An oil painting created by Chinese artist Zhu Zebin to promote the 2010 Asian Games set a new record for Chinese paintings at a recent auction in Singapore.
The artwork, titled "Meet in Harmonious Guangzhou, Share the Asiad Passion", went to an unidentified Indonesian bidder at a Jan 4 auction for $16.7 million, China News Service reported.
The artwork depicts 22 Asian women wearing traditional clothes, each dancing or demonstrating a sport. The background shows landmarks of Guangzhou, the southern Chinese city that will host the 2010 Asian Games.
The painting is among more than 100 works that Zhu Zebin has dedicated to the Guangzhou Games. The 49-year-old artist says he fully supports the event and is proud to be a native of Guangdong province, of which Guangzhou is the capital city.
Zhu has been a favorite at art auctions in recent years. His work "Liftoff", which was also inspired by the Guangzhou Games, brought in $6.14 million at an auction in Taipei last year.
Zhu's works are also popular among diplomats. "Little White Rabbits", for example, was snapped up by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, according to the website of the Guangzhou Asian Games.
Note:2010 Asian Games
The 16th Asian Games (also known as the XVI Asiad) will be held in Guangzhou, China from November 11 to November 27, 2010. Guangzhou will be the second city in China to host the games after Beijing in 1990. 41 events are scheduled to be contested, making the most events to be ever competed in history of the Asian Games.
The inaugural 10th Asian Para Games, the parallel sport event for disabled Asian athletes, opens December 12 and closes December 19, 2010, two weeks after the conclusion of the 16th Asian Games. The gap in between the Games will be used by organizers to convert all athlete accommodations, meeting halls, training and competition venues used by the Asian Games into disability-accessible facilities.
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