Chapter 100. Art Investment (3)

Everything in the world can be converted into money.

Art is no exception.

Talking about how to value art is nonsense. On the contrary, few things are as rigorously valued as art.

Artworks are actively traded through auctions and sales, and the return on art investment is as high as that of stocks and real estate.

If a painting or ceramic piece bought at a low price is authenticated as genuine, it can yield thousands or even tens of millions of times the original cost.

This painting will be auctioned four years from now.

A Russian tycoon put it up for auction at Christie's, and it was sold for the highest price in the history of art auctions.

It is known that he bought the painting for $10 million from two art industry insiders, and before they bought it, the painting was stored in a gallery's warehouse.

In other words, at this point in time.

Where could it be?

I'm not an art insider; I just saw it in a news article. I remember the painting and the artist, but I can't recall which gallery it was sold from.

Fortunately, I remembered that Seon-woo mentioned it was sold at a gallery in Chicago.

But how many galleries are there in Chicago?

There are dozens of famous galleries, and hundreds if you include medium and small galleries. The total number of paintings they sell is at least tens of thousands.

Fortunately, there were a few clues.

It was made in early 16th century Europe, a religious painting, by an unknown artist, in poor condition, and sold for $11,000 at a gallery in Chicago.

If I'm not careful, I might have to search through every gallery in Chicago.

Fortunately, it's the internet age.

Galleries publish catalogs on their websites to sell paintings. Not everyone can see them; most require a paid membership.

I paid for dozens of sites and searched through the catalogs. After a long session of web surfing, I found a painting that matched the conditions at the Eppenfrit Gallery.

The exact time when the original buyers purchased it is unclear, but I had to act before them.

Just in case, I rushed to the gallery as soon as I landed at the airport and managed to get the painting.

* * *

After taking a taxi to the hotel, I first took a shower and collapsed on the bed.

After a brief rest, I opened the package and unfolded the painting.

The painting looked as if it had been crumpled. It was difficult to see its original form without restoration.

The restoration cost might be more than the painting itself.

That's probably why the gallery didn't restore it.

"This painting costs $12,200?"

As far as I remember, it was sold for $11,000. Did they lower the price because it didn't sell? Or did they sell it cheaply to those people?

I don't know if this painting is worth that much. I wouldn't buy it even if it were sold for $1.

But if I knew who the artist was, it would be a different story.

What is the most important factor that affects the price of a painting?

The size of the canvas? The amount of paint used? The number of people and time involved?

None of that matters; the most important thing is "who painted it." A sketch drawn on a notepad would be worth at least $10,000 if Picasso painted it.

The artist of this painting is a well-known figure.

However, he left only 17 paintings, including the most famous painting in the world.

So this is his 18th painting.

The most important fact is...

"Is this painting going to be sold for $460.3 million at an auction four years from now?"

* * *

Robert was stunned when the painting he was about to buy was taken by a young Korean man. When Patrick heard his story, he was furious.

"Why did you do such a pointless thing?"

If Robert hadn't been unnecessarily kind, they would have gotten the painting.

"I didn't know he was there to buy the painting."

"What's the Korean's name? Do you have his contact information?"

"How would I know?"

"Because of you, this happened!"

"What? Because of me?"

"Isn't it because of you?"

"I found the painting, and you just followed me!"

Despite their argument, they tried to find the Korean who bought the painting.

Galleries usually don't disclose customer information, but they managed to get the name by flattering the gallery owner.

However, that wasn't enough to get the painting back.

'I should have asked which hotel he was staying at!'

Robert instructed the gallery to contact him if the Korean came back or called, and then returned to New York.

'This painting is definitely not genuine. The real painting must be somewhere else.'

He couldn't bear to think otherwise.

Back home, he was furious.

"Damn it!"

He recalled the young man he met in the lobby.

'That painting should have been mine!'

He missed the Ranksi painting and this one, both taken by Koreans.

'His name was Han Miru, right? Come to think of it...'

Ranksi said the Korean who bought all his paintings was 'Mr. Han.'

Suddenly, the image of the Asian man he saw in Central Park and the Asian man at the gallery overlapped in his mind.

Realizing the truth, Robert was shocked.

"Wait! Could it be that guy?"

* * *

On my way to the airport, I called David Rockheart.

[Why did you suddenly go to Chicago?]

"I had something to buy."

[What did you buy? I saw a $12,200 payment at a gallery.]

Where would I get $10,000? So I used the company card.

"I'll tell you later. Is the Korean branch set up?"

[Yes, all the paperwork is done.]

I need a branch in Korea for the upcoming work.

"I'll call you again when I get to Korea."

[Understood.]

I headed to Korea with the painting.

After a ten-hour flight, I finally arrived at Incheon Airport, feeling the end of my long journey.

I took a taxi home and collapsed on the sofa.

Even though it's a small two-room apartment, it's still the best place.

I first took out the painting I bought from the Central Park vendor.

"Sure enough, my guess was right."

These paintings were by Ranksi. Ranksi himself posted about it on Twitter, and it was also in the news.

The authorities are actively tracking down the buyers.

I bought 12 paintings.

At $500,000 each, that's $6 million.

It's enough to live off for life, but considering the debt I owe, it's not nearly enough. The important thing is not the 12 Ranksi paintings but the one painting I bought from the gallery.

If I can sell it well, the money problem will be partially solved.

While lying down, Seon-woo came home from work.

"You're back?"

Seon-woo was surprised.

"Whoa! What's going on? When did you get back?"

"Just now."

"You should have told me you were coming."

"Oh, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you didn't."

I asked Seon-woo.

"Why do you look like that? Did you sleep on the street?"

He sighed and sat on the sofa.

"Some guy caused an accident, and I'm almost dead from cleaning it up. The user base was cut in half with a few clicks."

"Did the admin copy items and sell them?"

Seon-woo's eyes widened at my words.

"Hey! How did you know?"

It happened the same way in the first round.

I played it off.

"I saw it on the internet."

"Right now, the game is a mess, and it's causing a lot of trouble. We can't let it fail like this."

Unfortunately, it will fail.

I still remember him pouring out his frustration while drinking.

"Did you have a good trip to the U.S.?"

"Yeah."

"Why did you stay for months?"

"I told you. I set up a company and made investments."

"Is my money safe?"

"Of course. It's growing."

From his question, it seems he doesn't follow the news much. Who would remember the name of a foreign private equity fund?

"What did you invest in?"

"There's a long story behind it. I'm tired now, so I'll tell you later."

Seon-woo looked at the paintings on the floor.

"What are these paintings?"

"Oh! I bought them in the U.S. I'll give you one. Choose the one you like."

"Why did you buy so many paintings?"

"I bought them from a vendor in the park."

Seon-woo casually looked through the paintings.

"They look pretty good for something bought from a vendor."

"Really?"

"Yeah, the lines are well-drawn."

From his comment, it seems he knows a thing or two about art.

Some guy apparently criticized the lines and left, but he's probably regretting it now.

I looked around the house.

"The place is a mess without me."

Clothes and trash were scattered everywhere, and dust was floating in the air. It's clear no cleaning was done while I was in the U.S.

"Who would think you clean regularly?"

"Even so, it wasn't this bad when I was here."

I never thought it was inconvenient before, but after staying in a hotel, the apartment seems very small.

Now that I've made some money, I can't keep living in this shabby two-room apartment.

"How much is the rent here?"

"3,000 plus 100. Why?"

I added 40 every month. In return, I used a tiny room like a closet.

"Should we move out of here?"

Seon-woo was shocked.

"What are you talking about?"

"To a better place..."

"Are you trying to take my 3,000 deposit on top of your savings and my monthly contribution? No way! Absolutely not until I die!"

"..."

* * *

After a brief conversation with Seon-woo, I fell asleep.

I must have been tired, as I slept for 12 hours straight. When I woke up, I didn't even feel like moving a finger.

It was 8 a.m. Seon-woo was already gone, and I saw I had a missed call from Sung Yuna.

I called her back.

"Hello."

[Where are you? Did you come back to Korea?]

"Yes, I came back last night."

[Why so late? You said you were coming back directly from New York.]

"I stopped by somewhere on the way."

[Tsk! What are you going to do today?]

"I'm going to look for a new place to live."

[Oh, then how about we go house hunting together? I can see you then.]

"What about work?"

[I was planning to take a day off today.]

"..."

You can take a day off whenever you want?

Anyway, that's good.

"Then how about we meet at Gangnam Station at 12? We can have lunch together."

[Okay.]

There was still time before the meeting.

I set an alarm and went back to sleep.