Straddling two worlds

Huang Yongyu's paintings command huge prices, but at 91, the artist's true passion is writing. Wang Chao reports.

Years of living in Italy has had a big impact on Huang Yongyu. A lot has changed since the time the artist held his first exhibition in that country, to date, when he is celebrating his book Along the Seine River to Florence being translated into Italian.

During those two decades and more, Huang, now 91, became a household name in China. If you want to buy one of his paintings you had better be prepared to pay a pretty penny. His works command sums in the vicinity of 600,000 yuan ($96,000) per square meter.