法国人对美术品的热爱似乎受到质疑——最新的一项调查显示，中国已取代了法国在艺术品销售市场的地位。

The French love of fine art appears to be in question after a new survey showed that China has overtaken France as a market for art sales.

法国艺术品市场信息集团Artprice昨日公布的《艺术品市场趋势》(Art Market Trends)报告显示，对当代中国艺术品兴趣的骤增，帮助中国首次取代了法国在艺术品销售市场名列第三的传统地位。

An explosion of interest in contemporary Chinese art has helped China unseat France from its traditional number three spot for the first time, according to Art Market Trends report, published yesterday by the French-based art market information group Artprice.

报告显示，尽管排在第三位的中国仅占全球拍卖收入的7.3%，与排名第一的纽约（占43%）和排名第二的伦敦（30%）仍有很大差距，但也许用不了多久，中国就会开始挑战这些一度无法企及的艺术品之都。

And though China remains¹ a distant third with 7.3 per cent of global auction² revenues, against 43 per cent for New York and 30 per cent for London, it may not be long before the Asian powerhouse begins to challenge these once untouchable capitals, the report suggests.

法国的部分问题可能在于缺乏年轻新秀。报告称，1945年以后出生的艺术家约占全球销售的10%，但他们在法国市场所占的比例仅有2.8%。

Part of France’s problem could be the dearth³ of new young talent. While artists born after 1945 account for almost 10 per cent of global sales, they represent just 2.8 per cent of the market in France, the report states.

一位不愿透露姓名的艺术评论家表示：“这正是法国衰落的象征。自二战以来，法国就没有出色的艺术家。”

“It is simply emblematic⁴ of the French decline,” said one art critic who preferred not to be named. “There hasn’t been a brilliant French artist since the second world war.”

与此同时，在全球35位作品价格达七位数的艺术家中，中国就占了15位；过去7年，中国艺术家作品的价格上涨了8倍。

China meanwhile claims 15 of the 35 artists worldwide who command seven-digit sales, and the country’s artists have seen prices rise eight-fold in the last seven years.

法国艺术声誉的衰落，已经为法国政府敲响了警钟。从劳动力市场到公共广播等领域，该国政府正试图进行全方位改革。法国文化部长克里斯汀?阿尔巴内尔(Christine Albanel)本周将宣布重振法国艺术品市场的计划。

The decline of France’s artistic⁵ reputation has already raised alarm bells in a government attempting to reform everything from the labour market to public broadcasting. Christine Albanel, culture minister, will this week unveil a plan to revitalise the country’s art market.

不过，对于从2007年全球市场上涨中受益的法国拍卖行而言，并非只有坏消息。2007年，全球艺术品价格涨幅超过18%，而法国市场的表现更佳，价格涨幅达到30%。

Yet it is not all bad news for the auction houses of Paris, which benefited from a buoyant global market in 2007. Global prices rose more than 18 per cent, and the French market performed even better, with prices running 30 per cent higher.

但Artprice警告，2007年的状况可能不会持续到2008年。报告称，次贷危机将影响到华尔街的奖金收入——如今看上去几乎前所未见的这场艺术品市场投机泡沫，正是在华尔街奖金收入的推动下形成的。

But Artprice warns that the conditions of 2007 are unlikely to continue into 2008. The subprime crisis will take its toll⁶ on Wall Street bonuses that fuelled what now looks like a speculative⁷ bubble almost unprecedented⁸ in the art market, the report warns.