THIS is neither a museum, nor an art gallery. It’s the venue of the fourth China International Import Expo.Alan Wang, an exhibitor at the ongoing expo, was fascinated by the artwork “La Pointe du Petit Ailly” on display at the Trade in Services section.

She is an art amateur rather than an art buff.

“The art piece is really beautiful as you can see the subtle lines and gentle changes of colors,” said Wang. “I’m amazed by it.”

The debut of a specific display area of artworks and antiquities at the expo has attracted a lot of attention. It promises to be an art feast to the eyes with enduring appeal.

To further promote the artwork trading volume and the return of cultural relics, this year’s CIIE has established a culture section in the services trade area for the first time.

The display area amounts to more than 1,200 square meters with 178 exhibits. Their combined value surpasses 2.3 billion yuan (US$359 million).

Among the exhibits are many “heavyweight” artworks, including paintings, sculptures, installations, handicraft works and cultural relics.

Masterpieces by renowned Chinese and foreign artists are featured, including Zhang Daqian, Fu Baoshi, Wu Guanzhong, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Yayoi Kusama.

World-leading auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s are present.

Monet’s “La Pointe du Petit Ailly” is one of the masterpieces that all visitors will not miss. The undulating cliff that the impressionist master painted in 1897 is taking the spotlight.

It was one of a series of canvases Monet painted of views from Pourville during his stay in the tranquil fishing village.

“The work marks an important milestone in Monet’s painting career,” said Alex Weng, senior client liaison of Sotheby’s (Shanghai) Cultural Development Co Ltd.

Sotheby’s has brought five sought-after pieces for its debut at the expo. The other four are Zhang Daqian’s “Verdant Mountains in Sichuan,” existentialist sculptor Alberto Giacometti’s “Buste de Diego,” modernist Marc Chagall’s “The Avenue of Opera” and avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama’s symbolic motif of a pumpkin.

Zhang (1899-1983), one of the best-known Chinese artists of the 20th century, was born in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

He depicted Mount Qingcheng, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the painting. It was among his eight serial works of the mountain where Taoism practitioners began living in seclusion about 2,000 years ago, creating one of the four holiest Taoist sites in China.

Zhang made a visit to the mountain in 1948, and the series drew inspiration from natural scenery, myths and legends.

Only two are left, with the whereabouts of the rest unknown.

“It is a great opportunity for Sotheby’s to bring top artworks to CIIE to promote cultural exchange and develop China’s art industry,” said Nathan Drahi, managing director Asia of Sotheby’s.

He compared the CIIE to a window allowing Chinese customers access to multinational companies.

Yang Jun, deputy director of Sotheby’s, said the expo lets collectors buy pieces without participating in auctions, and in turn helps the company explore more business opportunities in the Chinese market.

“China plays a big role in art collection, and the number of young collectors is rising,” she said.

“Even though it is the first day of the expo, we have already received good responses,” Weng told Shanghai Daily. “In addition to collectors, others also show great interest in these artworks.

“The CIIE promotes cultural exchange and serves as a platform for Chinese audience to appreciate art masterpieces directly, not through windows.”

OTA Fine Arts, a gallery from Japan, brings only one exhibit to the expo — a giant pumpkin sculpture by Kusama.

Notably, the giant pumpkin sculpture was the first bonded artwork to enter the expo site.

“It’s huge, we were all surprised at its size on arrival,” said Pan Jianbo, assistant to the general manager of the storage department of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone International Culture Investment and Development Co Ltd, which provides one-stop services for the display of these artworks.

The pumpkin sculpture is over 3 meters in length, width and height. It weighs about 1,320 kilograms after being packed. The sculpture, in the shape of a black-dotted red pumpkin, is one of the most striking exhibits.

Considered one of Japan’s most important living artists, Kusama works primarily in sculptures and installations, but is also active in painting, performance, film, fashion, poetry, fiction and other arts.

Reaching Chinese buyers

HENI, an international arts institution established in 2005, brings a special exhibition of British contemporary conceptual artist Damien Hirst to the expo.

Ten milestone pieces by artist are exhibited. It’s the first time showcasing his art in China, according to HENI.

The arts institution based in Britain entered China this year, and it has eyed the expo as an opportunity to reach domestic buyers.

“In recent years, China’s art market has developed at a fast pace,” said Zheng Yan, executive director of HENI China. “It’s great that CIIE offers a platform to talk face to face with Chinese buyers.”

Via different art media such as installation, sculpture and painting, HENI offers a glimpse for people into the artist’s discovery of the subtle relationship of art, aesthetics, science, life and death.

Christie’s has eight works on display. They are by art masters including Zhang Daqian, Zao Wou-Ki, Marc Chagall, Francesco Lazzaro Guardi and Camille Pissarro.

“We have received some potential traders who have intentions for trade and negotiations are underway,” said Zhuang Jun, an auction director at Christie’s.

“Beatrice Hastings devant une Porte,” an oil portrait by Italian modernism artist Amedeo Modigliani, is in the spotlight. It was created in 1915.

“The lady in the painting was his ‘goddess’ and muse, who was a British poet who lived in Paris,” said Zhuang.

“Her dress, makeup and headwear offer a glimpse into the most fashionable style in Paris in the 1910s.

“The artist’s personal affection for the lady was imbued in details in the work, as you can see her eyes, eyebrow and lip all reflect a naughty side in addition to the elegant appearance.”

The artist only left a few works as he died when he was only 36. The painting has been exhibited in more than 10 museums, according to Zhuang.

This year’s import expo has issued tax exemption policies, allowing each institution participating in the event to trade five art and cultural relic pieces with zero tariffs within the expo period. This will encourage international arts trading and cultural exchanges, especially the return of China’s cultural relics.

According to Li Jing, deputy director of the culture relics department at Shanghai Cultural Heritage Administration, it could be the only channel allowing culture relics to enjoy exemption from tariffs.

The policy has worked, as the expo has attracted 20 overseas institutes from 11 countries and regions. For many, it is their first CIIE experience.

Artworks were first transported to the Shanghai International Bonded Artwork Service Center and unwrapped there.

Trade in artworks

Shanghai’s free trade zone plays an important role in accelerating the trade in artworks. Since 2013, the import and export value of cultural works handled in the free trade zone has reached nearly 60 billion yuan.

In the first nine months this year, it reached 7.8 billion yuan, up about 250 percent year on year.

“It is the first time for the world’s three leading auction houses — Christie’s, Phillips and Sotheby’s — to take part in CIIE,” said Chen Heng, vice general manager of the marketing department of Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone’s cultural company.

“Actually, arts institutions usually don’t take part in comprehensive expos,” Chen added. “Even for professional art expos, they are very picky. But favorable policies and the big influence of CIIE have made them change their minds.”

Jiang Mingwei, general manager of Shanghai Free Trade Zone International Culture Investment and Development Co Ltd, added: “The expo creates a potential platform and an opportunity for overseas institutions to explore the China market. Pre-transactions have already been made even before the expo started.

“I am confident of the final trade volume of artworks in the expo, which should come out as a surprising delight under the preferential tax exemption policies.

“Overseas institutes have expressed great confidence in China’s art market under our efforts to make known relevant preferential policies and import procedures. They have made meticulous preparations for the event and selected many masterpieces from ‘heavyweight’ artists.

“The expo will further boost their confidence in China’s art market. We expect the space of artworks and antiquities display at next year’s event will double.”

Shanghai is on track to become an important global artwork trading center.

The 3rd annual Shanghai International Artwork Trade Month, which began in Xuhui District on November 2, features approximately 200 art events throughout the whole month.

The CIIE artworks and antiquities display is a highlight of the month.

The artwork value involved in the trading month totals over 10 billion yuan, and more than 300 traders are expected.