Taiwanese music star buys Matisse painting for over $20 million at auction

Its name may not mean anything to you. Jay Chou is one of the biggest stars of pop music in Asia. Observers even call it the « Roi de la C-pop »the equivalent of K-pop in China, or the “President Chou”. This shows its influence in Asia. Tuesday evening, the singer with tens of millions of records sold made the headlines for reasons far removed from the musical sphere. As indicated Artnewsthe 47-year-old artist bought a painting by the famous French painter Henri Matisse at auction. Up for sale by Sotheby’s, the work of the impressionist master, called The Morning Sessionsold for more than $21 million.

This authenticated oil on canvas was executed by Matisse in 1924. Measuring 72.5 centimeters by 60 centimeters, it represents a woman painting a picture in the middle of a living room. Jay Chou, its new buyer, discovered it during a trip to Nice, in the south of France, during his childhood. “I spent a lot of time in front of Henri Matisse’s house, looking at the balcony near the windowhe wrote on social networks. I imagined him there, one day, contemplating the sunlight, lost in thought, before returning to his studio to continue creating. »

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Picasso and Jean-Michel Basquiat in his collection

In this same message, the Taiwanese singer was delighted to have made one of his dreams come true. “I never thought this could come truehe wrote under the influence of emotion. I have always wanted to acquire one of this artist’s works during his Nice period. » According to information from New York TimesJay Chou got The Morning Session by Matisse by guaranteeing the work with Sotheby’s, which allowed him to save a whopping $800,000 on the purchase price.

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The singer, who also made his mark in the world of cinema with roles in more than fourteen films, will add this new work to his rich collection. According to the Singapore daily Straits Timeshe has paintings by the masters Pablo Picasso and Jean-Michel Basquiat at home. Jay Chou has stated several times in interviews that he devotes a significant portion of his income to art, a field that the Taipei native has always been passionate about.