Wang Guangyi
Encyclopedia
Wang Guangyi is a Chinese
artist
known for being the leader of the New Art Movement circles that erupted out of China
after 1989 and for his Great Criticism series of paintings, using the images of propaganda from the Cultural Revolution
(1966–1976) and contemporary brand names from western advertising. As an example, Artinfo notes that one of Wang Guangyis’s Great Criticism paintings “responds to the recent influx of advertising by juxtaposing the Coca-Cola
logo with an image of a Chinese soldier, appropriating the visual iconography of both the Chinese Cultural Revolution and American pop art.”
Alongside Yue Minjun
, Zeng Fanzhi
and Fang Lijun
, Wang Guangyi is amongst China's most successful new artists. His massive Mao AO painting from 1988 was sold for £2,036,000 ($4.1 million) at a Phillips de Pury & Company
auction in London in December 2007.”
Wang Guangyi was born in Harbin
, Heilongjiang Province in 1956 or 1957. In 1984 Wang Guangyi graduated from the oil painting department of Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts. He currently lives and works in Beijing, China.
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
known for being the leader of the New Art Movement circles that erupted out of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
after 1989 and for his Great Criticism series of paintings, using the images of propaganda from the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
(1966–1976) and contemporary brand names from western advertising. As an example, Artinfo notes that one of Wang Guangyis’s Great Criticism paintings “responds to the recent influx of advertising by juxtaposing the Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
logo with an image of a Chinese soldier, appropriating the visual iconography of both the Chinese Cultural Revolution and American pop art.”
Alongside Yue Minjun
Yue Minjun
Yue Minjun is a contemporary Chinese artist based in Beijing, China. He is best known for oil paintings depicting himself in various settings, frozen in laughter. He has also reproduced this signature image in sculpture, watercolor and prints...
, Zeng Fanzhi
Zeng Fanzhi
Zeng Fanzhi is an artist based in Beijing.Zeng Fanzhi has exhibited internationally in shows including the First Triennial of Chinese Arts at Guangzhou Art Museum, China, China! at the Bonn Kunstmuseum in Germany and Paris – Pekin at Pierre Cardin in Paris. He is noted for his Mask series of...
and Fang Lijun
Fang Lijun
Fang Lijun is an artist based in Beijing.He has shown work internationally in exhibitions including The Next Ones at Alexander Ochs , Beijing, New Work, New Acquisitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Alors, la Chine? at the Pompidou Centre in Paris...
, Wang Guangyi is amongst China's most successful new artists. His massive Mao AO painting from 1988 was sold for £2,036,000 ($4.1 million) at a Phillips de Pury & Company
Phillips de Pury & Company
Phillips de Pury & Company is an auction house and art dealership, with offices in London, New York, Geneva, Berlin, Brussels, Los Angeles, Milan, Munich and Paris. Phillips conducts auctions in New York, London and Geneva in the areas of Contemporary Art, Photography, 20-21st Century Design, Art...
auction in London in December 2007.”
Wang Guangyi was born in Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
, Heilongjiang Province in 1956 or 1957. In 1984 Wang Guangyi graduated from the oil painting department of Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts. He currently lives and works in Beijing, China.
Solo exhibitions
- 2001 Wang Guangyi Solo Exhibition -信仰的面孔 , SHANGHART
- 1997 Gallery Klaus Littmann , BaselBaselBasel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
- 1994 Wang Guangyi Solo Exhibition , Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
- 1993 Wang Guangyi Solo Exhibition , Bellefroid Gallery, ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
Publications
- Guangyi by Karen Smith, April, 2003
- Spalding, David. The Paintings of Wang Guangyi: Revolutionary Acts? January, 2006