Painting auctioned at $5m goes missing, HK police suspect cleaners mistook it for rubbish

Poly Auction staff could not find the Chinese ink painting Snowy Mountain yesterday, and police suspected that the painting had been placed on the floor, and someone on patrol mistakenly kicked it next to a heap of garbage nearby, says the report. --
Poly Auction staff could not find the Chinese ink painting Snowy Mountain yesterday, and police suspected that the painting had been placed on the floor, and someone on patrol mistakenly kicked it next to a heap of garbage nearby, says the report. -- PHOTO: WEBSITE OF POLY AUCTION

Hong Kong - Cleaners are suspected of mistaking a Cui Ruzhuo painting for rubbish and dumping the work, which has gone missing after it was sold for $HK28.75 million (S$4.6 million) by Poly Auction, says Sing Tao Daily.

Poly Auction staff could not find the Chinese ink painting Snowy Mountain at a Grand Hyatt ballroom yesterday, after the auction on Monday, and police suspected that the painting had been placed on the floor, and someone on patrol mistakenly kicked it next to a heap of garbage nearby, says the report. The painting might then have been removed by cleaners, and transferred to a landfill in the New Territories.

Police officers rushed to the landfill yesterday night, but did not find the painting, says the report.

Another painting by Cui set a new auction record for a contemporary Chinese work on Monday. Landscape In Snow sold for HK$184 million.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.