In the past three years, six Chinese artists have been responsible for nearly $400 million in sales. Arne Glimcher on China’s continued rise in the art market in the face of the global meltdown.
During the Cultural Revolution, the Politburo directed the Red Guards to vanquish the “four olds”—old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits. In doing so they created an aesthetic vacuum waiting to be filled by foreign influence. When Nixon opened the door to China in the early 1970s, Chinese artists got their first view of the West. Suddenly five centuries of Western art lay before them as a stylistic smorgasbord. Chinese artists could reinterpret it out of admiration or try to replace it. They choose the former. It was not unlike Picasso and Braque’s discovery of African art at the turn of the 20th century. They reached across the chasm of culture and style and recognized basic elements that informed their art in the development of Cubism. Now it was China’s turn and the Chinese had a talent for adaptation.
Zhang Xiaogang, Bloodline-Big Family No.2, 1995, Oil on canvas, 230×180cm
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Art News Blog: Art and Vaginas
Art and Vaginas
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1 GREEN LANTERN: RAGE OF THE RED LANTERNS, by Geoff Johns, Shane Davis and others (DC Comics, $24.99) – The march toward the “Blackest Night” event continues in this story that introduces the hopeful Blue Lanterns, the rage-filled Red Lanterns and more.
2 ASTERIOS POLYP, by David Mazzucchelli (Pantheon, $29.95) – The title character is an architect who is suffering from a midlife crisis. Will leaving New York City for small-town America help?
3 FINAL CRISIS, by Grant Morrison, J. G. Jones, Carlos Pacheco and Doug Mahnke (DC Comics, $29.99) – The heroes of the DC Universe have their backs against the wall in this event storyline which features a much-publicized “death” and a surprising rebirth.
4 HALO: UPRISING, by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev (Marvel Entertainment, $24.99) – This graphic novel bridges the storyline between Halo 2 and Halo 3 of the video game franchise.
5 BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE, by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland (DC Comics, $17.99) – This critically acclaimed story from 1988 offers a possible origin for the Joker.
6 BATMAN: R.I.P., by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel (DC Comics, $24.99) – Thomas Wayne, the father of the caped crusader, is cast in a sinister light.
7 JOKER, by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo (DC Comics, $19.99) – The Joker, newly released from Arkham Asylum, deals with the rivals who have carved into his territory.
8 MARVEL ZOMBIES, by Fred Van Lente and Kev Walker (Marvel Entertainment, $19.99) – Zombie-versions of the Marvel heroes encounter their non-flesh-eating counterparts.
9 DARK TOWER: TREACHERY, by Peter David and Robin Furth (Marvel Entertainment, $24.99) – This comic series explores the world set forth by Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” novels.
10 CIVIL WAR, by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven (Marvel Entertainment, $39.99) – A government registration act pits the heroes of the Marvel heroes against each other.
Graphic Best Sellers (Paperback)
1 WATCHMEN, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. (DC Comics, $19.99.) This epic tale from 1986 signaled a new maturity in comic books.
2 FABLES VOL. 1, by Bill Willingham and Lan Medina. (Vertigo, $9.99.) After being exiled from their homes, Snow White, Big Bad Wolf and other characters from various fairy tales form their own community in New York City.
3 ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER, by Frank Miller and Jim Lee (DC Comics, $19.99) – Two comic book industry legends set their sights on re-examining the Batman and Robin team with over-the-top violence and characterization. Is it intentional parody or bad comics? The debate rages on.
4 V FOR VENDETTA, by Alan Moore, K. C. Carlson and David Lloyd (DC Comics) A vigilante tries to free London from its authoritarian leadership.
5 THE SANDMAN: PRELUDES AND NOCTURNES, by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg and Malcolm Jones III (DC Comics, $19.99) – Dream of the Endless must rebuild his empire after several years of imprisonment at the hands of humans.
6 TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN — DEFIANCE, by Chris Mowry and Dan Khanna (IDW Publishing, $17.99) – This prequel to this summer’s “Transformers” film examines the origins of Cybertron, the birthplace of the shape-changing robots, and the feud between the Autobots and Decepticons.
7 SANDMAN: THE DOLL’S HOUSE, by Neil Gaiman and others (Vertigo, $19.99) – The second volume of this series revolves around Rose Walker, who is seeking her brother, and the Lord of Dreams chasing down some escaped nightmares.
8 DEADPOOL: SECRET INVASION, by Daniel Way and Paco Medina (Marvel Entertainment, $14.95) – The smart-mouthed mutant mercenary prevents a Skrull attack on a baseball stadium, but then joins forces with the alien shapeshifters. Or does he?
9 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: SEASON 8, VOL. 4, by Joss Whedon, Jeph Loeb and Karl Moline. (Dark Horse, $15.95.) Buffy takes a road trip to New York City and forward in time where she meets Melaka Fray, a future slayer.
10 100 BULLETS, VOL. 13, by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso (Vertigo, $19.99) – No spoilers! The noir series, about vengeance and violence, reaches its conclusion.
Graphic Best Sellers (Manga)
1 NARUTO, VOL. 45, by Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ Media, $7.95) – Jiraiya, ninja and mentor to Naruto, put everything he learned about the Akatsuki organization in code. Can Naruto decipher it in time?
2 FRUITS BASKET, VOL. 23, by Natsuki Takaya (TOKYOPOP, $10.99) – This series is about a family that is possessed by the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Secrets from the past are revealed and Akito, head of the clan, finds her control slipping.
3 NEGIMA! MAGISTER NEGI MAGI, VOL. 23, by Ken Akamatsu (Del Rey, $10.99) – Will it be victory or death for Negi, the boy wizard, as he faces his rival, Fate Averruncus?
4 THE DARK-HUNTERS, VOL. 1, by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Claudia Campos (St. Martin’’s Griffin, $9.99) – As an accountant scarier than a vampire? Find out in this graphic novel adaptation of the best-selling “Dark-Hunters” novels, which have been described as a “paranormal romance series.”
5 TSUBASA: RESERVOIR CHRONICLE, VOL. 22, by Clamp (Del Rey, $10.99) – You know you’re in the middle of a long story: is Syaoran now strong enough to withstand Seishiro’s vampire-killing skills?
6 JUNJO ROMANTICA, VOL. 10, by Shungiku Nakamura (TOKYOPOP, $12.99) – This series, described as a romantic comedy, is about the relationship between Misaki and Akihiko, a male tutor, who meet when Misaki needs help with college entrance exams.
7 KITCHEN PRINCESS, VOL. 10, by Miyuki Kobayashi and Natsumi Ando (Del Rey, $10.99) – Najika, an aspiring chef, heads to Paris for a major cooking competition, but romantic entanglements complicate things. This is the final volume in the series.
8 NARUTO, VOL. 43, by Masashi Kishimoto. (VIZ Media, $7.95.) Naruto’s former teammate, Sasuke, learns vital details about his family’s past.
9 BLEACH, VOL. 27, by Tite Kubo. (VIZ Media, $7.95.) Ichigo Kurosaki sees dead people and must help usher them safely into the after¬life.
10 CAPTIVE HEARTS, VOL. 5, by Matsuri Hino (VIZ Media, $8.99) – Megumi and Suzuka travel to China to try to find a missing jewel that will release them from the curse that binds them.
The Art Newspaper
Paris. Kenzo Takada, the Japanese fashion designer, has sold his eclectic art collection at auction for €1.9m (est €1.5m-€1.8m). The auction, by Aguttes, Paris, on 16-17 June, consisted of around 1,100 lots, 75% of which sold. It follows the sale of the collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé in February for €373m. “Yves Saint Laurent was the pope of haute couture while Kenzo is a pop star,” said Jean-Luc Estournel, an independent expert who worked on Kenzo’s sale. “Yves Saint Laurent’s collection addressed millionaire collectors; Kenzo’s was for ‘normal’ collectors.”
Picasso Sketches Stolen: French Police
PARIS — A red notebook of 33 pencil drawings by Pablo Picasso has been stolen from a specially locked glass case in the Paris museum that bears the painter’s name, authorities said Tuesday.
The book is believed to be worth 8 million euros ($11 million), a police official said.
The theft took place between Monday and Tuesday morning at the Picasso Museum, removed from a glass case that “can only be opened with a specific instrument,” the Culture Ministry said.
PARIS — There is a civil contract implied by photographs. An Israeli writer, Ariella Azoulay, published a book making that point. Henri Cartier-Bresson made it too. He described shooting pictures of people as a “sort of violation,” adding, “if sensitivity is lacking, there can be something barbaric about it.” There can be, of course, and not just when the subject doesn’t like the image.
ONE afternoon last week, Mary Mattingly, a 30-year-old sculptor and photographer who has been living in a two-bedroom walk-up in Queens, gave a reporter a tour of her new home, a 30-by-100-foot barge moored at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
