Chinese Painter Liu Ye's Portrait "Zhang Ailing" Fetches 25 Million

The painting "Zhang Ailing" by Chinese contemporary artist Liu Ye was recently sold at a high price of over 170 million New Taiwan dollars at China Guardian Auction.

According to a report by the Economic Observer on the 16th, during the "Contemporary Art Night Sale" at the China Guardian Spring Auction 2025 on the evening of the 13th, Liu Ye's "Zhang Ailing" sold for 42.55 million RMB (approximately 25.32 million Malaysian Ringgit), becoming the star lot of the event.

The report states that this 2004 oil painting on canvas (60×45 cm) uses a unique language combining surrealism and cartoon style to depict the writer Zhang Ailing's sense of loneliness and alienation.

"Zhang Ailing" started bidding at 9 million RMB, ended hammering down at 37 million RMB after several rounds of bidding, and sold for a final price of 42.55 million RMB inclusive of commission, exceeding the lower estimate by nearly five times and becoming the fourth highest auction price in Liu Ye's personal record.

The report says that over 20 years, the value of this work has increased nearly a hundredfold, with the original collector being Taiwanese lyricist Yao Qian.

In Liu Ye's female portrait series, "Zhang Ailing" is the only work themed around a writer. "Zhang Ailing" was first showcased at the Wuhan Art Document Nomination Exhibition, establishing its academic status and is included in several authoritative publications.

According to the WeChat public account "Art Asia ArtAsia", Liu Ye was born in 1964 in Beijing. During his early studies at the Berlin University of the Arts in Germany, he was greatly influenced by Mondrian's geometric aesthetics and Balthus's mysticism, forming his iconic "minimalist surreal" style. His round-headed and round-faced characters seem innocent but often encapsulate profound reflections on history, literature, and humanity.