Art collector and trader Hong Pingtao has organized a special exhibition of the early works of several masters.

The exhibition features about 60 oil paintings created by a cluster of big names such as Min Xiwen, Sha Qi (1914-2005) and Yu Ben (1905-1995).

"Last September we had an auction on both contemporary artworks and the old canvases here in Shanghai," says Hong, a famous collector and trader from Taiwan who is known as a "big crocodile" in art circles. "The result was surprising as the old paintings sold at prices well under the hammer."

According to Hong, these reasonable prices plus the fact that these old masters no longer create more paintings have made many collectors realize their value in terms of both artistic merit and as an investment.

Prices at this exhibition range from several thousand yuan to several hundred thousand yuan. Compared with the cost of some contemporary art pieces, these old masters works are a bargain, Hong says, who started collecting such pieces back in the 1980s.

It's hard to spotlight a single artist as the focus of the exhibition with the work of so many talented artists on display. Nonetheless, Sha's paintings are worth checking out. A legendary artist in the modern era, Sha received an art education in Shanghai and furthered his studies in Europe.

In 1940, Sha was included in the Atriome Exhibition with Pablo Picasso. He later suffered a mental disease upon returning to China. Some of his paintings are known for their wild strokes and unusual application of hues.

The exhibition features paintings from Hong's private collection while the others are on loan from some Taiwanese collectors.

Hong says the attitude of collectors is changing on the Chinese mainland.

"Back in the 1980s, Taiwanese people seemed to be more interested in these old paintings," he says. "But with the rapid economic development on the Chinese mainland, more collectors here want to buy back these paintings."