The Chinese Girl sells for nearly £1 million

 

Wednesday 20 March 2013 16:54 GMT
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Bonham's undated handout photo of 'Chinese Girl', the most famous work of Vladimir Tretchikoff, the Russian emigre who settled in South Africa.
Bonham's undated handout photo of 'Chinese Girl', the most famous work of Vladimir Tretchikoff, the Russian emigre who settled in South Africa.

The original painting of the Chinese Girl, thought to be the most reproduced print in the world, was sold for nearly £1 million today.

The work by Siberian-born artist Vladimir Tretchikoff raised £982,050 - nearly double its expected price - as part of a sale of South African art at Bonhams auction house.

Millions of reproductions of the picture, also known as the Green Lady because of the unusual blue-green skin tone of the subject, have been sold since it was painted in the 1950s.

A Bonhams spokesman said: "It's very exciting. Suddenly the market has decided they like what they can see with Tretchikoff."

The Bonhams spokesman added: "It's almost triple the £380,000 we sold his painting Lenka for last year.

"It shows he's beginning to close in on the other major figures on the South African art landscape, Irma Stern - whose picture Arab Priest we previously sold for £3 million - and Pierneef."

Pierneef's work Landscape, Stellenbosch sold for £713,250 and Stern's painting Congolese Beauty for £541,250 at the Bonhams auction today.

The identity of the Chinese Girl buyer was not known, but the painting will remain within Europe, the spokesman said.

PA

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