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Art in the News
 Uli Sigg, who is believed to have the largest collection of Chinese contemporary art in the world, is negotiating with the Chinese government about donating a large portion of his collection to build a museum in China, possibly in the city of Shenzhen, according to art insiders. A few years ago, the creators of the Estella Collection had tried to sell that collection to China to become part of a museum. They later decided to auction the works at Sotheby's.
 The coastal city of Qingdao, where the Olympic sailing events are being held, is planning to turn a large group of old factories into a new arts district, modeled on Shanghai's M50 area and Beijing's 798 Arts district.
 In the July/August issue of Art Asia Pacific, the collector Uli Sigg criticizes a proposal that would boycott Chinese contemporary art because of China's Tibet policies. Sigg essentially calls the boycott suggestion crude and ridiculous saying Chinese artists are hardly complicit with the government. Indeed, they often challenge the system.
 Art works from the Kent and Vicki Logan Collection of Chinese contemporary art are now on exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, including works by Ai Wei Wei andLiu Wei .
 Pace Beijing, a division of Pace Gallery of New York, will open its inaugural exhibition on Aug. 2 in Beijing. The show, called, "Encounters," features works by Western and Chinese artists, including Zhang Huan and Zhang Xiaogang . The show is to be held in a spectacular exhibition and gallery space Pace has created in the 798 Arts District.
 The Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing will open a special exhibition on its future on July 19, called, "Our Future: The Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation Collection." The show, curated by Jerome Sans, Guo Xiaoyan and Kate Fowle, features works by over 60 Chinese artists, including: Chen Zhen , Gu Wenda , Liu Xiaodong , Huang Yongping, Wang Guangyi and Zhang Xiaogang . Also performance and educational works. Curators say it will have a dynamic setting, and U.C.C.A. even commissioned works for the site, including works by Ai Wei Wei , Liu Wei , Wang Du, Wang Jianwei , Sui Jianguo and others. The show will run through October 12.
 Martell Artists of the Year 2008 will be unveiled on July 11 at the Shanghai Museum of Art. They include, Liu Ye , Xia Xiaowan, Hong Lei and Mario Sorrenti. Co- organizer of the show is the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
 California sculptor Bruce Beasley 's work featuring a series of interlocking disks has been chosen as one of the main sculptures to be placed at the Beijing Olympic Garden, next to the so-called "Bird's Nest" National Stadium.
 Saatchi Gallery is opening a new London musuem at the Duke of York headquarters building on Oct. 9 with a special show featuring the works of 30 Chinese contemporary artists. The former advertising executive owns works by Zhang Xiaogang ,Wang Guangyi , Xiang Jing and dozens of other Chinese artists.
 An auction at Phillips de Pury in London on June 30 recorded some lacklaster sales as aZeng Fanzhi work featuring Mao sold for below estimate, though still for about $4 million and a Zhang Xiaogang work from his Memory and Amnesia series failed to sell, for about $2 million.
 The Museum of Modern Art in New York has purchased 23 photographs by Chinese contemporary artists for its collection. The Museum bought the works of artists such as Ai Weiwei , Rong Rong and Huang Yan from Larry Warsh, an art dealer and collector who once published a series of popular gallery guides before selling them in 2002. Mr. Warsh and his father-in-law, the collector Howard Farber, have both collected Chinese contemporary art for year. Karen Smith, the art critic and curator, helped Mr. Warsh collect the photographs he sold to MOMA at a discount from retail prices, according to Bloomerg. Story here . Other artists collected by MOMA include Zhang Dali , Zheng Guogu and Weng Fen.
 The New Republic has published a scathing review of Chinese contemporary art. The article, entitled, "Mao Crazy," by Jed Perl, says Chinese contemporary art is unimaginative and overhyped, and worst of all it glorifies Mao and the Cultural Revolution, which many historians believe were destructive forces that killed millions of people. Perl says art critics, collectors and artists simply see Mao and the Cultural Revolution as chic subjects to portray or praise. The article also says much of the art from China is copies of western contemporary art and not of high quality. He names artists, curators and collectors. Click here for article.
 A major exhibition featuring the works of Cai Guoqiang will be held at the National Art Museum in Beijing beginning during the Olympics, on Aug. 19 and running through September 2. The works shown will include some iconic art piece that were shown at the Guggenheim show in New York this year. The show has been designed by the Ministry of Culture as one of the key cultural spots during the Olympic games. The show is co-organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Guggenheim.
 On June 22, the artistZhao Bandi opened his Bandi Panda shop in Beijing's 798 Arts District, featuring plush toy panda for sale. The artist, who is known for carrying around a toy panda and featuring it in his art work, is now going to sell a collection of panda toys he designed, featuring Olympic colors. Zhao has protested against the showing of the movie, Kung Fu Panda, saying it exploits a national symbol. He has used the same symbol in fashion shows featuring panda inspired clothing.
 The University of California at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive are going to hold the largest ever exhibition of Chinese contemporary art beginning Sept 4. The works are from the huge collection of Uli Sigg , the Swiss collector. The show will feature about 120 works by 92 artists. More information here 。
 Hosane , the auction house, is holding an auction at the Portman Ritz Carlton Hotel on June 26 and 27 featuring works by China's leading artists. A Zhang Xiaogang work is expected to sell for nearly $1 million; a Wang Guangyi for over $600,000 and a Yue Minjun for about $250,000.
 A major exhibition of works by Wu Shanzhuan are now on show at the Guangdong Museum of Art in Guangzhou. The show was curated by Gao Shiming, Chang Tsong-zung and Guo Xiaoyan, and runs from June 21 through July 27. More information here .
 Phillips de Pury & Co. , the auction house, is holding an auction on June 29 and 30 in London to sell a large work by Zeng Fanzhi called "Chairman Mao II 1993". The piece is expected to sell for $4 million to $6 million -- one of the highest prices in the history of Chinese contemporary art.
 The Drents Museum andthe Groninger Museum are holding Go China! Assen-Groningen in Groningen from 26 April to 23 November. The Groninger Msueum will display a chimera of past and present-day China with several exhibitions: Ancient Bronzes Masterpieces from the Shanghai Museum, Ai Weiwei solo exhibition "Writing on the wall", "Chinese New Realism and Avant-Garde in the Eighties and Nineties," and "New World Order：Contemporary installation art and photography from China" exhibition.
 Zhao Bandi , the artist known for carrying around a panda and filling his art works with pandas, has called for a boycott of the American animation film Kung Fu Panda, which will be released at theatres in China on June 20. He says Hollywood is trying to capitalize on a Chinese symbol. Curiously, some Chinese have tried to prevent Zhao Bandi from using pandas in his own art works, saying he is exploiting a national symbol.
 UBS , the Swiss bank, is showing works from its huge art collection for the first time in China. "Memories of Tomorrow" is appearing at theShanghai Art Museum through July 20, and features works by artists from around the world, including Lucian Freud, Susan Hiller, Chieh jen-Chen of Taiwan and Cao Fei , the young Chinese artist. The exhibition is from 6th June to 17th, July. Please see here for more information.
 Sarasin & Company , the private Swiss bank, has signed a deal with the Shanghai Art Museum to become the main sponsor of the Shanghai Biennale from 2008 to 2016. Also, Wu Guanzhong, one of China's leading traditional artists, has donated 66 works to the Shanghai Art Museum in May. Earlier he had donated 6 works in 2005.
 A solo exhibition of works by the artist Zhang Huan is now being planned for Beijing's Today's Art Museum this coming fall, Sept.. The show had earlier been scheduled for the Shanghai Art Museum in Feb. but was banned by the government.
 The Asia Society , which is opening a branch in Hong Kong, is planning a major exhibition in New York featuring art works from the revolutionary period -- the 1950s, 60s and 70s. The show has been in the planning stages for five years and is expected to be a landmark exhibition showing oil paintings and other art works rarely seen before.
 Chinese contemporary art is also getting hot in Russia. A new show, "China, Forward!" recently opened at a luxury department store in Moscow. Click to see here .
 A new exhibition byWu Gaozhong at the Zendai Museum in Shanghai features some huge, unusual, and hairy sculptures. Please see images here .
 Poly Auction in Beijing held a special auction fundraiser held on May 29 for the victims of the Sichuan earthquake and raised over $10 million from over 100 art works donated by some of China's leading artists. A Zhang Xiaogang painting sold for $1.7 million USD. A Yue Minjun work sold for $1 million; a Zeng Fanzhi work sold for nearly $1 million. A work by Wang Guangyi sold for $768,000. A work by Zhou Chunya , who is from Sichuan, sold for $500,000. All the leading artists in China contributed works to raise money for the earthquake, and they together raised more money than most Chinese corporations donated to the relief efforts. Poly Auction, which will hold another auction for earthquake victims at the end of June, donated its commissions from the May 29 auction. Also, several other auction houses are planning auctions to support Sichuan victims, including Guardian Auction House , Hanhai Auction House and other art institutions.
 Christie's auction on May 24 in Hong Kong showed once again that despite talk of Chinese contemporary art being overpriced and the economy weakening, top artists are breaking records. A "Mask Series" work by Zeng Fanzhi , the exceptionally talented painter, sold for $9.7 million, the highest price ever paid for a work by a Chinese artist, topping Cai Guoqiang 's $9.5 million. And Yue Minjun , a star of the art market for years, saw his "Gweong Gweong" piece sell for $7 million, a record for the artist and also one of the highest prices ever paid.
 Despite the records, Sotheby 's Zhang Xiaoming, who helps gather works for auction, suggested in an interview with the International Herald Tribune that Chinese art is becoming stale, with artists repeating themselves, and also hinted that the market may begin to weaken. See article here .
 Larry Warsh, the head of AW Asia and a major collector of Chinese contemporary art, is planning to publish a series of books about the history of Chinese contemporary art, entitled “U Turn.” The series will be edited by Philip Tinari. AW Asia is also publishing a series of periodicals about the period. For more information see: www.awasiany.com
 ArtAsia is holding its first international art fair in Miami this year, Dec. 4-7, adding another fair to the fast-growing global art market. For more information: www.artasiafair.com. The Asian Contemporary Art Fair in New York will return November 6-10 to New York City. See www.acafny.com . Last year, the fair had sales of $12 million.
 Hong Kong has an exciting new art space in Times Square, which now features an installation by Yue Minjun called Contemporary Terracotta Warriors, and pieces by Hung Tunglu of Taiwan and Huang Zhihyang, both of whom live in Beijing.
 A group of prominent Chinese artists are donating works to Poly Auction for a sale on May 28 in Beijing with the proceeds going to victims of the disastrous earthquake on May 12 in southwest China. Zhang Xiaogang, Zhou Chunya, He Duoling and Ye Yongqing -- all of whom studied or were born in Sichuan -- as well as Yue Minjun, Fang Lijun, Wang Guangyi, Zeng Fanzhi and other artists will donate works.
 The government of Singapore, hoping to make a major push into contemporary art, is hosting a major art fair that opens on the same day as the SH Contemporary this September. And Singapore is actually paying galleries to show up, and offering free booths. Many galleries have already signed up.
 Yue Minjun's Tiananmen inspired painting, "Gweong Gweong," is expected to sell for nearly $8 million at Christie's Hong Kong auction on May 24 and 25. That would be one of highest prices ever paid for a painting, if it meets the high end of the estimate.
 Pearl Lam , the irreverent collection, gallery owner and fashion maven, shares what her typical day is like with the Times of the UK. Click here to read about why she doesn't like political works and why she eats blueberries and Diet Coke for breakfast.
 And HK 08, the big Hong Kong art fair is set to open this week, May 14, in Hong Kong, with over 100 galleries from around the world and lots of major collectors, gallery owners and celebrities expected. Hong Kong is trying to cash in on the frenzy for Chinese art, and pushing its no tax import and export policy on art works. Click here for Wall Street Journal story on upcoming fair.
 The New York Times reported on May 7 that a group of artists, gallery owners and curators feel duped by the founders of the Estella Collection , which is being auctioned by Sotheby's. They say Michael Goedhuis, who formed the collection, led them to believe a wealthy collector was creating a permanent collection and pieces would go to leading museums. Many artists gave works, but last August the collection was sold to William Acquavella, the founder of the Acquavella Galleries of New York. Click here for article .
 Ai Weiwei, the outspoken artist and contributing designer of the Olympic stadium, "The Bird's Nest," has criticized China's adoration of the Olympics, the Chinese media for called the torch relay "holy," and the government for encouraging blind nationalism, placing him on the other side of some artists who have joined in to protest the French over disruptions of the torch relay.
 A work by Liu Xiaodong , the Beijing artist, sold for a record $8.2 million Monday April 28 at Beijing's Gardian Auction House. The painting, "Breeding Ground No. 1," depicting 11 men in the "Three Gorges" area, was painted in 2005 and 2006. This was the highest price ever paid for a work by a Chinese contemporary artist. The Taikang Insurance Company bought it.
 Legation Quarter, the new cultural arts center, will open in Beijing with a special exhibition on May 24. The center was founded by Handel Lee, a distinguished lawyer and one of the creative minds behind Shanghai's Three on the Bund project. It has been developed on the ground of the former U.S. Embassy in Beijing's historic district. Weng Ling, director of the Legation Quarter's cultural arts and performance center, is curating an exhibition that opens on May 24, featuring artists such as Wang Jianwei, Wang Gongxin, Liu Jianhua, Lin Tianmiao and Zhou Tiehai.
 Yue Minjun has decided to pull out of an art exhibition in France later in June, the latest high profile artists to do so because of growing anger in China because the Olympic torch relay in Paris was disrupted by protesters. Wang Guangyi and Lu Hao also pulled out of a show. And other artists in China are following suit.
 Liu Xiaodong 's painting, "The Three Gorges Project," which was sold for $2.7 million at auction in 2006, will be displayed at the Lan Club in Shanghai, South Beauty restaurant owner Zhang Lan's latest, over-the-top playground. The Lan Lounge & Restaurant , on the Bund, is expected to open soon with an art gallery as part of it, displaying works of some of China's leading artists.
 Wang Guangyi and Lu Hao , two of China's best-known artists, have pulled out of a Paris exhibition in June because of anger over how the Olympic torch relay in Paris was disrupted. Many Chinese are angry that protestors acted so violently during the relay, even harming a Chinese woman in a wheelchair. Many Chinese are even calling for a boycott of French goods.
 Pace Wildenstein , one of the leading New York galleries, will open its Beijing space in the 798 arts district just before the Olympic games open with a special exhibiton featuring works by Chuck Close,Zhang Xiaogang , Zhang Huan and others. The huge space is being renovated by the renowned designer Richard Gluckman. Pace's Zhang Huan show opens in New York on May 9.
 A memorial for the painter Chen Yifei, who died in 2005, opened in April in his hometown of Ningbo, in China's Zhejiang Province. But the memorial does not include a single authentic work of art from the famous painter. The 750 square meter memorial has replicas of his paintings, sculptures and fashion designs. Note: The New York Times web site now has a video feature on the Central Academy of Fine Arts, accompanying a story that ran a few weeks ago.
 A nude photograph of French President Nicholas Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni, the famous model, was purchased at Christie's auction in New York by a Chinese art collector. Christie's did not release the name of the art collector. He paid $91,000 for the photograph. But Bloomberg News reported that it is Alex Cao, a former fashion photographer and founder of China Square Gallery in New York.
 China Guardian 08 Spring Auction will be held in Beijing in the end of April. The huge oil painting “Breeding Ground” drawn by famous artist Liu Xiaodong is the focus of this auction. It is estimated to sell for 50 million RMB. The painting is being exhibited in Hong Kong.
 Asia Triennial Manchester (ATM08) opend on 5th April in Manchester, UK. Participating artists from China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan will tackle the theme of protest in a series of exhibitions, commissions and residencies. Partners includes Castlefield Gallery , Cornerhouse , Chinese Arts Centre and International 3 and Manchester Art Gallery . The fair Continues to June.
 Women`s Art Exhibition “Another Voice—Us”, hosted by Shanghai Art Museum will be hold on April 20th to May 3rd, 2008. Participants are from Canada, France, Germany, Japanese and China。Curator Xiao Xiao Lan is the director of Academy Department of Shanghai Art Museum.
 Chinese Arts Centre have been awarded 135,000 Euros to create a touring exhibition between Chinese Arts Centre, 501 Artspace in Chongqing , China and Infra Arts in France and Sweden. This exciting visual arts project will take place in 2009/10 and create cultural links between the East and West.
 China Academy of Art , one of the beset art shools in China, held its 80th anniversary on April 8. “Four Seasons— the 3rd China Media Art Festival” opened at the school's campus simultaneously. Xu Bing , Huang Yongping , Yang Fudong and other famous artists joined this exhibition. See more at here
 The Third Guangzhou Triennial opens from September 11th to November 16th, 2008. Curators are Gao Shiming, Sarat Maharaj and Johnson Chang Tsong-zung. See more at here
 Sotheby's Hong Kong auction of Chinese contemporary art raised a record $51.7 million Wednesday, far above estimates. Zhang Xiaogang's 1995 painting "Bloodlines" sold for $6 million, a new record for a work by a Chinese contemporary artist. Liu Xiaodong's "Battle Realism," a set of nine paintings, sold for $7.9 million, one of the highest prices ever for a set by a Chinese artist. The Estella Collection -- owned by Sotheby's and William Acquavella, the art dealer -- sold for $18 million, far above estimates. Also, a Yue Minjun work sold for $2.6 million; a photograph by Ai Weiwei sold for $50,000. A sculpture by Xiang Jing sold for nearly $500,000.
 Timeout Beijing has published an issue with lots of features about Chinese contemporary art, including a profile of Liu Xiaodong and a story about whether Beijing's art scene is becoming too commercial. The magazine also reveals that a series of Liu Xiaodong's paintings, "Battlefield Realism: The 18 Arhats," are up for auction in Hong Kong at Sotheby's April 9 sale for an estimated $4.5 to $7 million. Liu Xiaodong is also the subject of a large profile in the Sunday, April 6 South China Morning Post. That would be one of the highest prices ever paid for a set of works by a Chinese contemporary artist. There are 18 paintings in the set. Sotheby's doesn't list the price in its catalogue. But it does say a Yue Minjun work, "Take the Plunge," could sell for as much as $2.5 million. Timeout Beijing's articles are not available online.
 Artprice.com says Gerhard Richter, the German painter, was the most traded living artist in 2007, $85.9 million. No. 2 in the world: Zhang Xiaogang at $56.9 million, followed by Jeff Koons. There were 36 Chinese artists in the top 100. And there were 75 art pieces from Chinese artists that sold for over $1 million. China has apparently overtaken France as home to the third largest art market.
 Yang Fudong , the video artist, is working on a documentary for the Chinese government, about stone cutting; he's travelling China documenting the practice.
 The Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, one of China's top art schools, is profiled in the March 30 Sunday New York Times . Click here . Yu Hong , Xu Bing and Sui Jianguo are mentioned.
 SH Contemporary has announced more details about its September art fair in Shanghai. Consultants include Pi Li of Universal Studios, Lorenz Helbling of ShanghArt and Leng Lin of Beijing Commune gallery. And curators include Huang Du of Beijing and Yining Shen from Taiwan. For more details see: www.shcontemporary.info .
 The March 7 Wall Street Journal published an article about Huang Rui , the pioneeing artists who helped form the Stars group in the last 1970s, and helped found Beijing's 798 Arts District . Click here .
 Nike Inc. has opened its own art museum in Beijing's 798 Arts District, called Nike 706. The space is now holding an exhibition on, who else, Michael Jordan, as part of the company's effort to promote itself in China. The exhibition, which includes Jordan memorabilia, runs through April 18.
 The South China Morning Post's Net Worth magazine for March 2008 published an article about buying Chinese contemporary art through online auctions. The article profiled Atting House , started by Johnson Chang of Hong Kong and run by Tiffany Lee. Lee said the November auction online sold 40 percent of the works for about $1 million with buyers mostly from Hong Kong, Britain, Germany, the US and the Middle East.
 Sotheby's March 17 auction in New York earned $23 million, but barely made the estimate. The auction house was hoping to earn much more, and 20 percent of the lots did not sell, a sign some of the auction boom may be fading. Two Zhang Xiaogang paintings failed to make the low end of the estimate; one, expected to sell for $1.5 million to $2.5 million by Sotheby's sold for just $713,000. A Zeng Fanzhi piece sold for $1.2 million; Su Xinping and Zhou Chunya also sold for huge sums, $541,000 and $690,000. Qiu Xiaofei, the young Beijing artist, also did well, as did Li Huayi ,Yan Pei Ming and Guo Jin .
 Xu Bing , the well-known artist, has created a huge installation for the new Chinese embassy in Washington, which was designed by I.M. Pei. The new building is now under construction, and Xu Bing has taken up a position as a vice president at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.
 Cai Jiang, a wealthy Chinese entrepreneur and art collector, is building a city in northern China's Inner Mongolia region to house a set up first class art museums and a huge cultural center. Ai Wei Wei has already designed a set of studios to join the new Ordos Art Museum, designed by Xu Tiantian, and a coming opera house, business center and villas. Mr. Cai, who made his fortune selling coal and milk, is trying to hire leading architects such as Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry and Jacques Herzog. Cai owns works by Fang Lijun , Wang Guangyi and others.
 Sotheby's Feb. 27 auction in London had some big sales of Chinese art, with Zhang Xiaogang works selling for $3.3 million (Bloodlines) and $2.2 million (Comrades). Yan Pei Ming's silver Bruce Lee art piece sold for $1.3 million, and a Yue Minjun work went for $1.8 million, suggesting Chinese art is still hot.
 Chambers Fine Arts gallery in Beijing will hold an exhibition of art works by Tan Dun , the grammy award winning composer in April. And in separate news, the European Fine Arts Foundation said in January that Chinese contemporary art sales rose 100 fold between 2003 and 2006.
 Shanghai government officials have revoked the license from the Shanghai Art Museum just over a few weeks ahead of the opening of a major solo exhibition of the works of Zhang Huan . The former performance artist, known for his radical performances and sculpture works, has won world acclaim and recently had a solo show of his works at the Asia Society in New York. But with foreign guests coming from around the world for the show, which opens on Feb. 26, the show was cancelled. Now, the show is being moved to Zhang Huan's massive studio in the suburbs of Shanghai. There are reports that the Shanghai government visited to see Zhang's works and grew concerned that they were too radical, including a pair of huge sculpture works called Giant 1 and Giant 2. They depicted a group of deformed beings, made from cow skins. The works were recently purchased by Francois Pinault , the French collector, for a new museum he is opening in Venice. Incidentally, Pearl Lam , founder of the Contrasts Gallery , is now the main dealer for Zhang's works sold in Asia.
 [The controversy over Pierre Huber , one of the founder of SH Contemporary , continues. The organizers put out a release on Feb. 20 sayinig the fair will go on without Mr. Huber, who has also been banned from Art Basel over his role in auctioning paintings he promised to buy for a private museum and other "ethical lapses" according to the SH Contemporary organizers. SH Contemporary said it will open Sept. 9. The release suggested Huber was trying to hijack the fair or create a competing fair. In an indication of how tense the split has been, SH Contemporary said in its release: Huber "has no individual right whatsoever to Sh COntemporary or its concept." Then, it essentially said: we'll see you in court.
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