Zhejiang Province, Chen achieved fame as a painter while still a young man through a series of oil paintings depicting historical events. He could have rested on his laurels in China, like some of his peers, but he didn't. In 1980, he chose to further his art studies in the United States and arrived with only US$38 in his pocket. But it wasn't long before the paintings of the poor Chinese student attracted public attention and he was contracted to the top gallery in New York.

After that, Chen never looked back. Some 11 years after his arrival in New York, one of his paintings sold for 1.37 million yuan at a Christie's auction in Hong Kong. "I greatly admire Chen's foresight about managing his career as a painter,'' says Xia Baoyuan, a local artist who also went to the United States in the 1980s.

"He realized that China would be a 'hot spot' in the art world in the years ahead and he came back home to develop his 'visual empire'.'' The return to China was another pivotal moment in Chen's life. His business expanded and diversified until it included a modeling agency, a costume design house, a publishing venture, an environmental design business, restaurants and filmmaking. His success as a businessman went far beyond the realm of art alone.

It is said that the making of Barber, a film he directed and which had a strong cast, finally exhausted him. "I hate to see all the hype about Chen's art today at auctions -- it's like trying to cash-in from someone's death,'' says Zhang Qing, director of the Shanghai Biennale organizing office at the Shanghai Art Museum. "True, Chen was a good painter, but that was 20 years ago. "Chen's most glorious period was over.

In fact, his canvases are a 'scar' on his 'visual empire.' I believe that he could have been a better movie director than a painter.'' The controversy about Chen's art -- new classicism mixed with realism -- has never ceased in China's art community. "It's very commercial,'' Zhang says.

"But Chen was a smart person. He fused enough Western bourgeois tastes into his paintings to interest Chinese buyers. But sometimes one can be too smart.'' However, Chen's "photographic style'' -- whether capturing female musicians or the young ladies of 1930s Shanghai -- became very popular.

Liu Chuanming, a local art critic, comments: "Chen had superb realist painting skills and an acute sensitivity about hues.'' Even when Chen was alive, some of his paintings were selling at auction in the two-to-three million yuan price range. "There about 100 Chinese artists who can paint exactly like Chen,'' says Ji. "But aside from art, Chen was also very good at 'branding' himself up.''

Chen's amiable face could be seen frequently in magazines and newspapers and everyone seemed interested in what he was doing, whether in his private life or in his painting or business career. Chen's social skills and his public relations expertise could not be bettered by anyone, not even by his younger brother, Chen Yiming, also a painter with a similar style.

Now several auction houses in Shanghai would like to promote Chen Yiming but sometimes blood isn't enough. "I don't believe that anyone can replace Chen (Yifei) and the special role he created for himself,'' Ji says. "It's not easy to become a household name in art.'' But Zhang responds: "That was a terrible life for an artist to lead.

Just try to imagine how much time he was able to spare for art with the many parties, fashion shows and receptions he had to attend.'' However, Chen's lifestyle may yet prove to be an advantage when it comes to lifting the value of his paintings at auctions. "The reason is simple,'' Ji says.

"There are not many of Chen's paintings left in the world. As far as I know, his family retains only about 10 of his artworks. Due to the limited number of original canvases for sale, we believe that there is great potential for prices to go higher.''

Optimism about the value of Chen's paintings in the coming auction has also sent another signal to the market: oil paintings are "in.'' "Chen's death will be more like a catalyst boosting the market for oil paintings,'' says Liu.

"Due to fluctuations in the prices paid for traditional ink-wash paintings, more buyers are becoming keen on Chinese oil paintings.'' So, we discover another link in the chain reaction of events that follows the death of a celebrity.

(Shanghai Daily June 27, 2005)