Chinese Painter Qi Baishi’s ‘Shrimp’ painting auctioned as NFT

Chinese painter Qi Baishi (齊白石) is one of the most famous painters in Chinese history. Yesterday, the NFT version of his ‘Shrimp’ masterpiece was auctioned in the Shanghai Jiahe Auction. This is the first time that his oil paintings are being digitalized, and we can expect more to come in the near future. Currently, the original oil painting sits in a gallery in Changsha, Hunan, and is not part of the auction.

Top Holder converted the original painting and minted the NFT version. The company is no stranger to the Shanghai Jiahe Auction as both parties have collaborated before in the past. This auction is similar to Oleg Tselkov’s oil painting auction shortly after he passed on in 2021. Unfortunately, many imitations of such famous paintings are surfacing on OpenSea and other marketplaces.

Qi Baishi, Legendary Chinese Painter

This well-known Chinese painter focuses on smaller things of the world rather than the large landscape. This led him to draw animals, scenery, figures, vegetables, and so on. Qi Baishi’s most famous paintings feature shrimps, among other animals. In 2011, Christie’s auctioned a similar painting featuring shrimps and crabs, finally selling at HKD2.3 million (~USD295k).

The former president of the Association of Chinese Artists emphasizes that paintings must be something between likeness and unlikeness. This led to his prodigious output that reflects a diversity of interests and experience.

Traditional art and culture are treasures that we should pass on to future generations. Today, NFTs can certainly play a role and contribute to this initiative.