Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Zhang Xiaogang Struggles with His Next Idea

July 5, 2012 by Marion Maneker

Is Kelly Crow trying to suggest   Zhang Xiaogang’s struggle to find a new artistic idea—which he says caused his two heart attacks—is emblematic of all of Chinese Contemporary Art?

Of his roughly 600 oil paintings, a third are part of “Bloodlines,” a series he began in the early 1990s inspired by the kind of quasi-patriotic family portraits that were popular throughout China during the Cultural Revolution. In Mr. Zhang’s versions, these clusters of men, women and children appear glassy-eyed and unsmiling—bound by blood but possibly little else. Mr. Zhang has become indelibly linked to this series, and he continues to paint these works on occasion, even though they serve to criticize China’s Mao era more than its current political situation. But there are signs that demand could be tapering off: Dealers say an early “Bloodline” from 1994 can sell for as much as $8 million, but his recent versions of couples have sold for around $1.5 million. Mr. Zhang said some of his stress has come from his attempts to find his next big idea.

Mr. Tek, a collector who has paid as much as $6.7 million for Mr. Zhang’s work, said, “Getting a Zhang Xiaogang is like buying a historic movement frozen in art—he’s classic. But he should slow down on the ‘Bloodlines’ because they’re not as relevant anymore.”

An Art Star’s Creative Crisis (Wall Street Journal)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • Gagosian’s Next Picasso Show Focuses on VallaurisGagosian’s Next Picasso Show Focuses on Vallauris
  • Those Antiquities Traded for Arms Go to Russia, China, Japan—Then EverywhereThose Antiquities Traded for Arms Go to Russia, China, Japan—Then Everywhere
  • CNBC Talks Balinese ModernismCNBC Talks Balinese Modernism
  • Hugo Weihe on Bloomberg: Future of Indian ArtHugo Weihe on Bloomberg: Future of Indian Art
  • Sotheby’s Paris Contemporain = €25mSotheby’s Paris Contemporain = €25m
  • Courtauld CutsCourtauld Cuts

Filed Under: Artists

About Marion Maneker

LiveArt

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor
 

Loading Comments...