A trip to the artist’s studio.
Wang Giangyi is a Chinese and French painter born in 1957. Guangyi is renown for mixing eastern symbols like a chinese soldier alongside a highly recognizeable logo like coca cola or chanel 5.
For his collegiate studies he attended Zhejiang Academy of Art. He had a dream of going to college, but it was delayed and he went to work in state sponsored railway system.
The symbols he uses to represent China are those used by the Communist party and seen in mainstream society back in the 1970s.
Price range information: A work of Mao by the artist broke the 4 million dollar barrier at auction in 2007.
Avoids the media and is quite reclusive. Lithographs range $10,000 to $25,000.
He grew up poor and is now one of China’s wealthiest artists. An interesting change in China right now is at least questioning the authorities and not getting locked up. The negative reader would respond by mentioning Ai WeiWei. Artists like Guangyi have been accepted by the ruling class and now incredible wealth and social status.
Based out of Beijing, China.
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