Gao Zhen Yu, owner of the Xiaohongshu account who runs Gao’s Fine Art gallery in Avignon in southern France, claimed in the post to have records of the seven prior owners of the painting as well as details of when it was exhibited, The South China Morning Post reported.
Possible sale of Monet’s Water Lilies on Chinese social media causes disbelief Painting apparently sold on Chinese Instagram equivalent Xiaohongshu.
Gallery Boss’s Backyard Garden posted a Monet listing on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media and e-commerce platform often likened to Instagram, on 9 December.
But another post on 17 December by an account called Ours Gallery said a buyer identified only by their surname Tian had reached out after seeing Gao’s post and purchased the artwork for several hundred million yuan.
An art gallery’s claim that they sold an original Monet work on a social media platform has sparked disbelief on Chinese internet.
