I was rising in banking , and I saw an execution of people who were smiling . Beijing artist Li Minjun 's ` ` Execution '' sold for record 2.9 million pounds ( $ 70 M ) In the painting , Simon saw metaphor for himself and his family in the bank world . Simon spent two - thirds of his annual salary on the painting in the 1990s . Under deal , Simon took painting out of HK , shipped it out of HK to China .
Beijing artist Li Minjun 's ` ` Execution '' sold for record 2.9 million pounds ( $ 70 M ) In the painting , Simon saw metaphor for himself and his family in the bank world . Simon spent two - thirds of his annual salary on the painting in the 1990s . Under deal , Simon took painting out of HK , shipped it out of HK to China .