Artist Cui Ruzhuo puts auction blunder behind him with launch of Hong Kong museum
Chinese artist whose HK$28 million painting was mistaken as rubbish and dumped at landfill reveals investor's plan to build a private museum in his name
His HK$28 million painting might have been accidentally thrown into the trash after a blunder at an art auction in Hong Kong in April, but that hasn't stopped Cui Ruzhuo from dreaming big in the city.
The Chinese ink painter said a Hong Kong investor was putting up HK$600 million to build a private museum in Cui's name in Jardine's Lookout, that he hoped would be open within two years.
"I want to have more exposure in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a window not just for China but also for Chinese artists. Hong Kong, as an international platform, is a pioneer in promoting Chinese art to the world. It is a very precious place," Cui told the South China Morning Post prior to the opening of his first solo Hong Kong exhibition at the Hong Kong Arts Centre yesterday.
Cui declined to comment on the garbage blunder. "I'm 70. I don't want to remember bad things. All I can remember is that the sale was a huge success and it boosted my impact in Hong Kong," he said.
Cleaners at the Poly Auction Hong Kong sale apparently mistook the second top lot, Cui's Snowy Mountain, which was sold for HK$28 million, as rubbish and it was reportedly dumped in a landfill in Tuen Mun.
A source from the auction house said it settled the matter by paying large sums to compensate the seller and the buyer. The auction house did report the incident to the police but later withdrew the case.
Focusing on future ventures, Cui, who has museums under his name in Beijing and the city of Ito in Japan, did not reveal the investor's name but said they had recently acquired property in Jardine's Lookout.