Mr. Ye, who was born in Kunming, Yunnan province, and studied oil painting at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing, knew he had to renovate his Dali house, but the question was what to touch and what not to touch and what Bai traditions to honor.

WSJ: Inside the Home and Studio of Ye Yongqing

Merthyr is a fine place to raise a boxer - Thomas claimed that children born in the tough valleys town were so angry that they came out with their fists clenched.

BBC: 5. Howard Winstone

Born in Dundee, he served in World War II and later studied at Slade School of Fine Art before relocating to Paris.

BBC: William Turnbull, Scottish artist, dies at the age of 90

Though successful, Sotheby's would remain in the shadow cast by Christie's until Sotheby's entered the fine art trade in 1917, when the modern-day rivalry was born.

FORBES: In the House