Amid everyone's exclamations, Xiao Ran finally unveiled the top canvas, which was "Yale University Autumn Scenery"
What then appeared in front of everyone's eyes was a famous Impressionist masterpiece.
Impressionist art master and famous French painter, Edgar Degas's "Ballet Classroom"
The reason why everyone is so sure that this is the work of the art master Degas is very simple.
Because this is Degas's best painting subject, among all the Impressionist painters, no painter painted ballerinas better than Degas.
Another point is that a painting that has been so deliberately hidden cannot be a fake.
Underneath this Impressionist masterpiece, there seem to be two more canvases, but I don’t know what paintings they are or the works of which art master.
Although everyone discovered this, they had no time to take it into consideration for the time being.
Without exception, everyone's attention was firmly attracted by Degas's "Ballet Classroom" and could no longer move away.
What this painting depicts is a scene of many ballerinas rehearsing in a ballet studio in Paris, France, in the 19th century.
There are a dozen ballerinas in the painting, all wearing white shoes and tutus, rehearsing in the teacher's room.
They are either dancing gracefully, pressing their legs on the barre, or looking at themselves in front of the mirror.
Or sit on a stool or on the floor to rest, or listen carefully to the teacher's teachings.
Although there are many characters in the painting, no two people have the same movements. Everyone is lifelike, and the whole picture is extremely vivid.
When admiring this painting, viewers standing outside the painting will have an immersive feeling.
It's like standing at the door of the ballet studio in the painting, watching the many ballerinas dancing in the classroom.
Those ballerinas are like dexterous and beautiful white swans, spinning in circles on the floor.
Not only that, everyone seemed to hear bursts of laughter, whispers, and the scolding of the dance teacher.
In this oil painting, the artist used extremely excellent painting skills to capture the momentary movements of each dancer.
A ballet studio in Paris in the 19th century is completely presented to everyone.
In the blink of an eye, everyone was deeply attracted by this painting and admired it intoxicatedly.
Even Brian temporarily forgot the pain and admired the "Ballet Studio" with bright eyes.
After a long time, Xiao Ran woke up first, and then said with a smile:
"Everyone can wake up. There is no doubt that this is the masterpiece "Ballet Studio" by the Impressionist master Degas, a top-notch work of art."
"I just don't know which of the Degas paintings of the same name is this "Ballet Studio"?"
"Why are you here again? Why were you hidden?"
“It’s such an unexpected surprise to find a piece of Degas’ “Ballet Studio” here.
Following his words, everyone at the scene woke up.
The next moment, the antique store was filled with excitement.
"Oh my God! Who would have thought that behind "Yale University Autumn Scenery" there is actually a painting of "Ballet Studio" by Degas, it's incredible!"
"Wow! This "Ballet Studio" is so wonderful and beautiful, no worse than the painting of the same name collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art."
Just when everyone was exclaiming, Elaine had already moved closer to the oil painting, admiring it carefully, and her eyes were shining with excitement.
In the blink of an eye, she had discovered something, and then said excitedly:
"Dear, this is indeed "Ballet Studio" by the master of art Degas, and it is one of the several paintings he personally brought to the United States in 1872."
"At that time, Degas's favorite subject was ballerinas, and he created many paintings with ballerinas as the protagonist, which are also his most famous masterpieces."
"About this "Ballet Studio", it is mentioned in Degas's personal biography, "The Biography of Degas", and can also be found in relevant literature."
"The sketch of this painting is stored in the Musée d'Orsay. There is also Degas' personal signature in the lower right corner of the painting."
As she spoke, Elaine pointed to the lower right corner of the painting.
Following the direction of her finger, everyone saw Degas' personal signature at a glance.
After listening to her introduction and the artist's signature, no one had any doubt about the authenticity of the "Ballet Studio".
What followed was another excited exclamation.
Looking at Brian again, his eyes were widened and he was staring at the oil painting.
His eyes were already blood red, full of pain, and he was so heartbroken that he almost died.
At the same time, Elaine's professional performance also shocked him.
Only then did he understand.
How stupid was my previous unwarranted contempt!
The young lovers in front of them have a sharp vision and unlucky luck. They always find all kinds of treasures!
The other one has been exposed to it since childhood and has very profound artistic literacy and various professional knowledge of art.
When two people like this come together, it’s no wonder that everything goes wrong!
Before Brian could recover, one of his old friends suddenly asked:
"Sean, since this is the masterpiece of the art master Degas, "Ballet Studio", it must be a top-notch work of art."
"Can you evaluate the value of this painting? How much is this painting worth? Everyone is very interested."
Before he finished speaking, everyone looked at Xiao Ran.
Xiao Ran did not give the answer immediately, but thought for a moment.
After pretending to think for a while, he smiled and said:
"The ballerina series of paintings are the most famous masterpieces of the art master Degas, and they are also top-notch works of art that countless collectors and museums are crazy about."
"This "Ballet Studio" is one of them, and it is of special significance. It was a painting that Degas personally brought to the United States. It can be found in many documents."
"Based on these factors and referring to the auction records of Degas' works, the valuation of this "Ballet Studio" should be around US$50 million."
Not surprisingly, this valuation immediately attracted exclamations of surprise as soon as it came out.
"Wow! $50 million, this valuation is really amazing!"
"$2,000 instantly turned into $50 million, a direct increase of twenty-five thousand times. This is really crazy and unheard of!"
Just as others were exclaiming, Brian's body shook twice, his vision went dark, and he almost fell to the ground.
Fortunately, he was in good health and finally managed to stabilize his body and barely stand.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Ran couldn't help but smile flashing in his eyes.
Then, he smiled and asked:
"Brian, are you okay? Can you still hold on?"
"If you feel uncomfortable, it's best to sit on the sofa for a while to avoid accidents."
"Uh-huh!"
Everyone at the scene turned to look at Brian, and everyone's eyes were filled with sympathy and even pity.
Being swept away by a top-notch piece of art worth 50 million US dollars would make anyone miserable!
If you don't faint on the spot, your mental quality is very good!
Brian was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a wry smile.
"Is it okay? This is a piece of "Ballet Studio" by the master Degas worth 50 million US dollars, the most top-notch work of art."
"It's a pity that I was blind and missed such a top-notch piece of art. It was so stupid!"
"I'd better go sit on the sofa for a while, otherwise I might faint here."
With that said, he walked towards the reception area in despair, as if he had aged dozens of years in an instant.
Seeing this scene, one of his old friends hurriedly followed him and whispered a few words of relief to prevent this guy from thinking too hard.
When he walked away, Xiao Ran immediately turned to look at the clerk with red eyes next to him.
"Man, bring me some painting tubes. I'm going to put this "Yale University Autumn Landscape" and Degas's "Ballet Studio" together."
"David, go and settle the bill. I need three telescopic painting tubes."
"Okay, Sean."
David nodded in response and immediately walked towards the clerk.
After a while, David brought over three black telescopic painting tubes.
Xiao Ran immediately began to roll up the painting, first rolling up the "Yale University Autumn Scenery" and putting it into one of the telescopic painting tubes.
Then he handed the painting tube to Fang Yufei and asked her to hold it.
Then he picked up the pliers again and carefully began to pull out the many nails holding "Ballet Studio".
In a short time, all the nails holding this top-notch piece of art were pulled out without causing any damage to the painting.
After pulling out the nails, Xiao Ran put the pliers aside.
Then I put on a new pair of clean gloves and started rolling Degas' "Ballet Studio".
Although this Impressionist masterpiece is over a hundred years old, it is in very good condition. The paint on the painting is not cracked and can be rolled up completely.
While Xiao Ran was rolling this oil painting, everyone at the scene held their breath, staring closely at his every move and the drawing board under his hand.
Everyone was full of envy, reluctant to part with it, and wanted to appreciate Degas' "Ballet Classroom" again.
At the same time, everyone is full of expectations and wants to see it.
What else is hidden under this "Ballet Classroom" and which work of a top art master is it?
With Xiao Ran's movements, what was hidden under the oil painting gradually emerged.
The next moment, everyone on the scene let out a surprised sound.
