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Dennis, if you are only 20 years old I can understand why it might seem a stretch to believe that things were done by mail and newspaper advertisement, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.
The market for Chinese paintings in the US has always been quite limited. Zhang Daqian's first US exhibit was in the 1950s I think but Sotheby's and Christies weren't active sellers of Chinese paintings then. Ceramics and WOA were the major categories. Zhang Daqian copied old works because that is the way that Chinese painters have always learned how to paint, and Zhang was lucky enough to have access to good works to study and leading contemporary collectors; indeed he became a leading collector himself. Like Mi Fu nearly 800 years ago, Zhang enjoyed knowing more about Chinese paintings than many of his contemporaries who thought themselves knowledgable. He also enjoyed fooling them with his own forgeries. You need to read more and watch fewer kungfu movies.
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