Yellow Mountain by Huang Binhong. [Photo/cguardian.com]

Modern ink-brush master Huang Binhong (1865-1955) once said, "People will acknowledge my paintings 50 years after I die."

Achieving artistic maturity in his 80s, Huang was not as well received as his peers, as his paintings were not considered to be visually appealing.

People have only just come to deeply understand his philosophy of brushwork over the last three decades, as the market garners more acceptance of his works.

Huang's momentum mountain-and-water piece, Yellow Mountain, grossed 345 million yuan ($50.6 million) at China Guardian Auctions' sale in Beijing on Monday, an auction record for the artist.

Huang executed the painting at 90 years old. He suffered an eye disease but he painted based on the memories of his nine trips to the scenic mountain in Anhui province.

The painting highlights his signature thick laying and shading of ink and colors to create a view of natural splendor.

The painting fetched 47.7 million yuan at a Beijing auction in 2011.

Last night it aroused a bidding war and was sold to Shandong-based electric vehicle manufacturer Levdeo.

The last five years have seen well-curated exhibitions at museums, which have helped raise public awareness of the significance of classic Chinese paintings and painters.

The National Art Museum of China in Beijing held a grand exhibition marking Huang's 150th anniversary of birth in 2015 and another marking master painter Pan Tianshou (1897-1971) earlier this year. Both raved wide acclaim.

At the same Guardian auction, Pan's flower-and-bird painting, After Plowing, fetched 158.93 million yuan, the second highest price for his work at auction.

The painting depicts a leisurely scene in which a buffalo rests in water and under a bunch of flowers reaching out from a huge rock. It demonstrates Pan's experimental spirit which directs the age-old Chinese painting traditions into the modern age.

A calligraphic scroll of four Southern Song Dynasty (11127-1279) emperors sold for 149.5 million yuan, the third most expensive piece of the night sale.

Modern artist Li Keran's (1907-89) Red Classic landscape, inspired by Mao Zedong's poem, fetched nearly 90 million yuan.

Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) painter Wu Bin's ink-and-color painting on paper, Twelve Sages, sold 66.7 million yuan.