Singer Jay Chou buys painting by French artist Henri Matisse for $25.5m
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Jay Chou is believed to have spent $25.5 million on the painting The Morning Session (left).
PHOTOS: JAYCHOU/INSTAGRAM, REUTERS
Taiwanese singer Jay Chou has shocked netizens after spending millions on a painting by French artist Henri Matisse.
According to reports from Taiwanese media outlets including Mirror Media, the 47-year-old purchased an oil painting created in 1924, titled The Morning Session, for a whopping US$20 million (S$25.5 million).
It is believed that he acquired the artwork through Sotheby’s – one of the world’s largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery and collectibles.
In an Instagram post on May 20, Chou expressed his admiration for Matisse, recalling that when he was in Nice, France, he would often stand outside the Frenchman’s former home, a luxury apartment within the historic hotel Regina, looking up at the balcony by the window.
“I’d imagine him standing there, staring out at the sunlight over Nice, lost in thought, before walking back into his studio to continue creating,” Chou wrote in English.
The Mandopop star added that he used to dream about collecting one of the post-Impressionist artist’s works. “Never thought that today, the dream would actually come true,” he wrote.
Chou is known to be an avid art collector, with works in his collection from artists such as Pablo Picasso and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
He previously revealed in an interview with CNN that a large portion of his concert earnings go to buying artworks.
The singer is scheduled to perform in Singapore from Jan 8 to 10, 2027, at the National Stadium as part of his new Carnival II World Tour. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
