How great thou art

Vase with Daisies and Poppies, Vincent van Gogh. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Just as two souls can argue about whether a painting is a masterpiece or just a mess, it seems the gallery's bucolic setting is not everyone's cup of tea. Some complain that it is just too far removed from the city center, and others gripe that the periodic roar of aircraft taking off or landing at the nearby Beijing Capital Airport is a huge distraction.

Entry is not cheap either, at 180 yuan ($27) for adult, much more expensive than you will pay to get into most public museums in Beijing.

However, the gallery's founder, Wang Zhongjun, says the price is appropriate given the quality of the works in this "serious palace of art". Premium prices also ensure that the gallery is not too crowded, he says. For him a museum inundated by people who are only there to take photos or to use the toilet brings itself into disrepute.

Wang, 57, is the chairman of Huayi Brothers Media, one of China's biggest entertainment companies, and over the past decade the Beijing native has not only done fabulously well financially, but has also amassed great respect in the world of art and auctions.

A regular bidder, he spends millions at auctions to bag Western art, including on works of Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh and Alberto Giacometti that are now on show at Song Art. Last year he co-established an art auction house in Shanghai.