Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BEIJING, Oct 3, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A new Internet database of Chinese art and their artists will help collectors check the authenticity of their purchased pieces.
"China's artwork market have become increasingly vibrant in recent years, with trade values constantly increasing," Zhang Xinjian, vice director of the Ministry of Culture's cultural market department, told the official Xinhua news service.
The database will include a panel of 148 experts to authenticate all the registered artists and their artworks, Xinhua reported.
"It is the first such 'census' of Chinese artworks since 1949 and it will give a clear view of the sector," said an official in charge of the database.
China has about 70 million collectors, with the annual domestic trade value totaling billions of dollars.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
