Taiwanese singer-songwriter Jay Chou has shocked netizens after spending millions on a painting by French artist Henri Matisse.
According to reports, the 47-year-old purchased an oil painting created in 1924, titled The Morning Session, for a whopping US$20mil (RM79.3mil).
It’s 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 Wednesday (May 20), Chou expressed his admiration for Matisse, recalling that when he was in Nice, France, he would often stand outside the Frenchman’s home, looking up at the balcony by the window.
“I’d imagine him standing there too someday, staring out at the sunlight over Nice, lost in thought, before walking back into his studio to continue creating,” he wrote.
The Mandopop icon added that he used to dream about one day being able to collect one of Matisse’s works: “Never thought that today, the dream would actually come true.”
For the record, 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.
