藝術(shù)品會(huì)成為中美貿(mào)易戰(zhàn)的犧牲品嗎？

The United States has started a trade war with China, and art is caught in the cross-fire.

美國(guó)已開(kāi)始了一場(chǎng)與中國(guó)的貿(mào)易戰(zhàn)，戰(zhàn)火殃及到藝術(shù)品。

The administration announced this month that President Trump had proposed duties as high as 25 percent on $200 billion worth of imported Chinese goods “to encourage China to change its harmful policies.” The proposed tariffs, initially set at 10 percent, followed two earlier rounds of penalties.

美國(guó)政府本月宣布，特朗普總統(tǒng)已提議對(duì)價(jià)值2000億美元的中國(guó)進(jìn)口商品征收高達(dá)25%的關(guān)稅，目的是為了“鼓勵(lì)中國(guó)改變其有害的政策”。在這個(gè)原本定為10%的關(guān)稅提案之前，已經(jīng)征收了兩輪懲罰性的關(guān)稅。

The latest list of targeted Chinese goods ran to 205 pages. It included sand blasting machines; eels, fresh or chilled (excluding fillets); hats; and, at the bottom of the last page, paintings and drawings executed entirely by hand, original sculptures, and antiques more than 100 years old.

新一輪關(guān)稅針對(duì)的中國(guó)商品清單長(zhǎng)達(dá)205頁(yè)。包括噴砂機(jī)、新鮮或冷藏鰻魚(yú)(不包括魚(yú)片)、帽子，在清單最后一頁(yè)底部還有完全手工繪制的油畫(huà)和素描，原創(chuàng)的雕塑，以及100年以上的古董。

The tariffs would apply to all artworks that originated in China, regardless of how they entered the United States. That means American buyers could be required to pay 25 percent more for a Ming dynasty bowl sold by a British owner at an auction in New York, as well as for a painting by a young Beijing-based artist at a gallery in Hong Kong.

所有源自中國(guó)的藝術(shù)品都將被征收關(guān)稅，不管這些藝術(shù)品是怎樣進(jìn)入美國(guó)的。這就意味著，美國(guó)買(mǎi)家可能需要多支付25%的價(jià)錢(qián)，不管他是在紐約的拍賣(mài)會(huì)上購(gòu)買(mǎi)英國(guó)所有者出售的明代瓷碗，還是在一家香港畫(huà)廊購(gòu)買(mǎi)一位年輕北京藝術(shù)家的作品。

The announcement has caused outrage in the art world.

新一輪關(guān)稅的宣布引起了藝術(shù)界的憤怒。

James Lally, the founder of J.J. Lally & Co., a dealer based in New York that specializes in Asian art, said that the proposed tariffs were “a matter of great concern” to museums, collectors, curators and dealers worldwide.

詹姆斯·拉里(James Lally)是J·J·拉里公司(J.J. Lally & Co.)的創(chuàng)始人，這家總部位于紐約的公司專(zhuān)門(mén)從事亞洲藝術(shù)品的交易。拉里說(shuō)，世界各地的博物館、收藏家、策展人和交易商“高度關(guān)注”政府建議的關(guān)稅。

“It will have a chilling impact,” he said. “It will quickly reduce the market for Chinese art in America to a backwater.”

“這將產(chǎn)生可怕的影響，”他說(shuō)。“美國(guó)的中國(guó)藝術(shù)品市場(chǎng)會(huì)迅速成為一潭死水。”

Professional organizations like the Art Dealers Association of America, the Association of Art Museum Directors and the British Antique Dealers’ Association have also stated their opposition to the proposal.

美國(guó)藝術(shù)交易商協(xié)會(huì)、藝術(shù)博物館館長(zhǎng)協(xié)會(huì)以及英國(guó)古董交易商協(xié)會(huì)等專(zhuān)業(yè)組織都對(duì)建議的關(guān)稅表示反對(duì)。

Dozens of companies voiced concerns to trade officials during six days of public hearings in Washington this past week, many warning that the proposed tariffs would hurt American consumers.

上周，在華盛頓舉行的為期六天的公開(kāi)聽(tīng)證會(huì)上，數(shù)十家公司向貿(mào)易官員表達(dá)了擔(dān)憂。許多公司警告說(shuō)，建議的關(guān)稅將損害美國(guó)消費(fèi)者的利益。

Peter Tompa, a lawyer based in Washington, represented two lobbying groups that work on behalf of museums, dealers and collectors at the hearings on Wednesday. Mr. Tompa said a member of the trade committee asked him one question: Since art is a luxury item, wouldn’t people pay?

華盛頓的律師彼得·湯姆帕(Peter Tompa)在周三的聽(tīng)證會(huì)上代表了兩個(gè)博物館、交易商和收藏家游說(shuō)團(tuán)體。湯姆帕說(shuō)，貿(mào)易委員會(huì)的一名成員問(wèn)了他一個(gè)問(wèn)題：既然藝術(shù)是奢侈品，人們難道不會(huì)愿意出錢(qián)嗎?

Mr. Tompa said he had told the committee that the main problem was slow turnover of inventory in the art trade and that a tariff would mean greater capital outlays by dealers.

湯姆帕說(shuō)，他告訴貿(mào)易委員會(huì)，藝術(shù)品貿(mào)易中的主要問(wèn)題是庫(kù)存周轉(zhuǎn)緩慢，征收關(guān)稅將意味著加大交易商的資本開(kāi)支。

“Dealers will need to pay up front, but it may take a while to make good,” he said, adding that dealers also had to cope with a recent Supreme Court decision to allow internet sales to be taxed.

“交易商將需要預(yù)先付款，但可能需要一段時(shí)間才能做成交易，”他說(shuō)。他還說(shuō)，交易商還不得不應(yīng)對(duì)美國(guó)最高法院最近做出的允許對(duì)互聯(lián)網(wǎng)銷(xiāo)售征稅的決定。

Sotheby’s, Christie’s and the Asia Week New York association of dealers said in a written complaint that the United States, not China, would be affected most. “Imposing duties on Chinese-origin art will not impact the trade practices or policies of China, since the vast majority of such artwork is imported into the United States from countries other than China,” the complaint read.

蘇富比(Sotheby's)、佳士得(Christie's)以及紐約亞洲藝術(shù)周(Asia Week New York)交易商協(xié)會(huì)在一份書(shū)面申訴中表示，受關(guān)稅影響最大的將是美國(guó)，而不是中國(guó)。“對(duì)原產(chǎn)于中國(guó)的藝術(shù)品征收關(guān)稅，不會(huì)對(duì)中國(guó)的貿(mào)易做法或政策產(chǎn)生影響，因?yàn)檫@類(lèi)藝術(shù)品絕大多數(shù)是從中國(guó)以外的國(guó)家進(jìn)口到美國(guó)的，”申訴書(shū)寫(xiě)道。

And the United States market is small compared to the amount of Chinese art and antiquities sold in mainland China. Last year, $7.1 billion worth of Chinese art and antiques were sold at auctions across the world, according to a report published this month by Artnet. Of these sales, $5.1 billion came from auctions in mainland China, where the operations of foreign auction houses are restricted; $408 million came from the United States, though that number was up 62 percent from 2016, compared with a 6 percent increase for China.

而且與中國(guó)藝術(shù)品和古董在中國(guó)大陸的銷(xiāo)售額相比，美國(guó)的市場(chǎng)規(guī)模較小。Artnet本月發(fā)布的一份報(bào)告顯示，去年，全球各地的拍賣(mài)會(huì)上銷(xiāo)售了價(jià)值71億美元的中國(guó)藝術(shù)品和古董。其中，51億美元的銷(xiāo)售來(lái)自中國(guó)大陸的拍賣(mài)，但外國(guó)拍賣(mài)行在中國(guó)大陸的運(yùn)營(yíng)是受限制的;另有4.08億美元的銷(xiāo)售來(lái)自美國(guó)，盡管這個(gè)數(shù)字與2016年的相比增長(zhǎng)了62%，相比之下中國(guó)的增長(zhǎng)率為6%。

Dealers have pointed out that adding a 25 percent duty to the fees known as the “buyer’s premium” could deter both buyers and sellers of Chinese art at auctions in the United States, reversing growth in that sector.

經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商指出，把25%關(guān)稅加入被稱(chēng)為“傭金”的費(fèi)用之中，會(huì)令中國(guó)藝術(shù)品的買(mǎi)賣(mài)雙方不敢在美國(guó)拍賣(mài)，從而阻礙該行業(yè)增長(zhǎng)。

“It’s not punishing the Chinese; it’s punishing the Americans,” Gisèle Croës, a specialist in ancient Chinese artworks who is based in Brussels, said of the proposed tariffs. “The international trade will go back to London, Paris and Hong Kong.”

“這不是懲罰中國(guó)人;這是在懲罰美國(guó)人，”居住在布魯塞爾的中國(guó)古代藝術(shù)品專(zhuān)家吉塞爾·克勞斯(Gisèle Crës)談到擬議中的關(guān)稅時(shí)說(shuō)。“國(guó)際交易將回到倫敦、巴黎和香港。”

In recent years, sales of the finest Chinese antiques have been dominated by Chinese dealers and collectors. The market for international contemporary art, on the other hand, is dominated by American dealers and collectors. They are also alarmed by what the impact of a proposed tariff would be on the Chinese artists they sell.

近年來(lái)，中國(guó)最精美古董的銷(xiāo)售一直由中國(guó)經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商和收藏家主導(dǎo)。另一方面，國(guó)際當(dāng)代藝術(shù)市場(chǎng)由美國(guó)經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商和收藏家主導(dǎo)。對(duì)于擬議的關(guān)稅可能給他們經(jīng)銷(xiāo)的中國(guó)藝術(shù)家?guī)?lái)的影響，令他們感到到震驚。

“One of the strengths of the American economy has been it’s a free market for all,” said Jeffrey Deitch, a leading New York dealer and curator. “It’s made New York City the world capital of the art business. To jeopardize this situation could have very serious consequences.”

“美國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)的優(yōu)勢(shì)之一，就是它對(duì)所有人來(lái)說(shuō)都是自由市場(chǎng)，”紐約重要的經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商兼策展人杰弗里·迪奇(Jeffrey Deitch)說(shuō)。“它使得紐約市成為藝術(shù)界的世界之都。危害這種情況可能會(huì)產(chǎn)生非常嚴(yán)重的后果。“

Next month, Mr. Deitch is set to open a new gallery in Los Angeles with “Zodiac,” a museum-style exhibition of works by the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who currently lives in Berlin. The centerpiece of the show will be the 2013 installation “Stools,” comprising nearly 6,000 wooden seats that the artist salvaged from across China. Previously seen at the Gropius Bau in Berlin in 2014, the work is to be priced at $2.9 million.

下個(gè)月，迪奇將在洛杉磯開(kāi)一家新畫(huà)廊，并推出名為“十二生肖”(Zodiac)的新展覽，以博物館的形式展出現(xiàn)居柏林的中國(guó)藝術(shù)家艾未未的作品。該展覽的核心將是2013年的裝置“凳子”，其中包括該藝術(shù)家在中國(guó)各地?fù)尵鹊慕?000個(gè)木制座椅。它此前曾于2014年在柏林的格羅皮烏斯博物館(Gropius Bau)展出，定價(jià)為290萬(wàn)美元。

The proposed import tariff would be determined by the “location of production, not the nationality of the person creating it,” the office of the United States trade representative said in a statement emailed in response to questions. Mr. Ai’s works, having been produced in Germany, would be exempt from any penalties.

美國(guó)貿(mào)易代表辦公室在通過(guò)電子郵件回答提問(wèn)時(shí)聲明，擬議的進(jìn)口關(guān)稅將由“生產(chǎn)地點(diǎn)而非創(chuàng)作者的國(guó)籍”決定。艾未未的作品在德國(guó)制作，不會(huì)受到任何處罰。

The situation would be different, however, for works from contemporary artists with studios in China.

然而，對(duì)于在中國(guó)擁有工作室的當(dāng)代藝術(shù)家的作品，情況就不同了。

The New York gallery Pace, which has branches in Hong Kong and Beijing, represents no fewer than 14 Chinese artists. On Sept. 7, its space on West 24th Street in Manhattan is to host an exhibition of 11 new works by Zhang Xiaogang, who is based in Beijing. The artist’s haunting “Bloodline” series of family portraits is much coveted by both Western and Asian collectors, with large paintings selling for as much as $12 million at auction.

紐約畫(huà)廊佩斯(Pace)在香港和北京設(shè)有分部，代表不少于14位中國(guó)藝術(shù)家。9月7日，它在位于曼哈頓西24街的空間將展出北京藝術(shù)家張曉剛的11件新作。這位藝術(shù)家令人難以忘懷的《血緣》系列家庭肖像深受西方和亞洲收藏家的青睞，其大型畫(huà)作在拍賣(mài)會(huì)上售價(jià)高達(dá)1200萬(wàn)美元。

The show should open before any tariffs are imposed on imported artworks, but Marc Glimcher, the president and chief executive of Pace Gallery, is still concerned.

展覽將在對(duì)進(jìn)口藝術(shù)品征收任何關(guān)稅之前開(kāi)放，但佩斯畫(huà)廊的總裁兼首席執(zhí)行官馬克·格里姆徹(Marc Glimcher)仍然感到擔(dān)心。

“It’s like putting a tariff on stocks: If the price of an item is significantly altered by a tariff, the market will look elsewhere,” Mr. Glimcher said.

“這就像對(duì)股票征收關(guān)稅：如果一支股票的價(jià)格被關(guān)稅大幅改變，那么市場(chǎng)將會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)向其他地方，”格里姆徹說(shuō)。

Purchases in New York are already subject to a local sales tax of nearly 9 percent, he said, adding, “If we had to raise the prices by 25 percent, it would be difficult to sell the show.”

他表示，在紐約的購(gòu)買(mǎi)已經(jīng)要征收近9%的當(dāng)?shù)劁N(xiāo)售稅，并補(bǔ)充說(shuō)：“如果我們不得不將價(jià)格提高25%，那么這個(gè)展覽就很難推銷(xiāo)出去。”

“Any protection of the U.S. art market will have the opposite effect,” Mr. Glimcher continued. “It does nothing positive.”

“對(duì)美國(guó)藝術(shù)市場(chǎng)的任何保護(hù)都會(huì)產(chǎn)生相反的效果，”格利姆徹繼續(xù)說(shuō)道。“它沒(méi)有任何積極意義。”

But the imposition of punitive import tariffs would affect more than the art market in the United States. It would also make it difficult for Chinese artists to exhibit their work, diminishing cultural exchange.

但征收懲罰性進(jìn)口關(guān)稅對(duì)美國(guó)藝術(shù)市場(chǎng)的影響還不止于此。這也將使中國(guó)藝術(shù)家難以展出他們的作品，從而減少文化交流。

“It’s about more than the money,” said Mr. Deitch, a former director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. “This is where the consensus is reached about what art is important.”

“這不僅僅是錢(qián)的問(wèn)題，”曾在洛杉磯當(dāng)代藝術(shù)博物館(Museum of Contemporary Art)任主管的迪奇說(shuō)。“這是就重要藝術(shù)品達(dá)成共識(shí)的地方。”

“If you’re a Chinese artist,” Mr. Deitch added, “you want to show your work here, you want to be in the center of the international art discourse.”

“如果你是中國(guó)藝術(shù)家，”迪奇還說(shuō)，“你就會(huì)想在這里展出你的作品，你想成為國(guó)際藝術(shù)話語(yǔ)的中心。”

So far, the Trump administration has gotten low marks for its concern for cultural matters. But, over the coming weeks, the art world says it will work to convince lawmakers that, if the United States wants to wage an economic war with China, taxing art would be a self-inflicted wound.

到目前為止，特朗普政府在文化事務(wù)領(lǐng)域的工作并未受到好評(píng)。但是，在接下來(lái)的幾周里，藝術(shù)界表示，他們將努力說(shuō)服立法者，如果美國(guó)想與中國(guó)發(fā)生經(jīng)濟(jì)戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)，對(duì)藝術(shù)征稅將是一種自我傷害。