Top 20 Contemporary Chinese Artists

In this article we look at the top 20 contemporary Chinese artists and rank order them based on public auction record information. For those of you who enjoy art or have a keen interest in learning more about Chinese artists, we hope this format will enable you to get a good grasp of who the key artists in Chinese history are, what type of works they have produced, and roughly how well their works are now selling in auction.

Number 1 – Ai Weiwei 艾未未 (1957)

Auction Record (2015): US$4,727,100

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): US$731,572 (+328% vs. 2014)

Ai Weiwei is an artist and sculptor from Beijing. He became part of a group of artists called Stars, which refused to create artwork that followed government guidelines. The first unofficial exhibition of this group took place by a fence by the Beijing National Gallery and attracted international attention.

From 1981 to 1993, Ai Weiwei lived in the United States. During this time he focused on Performance and Conceptual Art, and graduated from the Parsons School of Design. In 2011, after returning to Beijing Ai Weiwei was listed as one of the top 100 of most influential people in the world by Time Magazine.

Ai Wei Wei Zodiac Heads

Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads by Al Weiwei sold for $4,727,100 in Philips, London UK – 29th June 2015

Proving the connection between media / marketing and the price of art, it is not surprising to see Ai Weiwei take the top spot in our Chinese artists list for 2015. Having been provided his passport back from the Chinese government and the resulting media frenzy around that period, Ai Weiwei saw a huge +328% growth on his average sales price in auction vs. 2014.

Number 2 – Jia Aili 贾蔼力 (1979)

Auction Record (2015): $1,419,000

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $647,015 (+8.8% vs. 2014)

Jia Aili was born in 1979 in Liaoning provenance, China. Born in the era of open economy and increasing prosperity in China, Jia represents a young generation’s worry for losing traditions and values in the fast evolving world and his work reflects the dramatic changes in Chinese society after the reform and opening policy. Using the strong traditional painting technique and Old-Masters-inspired paining style, he deftly combines the socio-economic development of china and its wider implications.

Born and raised as part of the sibling-less generation, Jia translates his artistic language to define the plight of the lonely generation, abandoned by the state’s relentless pursuit for a technological progress.

Good Morning by Jia Aili

Good Morning, World by Jia Aili sold for $1,419,000 in Sotheby’s, Hong Kong – 4th April 2015

He is regarded as one of the most exciting emerging artists in China, which is backed up by his impressive auction sales performance since 2010. Unlike many of the other artists on our list Jia Aili is still relatively young and didn’t have a traceable auction sale until 2010. It is clear from his growth since that point, that he has substantial backing from a number of wealthy collectors.

Number 3 – Zeng Fanzhi 曾梵志 (1964)

Auction Record (2013): $20,640,000

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $633,166 (-26.5% vs. 2014)

Zeng Fanzhi studied oil painting at the Hubei Academy of Fine Arts, where he was strongly influenced by German Expressionism, which is evident in many of his works. His work has been shown in museums and galleries around the world, and, in 2008, his Mask Series 1996 No.6 became the highest-grossing work by a Contemporary Asian artist to date before being eclipsed by The Last Supper (shown below) in 2013.

The Last Supper by Fanzhi Zeng

The Last Supper by Zeng Fanzhi sold for $20,640,000 in Sothebys, Hong Kong – 5th October 2013

His auction sales prices have been consistently high since 2007, with a bump in 2013 as a result of the record $20m sale mentioned earlier. 2015 was a relatively slow year in comparison, with fewer lots sold than in any of the previous 5 years – expect relatively stability for his market price in 2016.

Number 4 – Liu Ye 刘野 (1964)

Auction Record (2013): $4,773,000

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $520,650 (+25% vs. 2014)

Liu Ye is known for his bright-hued paintings of childlike female figures. His father was an author of children’s books during the cultural revolution, and Liu Ye would often create illustrations for these books. He would also hide banned children’s books in a black chest, including titles such as Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales, tales by Alexander Pushkin, Anna Karenina, War and Peace, Journey to the West and The Water Margin. It is clear in his work that the illustrations in these books influenced his work significantly.

Sword by Liu Ye

Sword by Liu Ye sold for $4,773,000 in Sothebys, Hong Kong – 5th October 2013

Liu Ye has had a rather roller coaster ride in terms of his average auction sales price since 2006, largely due to a number of high individual sales in 2010 and 2013, including Sword as pictured above. Like many of the top Chinese contemporary artists, Lie Ye saw a general slow down in the volume of transactions via auction in 2015, but his overall market rate is very stable.

Number 5 – Yu Youhan 余友涵 (1943)

Auction Record (2018): $1,656,615

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $359,441 (+12% vs. 2014)

Yu Youhan was born in Shanghai in 1943 and graduated from the Central Academy of Art & Design, Beijing in 1970. Yu then went on to teach at the Shanghai Institute of Industrial Arts from 1973. After visiting an exhibition by Zao Wou-ki in Hangzhou he began to paint abstract works during the 1980s, but shifted away from this during the 1990s painting a series of bright, Andy Warhol styled images of Mao Zedong, which garnered international acclaim.

Since the early 2000’s Yu has returned to abstract paintings, exploring more traditional Chinese landscape painting whilst applying his own innovative style.

Abstract 1988-1 Yu Youhan

Abstract 1988-1 by Yu Youhan sold for US$1,656,616 in Sothebys, Hong Kong in March 2018

Yu Youhan has seen steady market growth since 2006, and his average sales prices in auction have been stable in 2014 and 15 at over $300,000 USD, coming off the back of quieter periods during 2012-13.

Number 6 – Ai Xuan 艾軒 (1947)

Auction Record (2010): $2,778,700

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $357,725 (+11% vs. 2014)

Ai Xuan was born in 1947 in Hebei province. He is the son of the prominent political poet Ai Qing and half-brother of renown artist Ai Weiwei. He graduated from Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1976. During the cultural revolution, Ai Xuan was sent by the government to work as hard labour in a Tibetan military farm from 1969 – 1973.

The early life experience provided him with the subject matter for his best known finely rendered Tibetan series, often described as using scenery to express emotions.

Ai Xuan has been immersed in realist paintings in the past three decades. His work is rich in symbolism, he focuses on the natural environment and human relationships, Ai Xuan devoted his life in creating fantasies that have proved popular with the mainland elite.

Sacred Mountain by Ai Xuan

The Sacred Mountain by Ai Xuan sold for $2,778,700 in Poly International Auction, Beijing China – 1st December 2010

Ai Xuan is mr consistent when it comes to his average auction sales record. He saw a large jump in 2010, aligned to similar behavior evident across other popular Chinese artists during that time, and he has maintained a very stable average sales price since then – hovering at around $300-$350k. A large reason for this stability is because Ai Xuan doesn’t really move away from his primary topic and medium, sticking primarily with oil on canvas works of Tibetan people. Expect continued stability in his auction price in 2016.

Number 7 – Chen Danqing 陈丹青/陳丹青 (1953)

Auction Record (2011): $3,090,000

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $267,565 (+32% vs. 2014)

Chen Danqing is a Chinese/American artist, writer, and art critic born in Shanghai and graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts. He is now a US citizen having moved there in the 1980s. He is known mainly for his Realist paintings, which he created shortly after China’s opening in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His most widely acclaimed work features portraits of Tibetans. It was Going to Town No.3 of his Tibetan series of work which holds his current auction record of $3m.

Going to Town No.3 by Chen Danqing

Going to Town No.3 by Chen Danqing sold for $3,090,000 in Poly International Auction, Beijing China – 2nd June 2011 (Image sourced from Artprice)

Chen Danqing enjoyed 2 record sales during 2011 and 2012 bumping up his overall average during this period, but overall he has maintained a very stable market rate, showing good growth in 2015.

Number 8 – Fang Lijun 方力钧 (1963)

Auction Record (2014): $6,697,600

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $246,528 (-29% vs. 2014)

Fang Lijun is a painter and printmaker associated with the Cynical Realist movement, and is best known for his realistic paintings that criticize contemporary cultural values in China. He incorporates imagery from pop culture, folk art, and traditional Chinese painting, and his work often features bald, aggressive-looking figures such as Series 2 No 4 as shown below, which currently holds his auction record at $6.7m.

Series 2 No 4 by Fang Lijun

Series 2 No 4 by Fang Lijun sold for $6,697,600 in Sothebys, Hong Kong – 5th October 2014

Whilst Fang Lijun shows some reduction in his average auction sales price in 2015, his prices are largely stable and the % drop is more driven by the record sale in 2014 of the work listed above. Similar to many of the other contemporary Chinese artists above, 2015 was a slightly slower year – with less sold lots than in any of the previous 9 years.

Number 9 – Xu Bing 徐冰 (1955)

Auction Record (2015): $1,639,000

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $219,124 (-35% vs. 2014)

Xu Bing was born in Chongqing, but grew up mainly in Beijing. He began his studies in the printmaking department at the renowned Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1977. After earning a BA in 1981 and an MFA in 1987 he went onto produce one of his best known works, Book from the Sky (1987–1991), which earned Xu Bing international recognition in the 1980s. The work is a massive installation made up of hundreds of volumes and scrolls printed with 4,000 imagined Chinese characters, which were cut by hand into wood printing blocks. This same style is evident in his auction record work titled The Living Word, which sold for $1.6m in 2015.

The Living World by Xu Bing

The living word(鸟飞了) by Xu Bing sold for $1,639,000 in Poly International Auction, Beijing China, 3rd June 2015

Xu Bing has enjoyed good auction sales growth since 2013, enjoying record individual sales in each of 2013, 2014, and 2015.

Number 10 – He Duoling 何多苓 (1948)

Auction Record (2014): $1,419,000

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $219,469 (-52% vs. 2014)

He Duoling is widely regarded as one of China’s greatest living masters of realism. He resides in Chengdu, where he was born in 1948 and earned his art degree from the local teacher’s college in 1977. He went on to study painting at Chongqing’s Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in the late 1970s, and with a number of his colleagues in the early 1980s, founded China’s infamous “Scar Art” movement.

Life by He Duoling

Life by He Duoling sold for $1,419,000 in 2014

He Duoling has enjoyed good success in auction with a very stable average sales price since 2010. The negative 52% performance vs. 2014 shouldn’t be a cause for concern as it compares 2015 vs. a particular strong year, which included the record sale of $1.4m for the work titled ‘Life’ as shown above. 2016 is likely to follow a similar pattern to 2015.

Number 11 – Mao Xuhui 毛旭辉 (1956)

Auction Record (2010): $1,288,999

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $214,069 (+131% vs. 2014)

Mao Xuhui, was one of the leaders of the idealistic Southwest Art Group during the 1980’s. He currently lives in Kunming, China and teaches at Yunnan University. He graduated from the Oil Painting Department at the Yunnan Academy of Fine Arts in 1982. Mao Xuhui, along with Zhang Xiaogang, Hou Wenyi, Zhang Long, Pan Dehai, and others, organised one of the first self-funded exhibitions in China, titled the ‘New Concrete Image’ (Shanghai, 1985).

92 Paternalism by Mao Xuhui

92 Paternalism by Mao Xuhui sold for $1,288,999 in 2010

Mao Xuhui jumped into our top 20 list for the first time, thanks to an extremely strong 2015 that saw his average sales price rise by over 130%. This was in part supported by a relatively low number of sold lots, with one lot fetching a sales price of $774k and becoming Mao Xuhui’s 2nd highest auction sale after the sale of the similarly named and themed work – 92 Paternalism in 2010. Expect his average auction sales price to potentially reduce in 2016 unless one of his more sought after works comes into auction and pushes up the average.

Number 12 – Zhou Chunya 周春芽 (1955)

Auction Record (2017): $5,830,440

Average Auction Sale Price (2015): $209,254 (-49% vs. 2014)

Zhou Chunya studied at the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, which educated students in creating art that would serve as political propaganda during the Cultural Revolution. He is arguably most well known for his green dog series, which began painting in the 1990s, but it was his time painting nomads in Tibet that produced one of his major auction records of $4.1m for sheepshearing, which he painted in 1981. This has since been passed by Chine Scenery in 2017, which sold for $5.8M.

Sheepshearing by Chunya Zhou

Sheepshearing by Zhou Chunya sold for $4,176,399 in China Guardian Auctions, China – 16th November 2011

Zhou Chunya has seen exceptionally strong and steady growth in his average sales price via auction since 2010, with huge singular sales occurring in each of 2011, 12 and 13 before seeing some softening in turnover in 2015 as a result of lower sales transactions.

Number 13 – Zhang Xiaogang 张小刚 (1958)

Auction Record (2014): $10,698,699

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $186,401 (-56% vs. 2014)

Zhang Xiaogang was born in Kunming, in southern China’s Yunnan Province, and grew up during the Cultural Revolution under Mao Zedong. Whilst his parents were forced into study camps while he was a boy, Zhang Xiaogang was sent to a reeducation camp to perform hard labor as a young adult; these experiences directly impacted his art later in life.

He is most famous for his Bloodline series inspired by old family photos, depicting family members in rather stiff, portraits with an almost ghostlike appearance. It was Big Family No 3 from the Bloodline series that currently holds the auction record for Zhang Xiaogang at $10.7m (shown below).

Bloodline Big Family No 3

Bloodline: Big Family No.3 (血缘:大家庭3号) by Zhang Xiaogang sold for $10,698,699 in Sothebys, Hong Kong – 5th April 2014

Zhang Xiaogang has been hot property since around 2005, but his prices really started to rise from 2006 when his average sales price via auction went from almost nothing to nearly $500k per piece. Whilst the graph looks choppy, Zhang has enjoyed regular auction record sales over the years – in 2008, 2011, and 2014. Whilst 2015 was a quieter year, this is in line with the trends evident in many of the other high value contemporary Chinese artists.

Number 14 – Luo Zhongli 罗中立/羅中立 (1948)

Auction Record (2017): $6,303,800

Average Auction Sales Price: $180,409 (-37% vs. 2014)

Luo Zhongli was born in Chongqing and is considered one of China’s foremost realist painters. He graduated with a degree in Oil Painting from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 1982, and continued on to earn an MFA in Oil Painting from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium in 1986. He is most commonly known for his portraits of the people of southwestern China.

Spring Silkworm 1982 by Zhongli Luo

Spring Silkworm (1982) by Luo Zhongli sold for $6,303,800 in Jun 2017 in China (image credit: Art Price)

Luo Zhongli has enjoyed steady growth since 2006 with particularly strong success in 2013 and 14 primarily driven by two exceptionally strong sales of $5.5m and $6m respectively.

Number 15 – Zhan Wang 展望 (1962)

Auction Record (2014): $2,709,000

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $152,248 (-65% vs. 2014)

Zhan Wang is a Chinese sculptor born in Beijing in 1962. He studied at the Beijing Industrial Arts College in 1978 with his teacher at the time specializing in the Soviet style of sculpting before moving on to the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in 1983 where he continued his sculpting education. After graduation Zhan became involved in modern sculptors, and famously climbed Everest in 2004 to place one of his sculptures at the summit.

Zhan Wang has enjoyed relatively stable sales performance via auction, with his peak coming in 2014 thanks to the sale of Artificial Rock 59, beating his previous record auction sale by roughly $2m.

Number 16 – Wang Guangyi 王广义 (1957)

Auction Record (2007): $3,657,060

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $101,037 (-36% vs. 2014)

Wang Guangyi was born in Harbin and graduated from the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in 1984. He grew up in an environment saturated with the propagandistic imagery of the Maoist regime in China. His work draws upon rebellious and revolutionary motifs from Cultural Revolution-era posters, brochures, and other materials.

He often incorporates consumer brands into his work, including brands such as Google and Coca-Cola.

Mao Au by Wang Gaungyi

Mao Ao by Wang Guangyi sold for $3,657,060 in Phillips de Pury & Company, London UK – 13th October 2007

Wang Guangyi has a relatively choppy auction history with various peaks and troughs due to higher than normal sales in 2007, 2011 and 2014. His average sales price has remained relatively steady at around $100k.

Number 17 – Li Shan 李山 (1942)

Auction Record (2009): $3,076,500

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $81,890 (-55% vs. 2014)

Li Shan is a painter and prominent figure in the Political Pop movement that developed in China in the 1990s. His most famous series of paintings, entitled Rouge, started in the late 1980s, depicting stylized figures, abstract flowers, and portraits of Mao Zedong reminiscent of Andy Warhol’s screenprints of the same subject. It was his work ‘Reading’ however which currently holds his record auction sale at $3m.

Reading by Li Shan

Reading (set of 10) by Li Shan sold for $3,076,500 in Shanghai Hosane Auction, Shanghai China – 24th June 2009

Li Shan has a stable auction sales record since 2006 with a couple of peaks in 2009 and 2014 off the back of high individual sales of $3m and $1.2m respectively.

Number 18 – Yue Minjun 岳敏君 (1962)

Auction Record (2008): $6,153,600

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $76,110 (-89% vs. 2014)

Yue Minjun was born in the Heilongjian Province. He worked in the oil industry until the events of the 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising encouraged him to join an artists’ colony outside of Beijing. He is most famous for self depictions featuring a laughing man. Yue’s laughing self-portraits often contain surrealist imagery or references to famous paintings; his Tiananmen Square-inspired Execution was the highest grossing work of Chinese contemporary art in 2007.

Gweong Gweong by Yue Minjun

Gweong-gweong by Yue Minjun sold for $6,153,600 in Christies, Hong Kong – 24th May 2008

Yue Minjun has a relatively inconsistent average auction price, but has consistently seen singular sales well in excess of $1m.

Number 19 – Ye Yongqing 叶永青 (1958)

Auction Record (2011): $901,320

Average Auction Sales Price: $55,552 (-51% vs. 2014)

Ye Yongqing was born in a remote part of China’s Yunnan province, and is one of the first generation of Chinese artists to be exposed to western art. In 1978, he became part of the 2nd class after the Cultural Revolution to be admitted to the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, later becoming a professor there. During his time studying, he took great inspiration from western artists such as Henri Matisse and Paul Gauguin.

Over the years he experimented with many different mediums and techniques, and was also inspired greatly by his natural surroundings, which is evident in many of his works.

Escape Confusion by Ye Yongqing

Escape Confusion by Ye Yongqing sold for $901,320 in 2011

As one of the established artists off the back of the cultural revolution, Ye Yongqing like many of those above him, has enjoyed great commercial success with average sales well in excess of $80,000 over the last 10 years

Number 20 – Li Jin 李津 (1958)

Auction Record (2015): $813,857

Average Auction Sales Price (2015): $35,932

Li Jin is generally associated with the ‘New Literati School’ of ink painting and a leading figure in contemporary ink painting, which commenced in the 1980s with a desire to reignite traditional forms of ink painting in China. Li Jin follows similar ink painting techniques, but has drastically altered the traditional subject matter, primarily with a focus on scenes depicting food and parties.

 

Li Jin has seen his stock rise significant in recent years as collectors have taken to this resignation of old ink painting techniques with a contemporary slant. 2013 and 2014 were particularly strong years, as his average sales price jumped north of $40k. Expect further growth in the coming years.

Showing 6 comments
  • Ben Rush
    Reply

    Thanks for taking the time to read our article on the top 20 Chinese contemporary artists based on their auction record. I’m curious to ask some follow up questions for anyone whose passing through and may have comment:

    (1) Is the article missing anything that you would have liked to see? for example – maybe you would like to see more examples of each artists works?

    (2) Did you find the auction record interesting information as a method of ranking the various artists?

    (3) Do you think we have missed any important and well sold contemporary Chinese artists? and if so who?

    Thanks,
    Ben

  • Swissguy
    Reply

    apologies, should read XIAO HONG – thank you!

    • Ben Rush
      Reply

      Thanks for the suggestion. Xiao Hong is unfortunately quite a long way off entering the top 20 contemporary artist list at the moment, but you never know in the future! Thanks.

  • Gary
    Reply

    It would be great to see more examples of each of the artists’ works. Otherwise, a great read!

  • Michael P. Brodey
    Reply

    Ben
    Have you heard of artist, Irene Chu, the title of her painting is Stradivari Original.
    Was she a famous Chinese Artist in Canada at anytime. I am researching for a friend.
    I am a retired industrial designer, graduated from AOCA in 1968.
    Regards
    Mike

    • Ben
      Reply

      Hi Mike, afraid that’s not someone I have heard of. I suspect not particularly well known.

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