(Reported from New York on March 24, 2015, published by the Las Vegas Chinese Newspaper at: http://www.lvcnn.com/news.php?id=14138)
On March 22, 2015, a painting titled “”Ink Lotus” by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III was sold at auction with the highest price among all artworks sold at the spring auctions held in the global art center New York by major auction houses including Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Gianguan, and others. According to experts, this painting is a rare treasure of the world with superior painting skills, a perfect balance between simplicity and luxury, and mature and vigorous artistry. It is a mounted painting of ink on paper. The appraised price was US$10,500,000, which was the starting price for opening bid.
As soon as the painting’s auction was open, collectors from the US, France, and Southeast Asia entered into a bidding frenzy. Eventually, an approximately sixty-year-old Caucasian with proud temperament from the United States won the painting at the hammer price of US$16,500,000 (before tax). This is the highest price reached among all artworks sold at all major auction houses’ spring auctions, trumping by multiple times the selling price of all works by famed historical and contemporary masters, such as those of Shi Tao, Wu Changshuo, Yun Nantian, Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, Xu Beihong, Fu Baoshi, Pan Tianshou, Li Keran, Huang Binhong, Wu Guanzhong, and even the Five Dynasties’ Juran, the Southern Song Dynasty’s Su Hanchen, and Wen Zhengming and Zheng Banqiao of the Ming/Qing Dynasty.
Painting artworks by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III are very rare in the world. This is different from the situation of many painting masters who created and left over ten thousand or even several ten thousand paintings that are circulating in the world. Although H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III have created many paintings, to keep only selected precious pieces in the world, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III burnt all pieces that He did not regard as precious ones. Such events were reported many by television broadcasting, newspapers, and magazines in China during the early years. There are only about 300 pieces in the world today. Therefore, paintings by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III that still exist in the world are truly rare treasures of the world and artworks of the national-treasure class. Moreover, all originals by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III feature a three-dimensional fingerprint as authentication to prevent forging.
Because of the preciousness of the original artworks by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, during the preview briefing of this spring auction, appraisers gave a special introduction to this painting by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and declared it as the most valuable artwork in all spring auctions this year. Just as forecasted, when the auction of this painting started from the initial price of US$10,500,000, numerous collectors raised their bid cards to contest fiercely, causing the price to climb continuously. After several rounds of competition, this collector who wished to remain anonymous eventually grabbed this painting “Ink Lotus” with the winning price of US$16,500,000.
H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is not only the world’s top-notch master artist, He is also the only Buddha recognized in our world as well as the highest world leader of Buddhism. On December 12, 2012, the United States Senate unanimously voted to approve the resolution to officially confer the title of His Holiness upon Dorje Chang Buddha III. The mayor of Washington D. C. proclaimed in writing “H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Day” on January 19th, 2011. The USPS approved the issuance of a commemorative first-day cover envelope in honor of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Day. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is also the only Buddha in the world to have a Buddha Day.
H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s accomplishments and contributions are omnidirectional. Since Buddhism began to exist in our world, there hasn’t been any Buddhist figure whose accomplishments in the Five Vidyas exceeded that of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Just speaking in terms of artistry of calligraphy and painting, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s achievements represent highest summits in both Chinese painting and Western oil painting. People who ever viewed H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s oil paintings such as “Sunflower,” “Misty Charm from a Withered Pond,” “Withering Leaves Emanating Red Color,” and others all say that oil painters such as Vaughn, Monet and others are truly great masters but H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is the outstanding great master among these great masters. This is exactly true. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s artworks cover numerous categories and utilize various techniques and methods. Whether depicting human figures, scenery, or objects of flowers, birds, fish, and insects or utilizing the styles of fine brushwork, extra realism, splash-ink, and layered coloring, every piece is characterized by conveying grand artistic conception through superior style, embedding luxury in simplicity, and completely breaking away from mediocrity and superficiality, and achieved flawless attainment at the acme of perfection. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is very deservingly the world’s topmost master artist.
Artworks by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III have very astonishing values. In addition to fetching the top auction price by this original painting, even duplicated copies of limited quantity were already sold at auctions for more than US$380,000 a piece several years ago, representing the highest price of limited-quantity duplicated paintings in the world.
The selling price of US$16,500,000 of this water-ink painting “Ink Lotus” by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III in this auction set a new highest price of all painting artists in the world past and present. This price is several times or even several tens of times higher than the price that a painting by a world-famous artist past or present can bring.
The painting’s inscription is “Ink Lotus— An utter chaos strewn with broken strokes: a peculiar sight, yet wondrously endowed with a soul-soothing charm, Dorje Chang III.” In addition, it has the fingerprint of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III at the lower part.