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Art in the News
 Art Tactic, which studies the global art market, has released a new report showing that Chinese contemporary art is once again booming. Led by a record $620 million auction by Chinese auction house Guardian and Sotheby's Hong Kong's $390 million autumn sale, growth in Asia is once again taking off. Christie's sale of Chinese contemporary art was also strong in November, topping $24 million -- up from about $7 million in 2009. A 1996 work by Zeng Fanzhi sold for $3.5 million. And Zeng had four of the top 10 most expensive items sold at auction. For more information go to www.arttactic.com
 An exhibition of works by Feng Mengbo will be shown at the MoMa PS1 space in New York, from Dec. 12 to April 14, 2011. There will also be a series of talks about Feng Mengbo in New York in the coming weeks, with one on Dec. 6.
 The OCAT Contemporary Art Terminal will host an huge exhibition on Nov. 28 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of OCAT in Shenzhen. In conjunction with the He Xiangning Art Museum , the OCT Art center will show over 500 works from its collection, including 25 pieces by Zhang Xiaogang, Wang Guangyi, Yue Minjun and many others.
 Diane Von Furstenberg, the famous fashion designer from the US, also has a thing for Chinese contemporary Art. See her diary entries for Beijing and Shanghai. Click here to read .
 Ai Weiwei, the artist is creates the most trouble for Beijing, is now planning to collect the names of the 58 victims of the Shanghai fire. The government has not yet released the names and Ai Weiwei had his Shanghai studio demolished by the government a few weeks ago. Getting Shanghai to release the names seems to be his newest task, after trying to force Sichuan to release the name of earthquake victims.
 The Victor Pinchuk Foundation in the Ukraine is holding an exhibition featuring the 21 artists shortlisted for the Future Generation Art Prize 2010. The prize is being selected by a distinguished jury that includes Ai Weiwei. Among those shortlisted is Cao Fei , the young Chinese artist who now lives in Beijing. The Foundation's board members include Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst and the US billionaire Eli Broad. The foundation will announce the winner on December 10 in Kiev. The exhibition is at the Pinchuk Art Centre in Kiev. For more information, click here .
 Christie's auction house held a special exhibition at its New York headquarters last September as part of a collaboration with a division of China's Ministry of Culture. The partnership was formed after Beijing sharply criticized Christie's in 2009 for trying to sell two historical relics that Beijing said were looted during the Opium Wars. The new partnership appears to be an attempt to improve relations with Beijing. Click to read the New York Times article here .
 The Zhejiang Art Museum is planning to show 350 works by the artist Wu Guanzhong, who passed away earlier this year. It will be the largest exhibition ever of Wu's works and cover most of his life as a painter. The show opens from Nov. 20 to Dec. 25.
 Liu Xiaodong , the Beijing artist, is having a major show at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, which will also include a documentary by Taiwanese director Hou Hsia-sien, who followed Liu to his hometown in Liaoning Province. The show opened Nov. 17. The show will feature portraits Liu painted of childhood friends, and also diary entries from his childhood. The show will close on Feb.20, 2011.
 Ai Weiwei was placed under house arrest in Beijing on Friday, November 5, apparently to prevent him from flying to Shanghai to hold a "demolition party" on Sunday for his $1 million studio, which he said the Shanghai government ordered to be demolished. Mr. Ai talked to the New York Times and appeared to be safe but unable to leave for Shanghai. He said the Shanghai government asked him to build an art studio in a new arts district in Shanghai and then reversed course and told him it was illegal and had to be torn down. He surmised that it was punishment for harsh and outspoken comments he has made about the Shanghai government.
 Ai Weiwei , the Beijing-based artist, has announced that his new $1.1million Shanghai studio is to be demolished soon and that there will be a "demolition party" on November 7. The artist says the Shanghai government, after encouraging him to build a studio in a newly designated arts district, has decided his building is illegal. Mr. Ai has suggested that the decision is politically motivated because of his reputation as an activist.
 Yue Minjun , best known for his colorful, smiling images, is having his works featured in a new movie by the director John Woo, called "Color Me Love." Mr. Yue also makes a cameo appearance in the movie. Click to read this article in the Wall Street Journal . The movie will be released soon in Nov. 9, 2010.
 Weng Ling, the director of the Beijing Center for the Arts, has released a DVD featuring her lengthy series of face to face interviews with a range of artists, from Zhang Xiaogang and Yue Minjun to Xu Bing, Zhang Huan, to Jia Zhangke, Zhang Yimou and Tan Dun. For more information, go to www.beijingcenterforthearts.com
 Shanghai kicked off a big weekend of art shows and openings that coincide with the end of the World Expo and the beginning of the Shanghai Biennale. At the Shanghai Art Museum, the 8th Shanghai Biennale opened with a show curated by Fan Di'an, Li Lei, Hua Yi and Gao Shiming. The artists who have works at the show include: Liu Xiaodong, Zhang Huan, Maleonn, Yang Fudong and Qiu Zhijie. On Sunday, the hottest space in Shanghai, the Rock Bund Art Museum, opened with "By Day, By Night," an exhibition curated by Hou Hanru and featuring works by Zhou Tiehai, Sun Xun, Nedko Solakov, Du Yun, Tu Weicheng and others. The show runs through January 2011. "By Day, By Night," follows two other big shows featuring Cai Guoqiang's "Peasant DaVincis" and Zeng Fanzhi. Also in Shanghai, a new exhibition of works by Shao Fan is at Contrasts Gallery. In Beijing on October 24, Zhang Huan's opera, "Semele," was performed at the Poly Theatre. It was the first performance in China. And Ai Wei Wei's shows at the Tate Modern in London had to be temporarily closed down because of health concerns from dust. The dust was coming from the millions of hand-painted porcelain sunflower seeds Ai Wei Wei created for the show. The show is continuing with limited access to the space. Also, Wang Jinsong's solo exhibition, "Riddles," opened on Oct. 22 at the Tangram Art Center in Shanghai's Moganshan Road arts district. The show features a series of large print color photographs.
 Cai Guoqiang, one of China's most inventive artists, has created a new exhibition to coincide with the Shanghai World Expo, which opens May 1. Cai has a show called "Peasant DaVincis" that will appaear at the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai between May 4 to July 25. The show features a collection of ambitious inventions created by Chinese
peasants, including homemade flying machines and robots.The Rockbund Art Museum is a new museum opening in the city's historic riverfront Bund area, near the Suzhou Creek.
Sotheby's auction house raised $18.5 million in Hong Kong during early April, far exceeding its estimates. Among the most expensive items sold was an installation by Cai Guoqiang, which sold for $2.4 million, Liu Ye's "Bright Road" painting sold for $2.45 million -- a record for the artist at auction, and $1.38 million for a Zeng Fanzhi "Mask Series" portrait. Wang Guangyi's painting sold for $1 million. The prices were high but far below what some of these artists' works fetched at auction a few years ago.
 The artist Yue Minjun is being featured in April by CNN on its show "Talk Asia." Yue is the second Chinese comtemporary artist to appear on the show. Zhang Xiaogang was featured several years ago. Here is a link for yue minjun on talk asia from CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/04/07/artist.yue.minjun/?hpt=C1
 Xu Bing's Phoenix Project, an installation created by the well-known artist, is on display in Beijing outside Today's Art Museum. Xu Bing created two 28 meter long birds made with construction debris. They are suspended from cranes, shiny and silvery in color and part of an exhibition at the Museum. On March 28, Jia Zhangke, the filmmaker, along with the critic Li Tuo, Pan Gongkai, the president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Zhang Baoquan and Ouyang Jianghe spoke at a symposium at Today's Art Museum. The exhibition runs through April 16.
 Phillips de Pury, the auction house, is putting about 450 art and design works from Brazil, China and Russia up for sale next month in London. The April auction is expected to raise about $15 million and will begin with a sale held at the Charles Saatchi Gallery. See article here: http://in.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idINIndia-46967920100316
 A group of artists in Beijing demonstrated in Beijing after being beaten by men trying to force them to move out of an area slated for
demolition. Article here in The New York Times. www.nytimes
 A new, bilingual art Web site called www.artspeakchina.org is offering profiles and information about Chinese contemporary art. It is a Wikipedia like site featuring profiles of collectors, curators and artists and offering a wide range of information, in Chinese and English. Click here to see it, www.artspeakchina.org
 The Museum of Chinese in America, or MOCA, is holding a special exhibition and panel discussion on Chinese contemporary artists, featuring interviews with Gu Wenda and Xu Bing. A special VIP opening is being held on February 10. For more information, go to www.mocanyc.org
 The January 14 Wall Street Journal reported that the prices of Asian contemporary art are rising again. Sotheby's, Christie's and others are reporting stronger sales and higher prices and once again, artists like Zhang Xiaogang, Zen Fanzhi and others are leading the way. Johnson Chan on Hanart TZ was also quoted saying there is a come back under way. please see www.wsj.com
 Hans Ulrich Obrist's new book, a collection of interviews he conducted with some of China's leading artists, was recently published and is now on sale in hardcover. Ulrich-Obrist is one of the world's leading curators and has taken a keen interest in Chinese contemporary art. The book was edited by Philip Tenari, the Beijing based curator, and
can be found here: www.amazon.com/Hans-Ulrich-Obrist-ChinaInterviews/dp/9881736722/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260272088&sr=8-1 .
 Zhang Huan, one of China's leading artists, will have his first major solo exhibition at the Shanghai Art Museum in February 2010. The museum had planned a 2008 exhibition but it was canceled over a controversial installation he created. Zhang's performance art was banned in the 1990s and he left for New York for a period. He is now signed with the Pace Wildenstein Gallery in New York.
 Cao Fei , the young installation and video artist, has been named a finalist for the 2010 Hugo Boss Prize , which is awarded by the Guggenheim Foundation in New York. It is one of the art world's most prestigious prizes and will be announced next year. Only three other Chinese artists have been named finalists, Cai Guoqiang, Huang Yong Ping and Yang Fudong. No Chinese artist has ever won the award. For more information, click here: hugobossprize.com/main_2010.html?lan=en
 The Toronto Star reports that China's leading artists are doing well, despite the economic slowdown. Just ask Zhang Xiaogang. See article here:http://www.thestar.com/unassigned/article/737386--winds-of-change-propel-china-s-new-art-stars
 Sohu.com is holding online fashion awards, and asking viewers to vote for the most popular artist. Among those up for the award as a fashionable artist Zeng Fanzhi, Wenda Gu, Yue Minjun, Yang Fudong and many others. Click here to vote: http://cul.sohu.com/s2009/artists
 Red Gate Gallery in Beijing has an interesting show up, "30 Degrees. 30 years. 30 artists. 30 perspectives." Click here for a preview.
 The acclaimed artist Zhang Huan's new exhibition, "Neither Coming Nor Going" opens Thursday December 10 in New York at the PaceWildenstein Gallery at 545 West 22d Street. The show includes ash sculptures and works related the Buddhism. This is Zhang's second show in New York following his major exhibition at the Asia Society in New York in 2007-2008. For more information go to www.pacewildenstein.com
 Christie's five day auction in Hong Kong ended on Dec. 2 with a surprisingly strong showing, raising $213 million. The show demonstrated the growing buying power of Chinese collectors, with a Shanghai tycoon named Wang Wei bidding up the prices of Liu Ye's works and a Taiwanese collector named Eric Huang snapping up Zao Wouki's work. For more information go here: www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aN6rxV3gt2E0
 Ai Weiwei, one of China's leading artists, was profiled in The New York Times on November 28. Here is a link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/world/asia/28weiwei.html .
 Wang Chunchen, a member of the Curatorial Research Department of the Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, has been named the 2009 winner of the critic award by the Contemporary Chinese Art Awards . The award, which was established by Uli Sigg, comes with a grant of 10,000 euros to support his research, which will be published by CCAA as a book in 2010. Liu Congyun, a columnist for the South China Morning Post, and Lau Sau Yee, Chairman of the Society for Experimental Cultural Production at Hong Kong City University, were finalists for the award. Members of the jury were the artists and vice president of the Central Academy, Xu Bing, as well as Qiu Zhijie; Art in America senior editor Richard Vine, and CCAA founder Uli Sigg.
 The 2011 Singapore Biennale has named Matthew Ngui as its artistic director and is preparing to outline its plans for the show at a media luncheon on Friday December 11 at the Singapore Art Museum.
The Global Times reported that the opening of a conemporary art institute has sparked debate within the art world. The Chinese government set up the Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and named Ye Yongqing, the well known artist and curator, as its artistic director. The Institute is supposed to be dedicated to academic research and educating the public about contemporary art. Luo Zhongli, the director of the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts was named director of the Institute. The list of officials and artists of the new institute includes: Fang Lijun, Zhang Xiaogang, Yue Minjun, Zeng Fanzhi, Cai Guoqiainag and Xu Bing. The Global Times said in a Nov. 23 article that the artists believed they could remain independent, even though they were joining a government-run center.
A new book about the painter Yang Shaobin is coming out on November 13, a comprehensive look at the work of one of China's best known artists. The book launch will take place at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing with a talk by the authors and Yang Shaobin. For more information go to www.ucca.org.cn
 Cao Fei, the rising, young Chinese artist is one of four artists featured in a new PBS television special in the United States: Art 21-- Artists in the 21st Century. One of the other artists is Jeff Koons. Go to www.pbs.org for more information.
 Ai Weiwei is opening a new show in Munich, called "So Sorry," at the Haus der Kunst. with works that relate to how politicians and corporations are responding to the global financial crisis. The show opens October 12 and runs through January. For more information, click here .
 The Arts in the Global Society conference opens October 9 in Beijing, bringing today leading collectors, artists, curators and government officials, including the Minister of Culture, Wang Meng. Among those taking part: Xu Bing, Feng Boyi, Chen Dongshen, Professor Zhao Li, Professor Wang Huangsheng, the head of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Melissa Chiu of the Asia Society, curator Gao Minglu, Nick Simunovic, Philip Tinari and others.
 Pace Gallery has opened its exhibition of works by Zhang Xiaogang in Beijing. It is the long awaited reopening of Pace, which has spent heavily to build a presence in Beijing's 798 Arts District. For more information, click here.
 On Sept. 17, The New York Timesand International Herald Tribune have reviewed the Chinese artist Zhang Huan's opera, Semele, which opened recently in Brussels. The show got mixed reviews, but had some highlights, including the dramatic stage setting and performance by Ying Huang, who plays Semele in Handel\'s opera. See review here .
 There are reports that the prices for works by some of China's leading artists have fallen by as much as 50 percent. See China Daily story,click here .
 Ai Wei Wei is apparently in Germany undergoing cranial surgery after being beaten in Sichuan Province, where he was staging a protest. See blog here .
 The SH Contemporary Art Fair opens in Shanghai this week, running from Sept. 10-13 at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre. Although the art business has been in a slump and fewer galleries are expected to participate this year, there are still lots of activities. VIP events start Monday with works by Bail Yiluo, a "young Americans" group exhibition, the Absolut Pop Up installation, and a "Warm Up" exhibition at the Minsheng Art Museum. ArtZineChina.com will have a full calendar of events up soon. For more information, go to www.shcontemporary.info/vip
 Google has released in China on its iGoogle personalized homepage, themes from 23 Chinese artists, including Tan Dun, Lang Lang, cartoonist Ji Mi and Zhizhong Cai, Zhang Dali and Yan Bo-- featuring Chinese cultural elements.
 The Beijinger magazine's September issue has a cover story on Chinese contemporary art, with a short history of the movement's development beginning in the 1980s and brief profiles of Huang Rui, Zhang Xiaogang, Cao Fei, Aniwar, Sheng Qi, Jia Aili, Pei Li and Song Dong. For more information, go towww.thebeijinger.com .
 Chinese Contemporary Gallery , which closed in the end of July, has posted a statement on its web site warning Chinese artists and dealers about Galeria Thomas Cohn in Sao Paulo Brazil. The warning appears to arise out of a dispute after Chinese Contemporary loaned 12 works to Thomas Cohn and did not get paid after one was sold. Chinese Contemporary says on its web site the 12 works were loaned in June 2008 for a Cartoon show and the gallery has not been paid for the one work Galeria Thomas Cohn says it sold. Check here to see the statement.
 Sotheby's auction house is presenting previews of its autumn sale of Chinese contemporary art as well as jade, jewelry and other objects in Beijing and Shanghai. The auction will be held later in Hong Kong. The preview will be held Sept. 5 and 6 in Shanghai and Sept. 8 and 9 in Beijing, and includes works by Zhang Xiaogang and Sanyu. Click here for more information.
 A new exhibition to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China creates replicas of Tiananmen Square and other historic sites, made of hair. The exhibition is being dubbed, "Hairman Mao." Check here
Also, the directory of the Shanghai Gallery of Art at Three on the Bund, David Chan, has apparently resigned. Mr. Chan took over from founding director Weng Ling, but just before the Chinese art market began to sour and construction around Three on the Bund intensified in preparation for the 2010 World Expo. Artist Zhou Tiehai formally named deputy director of the Mingsheng Museum in Shanghai. Also, Shanghai\'s Contrasts Gallery is now looking for an art director.
 Contrasts Gallery is preparing an ink brush painting exhibition in Shanghai this month opening on August 23. The show will feature works by many Chinese artists including Wang Tiande, Zhang Hao, Lan Zhenghui, Shang Yang, Shao Yan and others. Zhu Qingsheng is the curator.
Hi art, the art magazine, released its list of the top 100 best selling chinese artists at auction. In 2009, Zhang Xiaogang was again number one selling 111 million rmb worth of art at auction in 2008 and early 2009. Overall Zhang has sold 700 million worth of art in his history on the auction. Zhang Xiaogang is far and away the most successful Chinese artist at auction.
 Chinese artist Gu Wenda will take part in a conversation with Academy Award winning composerTan Dun on November 2 in New York as part of a festival that celebrates Chinese culture. The converation will be moderated by Melissa Chiu, director of the Asia Society Museum. As part of the same festival, artists Gao Shiqiang and Chen Qiulin will show their video works at the Orange County Museum of Art in California in January 2010. The festival begins in October and includes music, art, dance and culture and is presented by Carnegie Hall and includes other institutions, including the Ethan Cohen Gallery , Arario, Chambers Fine Arts and other galleries.
 A new artist collective called WAZA will perform new media art as part of a project called \"Floating Chinese Musicians\" in Wuhan on Aug. 14. The project is a sound installation and media archive of 30 folk musicians trying to preserve old traditions. WAZA has found 30 musicians to travel the country, kind of imitating China\'s floating population of migrant workers, to perform. There will also be an installation made of Mp3 players, recycled wood and metal frames. The project is partially supported by ChArt Contemporary and Intelligent Alternative , a group that supports artists.
 The Singapore Art Museum is holding an exhibition of works that Wu Guanzhong donated to the museum through the end of August. On July 29, the museum is holding a fashion show with fashions inspired by Wu Guanzhong\'s art.
Art Asia Pacific has just released its 2009 Almanac, a record of the past year and the year ahead, with contributions by Xu Bing, the Chinese artist, and others. For more information click here .
 The Institute for Strategic Dialogue in London is hosting a major arts conference in Beijing in Octomber, bringing some of the world\'s leading arts authorities, collectors and museum directors, including several from New York and London. The two day conference is jointly organized by Reign Wood Group, a Beijing real estate company and China\'s cultural bureau.
 Chinese Contemporary , the well known gallery with branches in New York, London and Beijing, has decided to close at the end of July 2009. The closing was announced in an email that offered no other details but thanked people for supporting the gallery for 13 years.
 The New York Times and International Herald Tribune on July 15 and July 16 each published an article by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Holland Carter on Chinese artist Song Dong\'s exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.See here .
 Chambers Fine Arts has opened a new gallery space, Artfarm, in Salt Point, New York. Designed by HHF Architects and Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist, the building is designed as a gallery for a professional art collection. The 400 square meter building uses ribbed metal components, like those used in agricultural sheds. The inaugural exhibition will feature Chinese artists Song Dong and Rong Rong, from June 18 to July 12. Go to Chambers Fine Arts space here .
 The South China Morning Post on Monday July 6 published an article saying that Caochangdi was luring artists and galleries away from 798 with cheap rents and quiet spaces. The article quoted Brian Wallace of Red Gate Gallery and also ShanghArt about the moves to Caochangdi, which is not far from the 798 Arts District, which some gallery owners complain has grown too commercial and crowded with tourists not interested in serious art.
 Xu Bing, the award winning artist and dean of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, has created a large site specific installation project for the new Chinese embassy in Washington. I.M. Pei, the architect, invited Xu to create the design, which is called "Purple Breeze Comes from the East.\" The piece is made up of thousands of translucent Chinese characters. The American Embassy in China has also asked Xu to install a piece at the embassy called "Monkey Grasping the Moon.\"See images here .
 Phillips de Pury & Company auctions of contemporary art on June 29 reached about $15 million. An untitled work by Yue Minjun was one of the highest selling items, selling above estimate for about $700,000. A work by Zhan Wang also sold well. See Phillips de Pury web site here for more details .
 The artist Song Dong has an installation called "Waste Not"now showing at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, another indication of how Chinese artists are being seen at major museums around the world. Yan Peiming , the Shanghai born painter, has had two spectacular shows in recent months, one at theLouvre in Paris -- making him one of the few Chinese artists to ever appear there -- and on now showing at the Ullens Center of Contemporary Art in Beijing, featuring a creative display of children's portraits on flags fluttering in the space. See it here .
 A group of artists protested on June 27 in front of the Hong Kong Museum of Art saying a show there was more about advertising than art. The show, "Louis Vuitton: A Passion for Creation ,\" features works by Jean- Michael Basquiat and Cao Fei , the Guangdong-born artist. Many art shows in China in recent years have been sponsored by luxury brands. The show includes material tracing the history of luxury brands, according to the South China Morning Post . Many of China\'s top artists have teamed up with luxury brands, and even made objects featuring the brands for recent shows in Beijing and Shanghai.
 The Third Guangzhou Photo Biennial 2009 has opened in Guangzhou at the Guangdong Museum of Art. It runs through July 19 and features a wide range of photographs of China\'s development and even atrocities in Cambodia. Among the themes in urbanization in China, Zhou Enlai\'s death and even Democracy Wall in Beijing. Artists include Li Xiaobin, John Fung, Bao Naiyong, Gu Xiang and Jin Jingbo. See link to Guangdong Museum of Art here.
 Ai Weiwei , the artist, is stirring up trouble again, pressing for Chinese internet users to boycott the web on July 1, when the new censorship measures go into effect. That is when all pc makers have been ordered to install a new software \"Green Dam\" that is supposed to prevent pornography and \"harmful\" content.
 Zeng Fanzhi is the subject of a lengthy cover story in Chinese Harper\'s Bazaar June issue. The 30 pages story is filled with photographs of Zeng in fashion poses, portraits of him during his youth and descriptions of his painting style.
 SH Contemporary 2009 is presenting a special exhibition curated by Mami Kataoka, Wang Jianwei and Anton Vidokle. The fair will showcase works by some of the most significant and promising artists from all over the world. Participants including famous artists, such as Feng Mengbo, Xu Zhen and Liu Wei, etc. Learn more at www.shcontemporary.info .
 Ravenel Spring Auction 2009 in Taipei ended with $6.5 million in sales of modern and contemporary Asian art, organizers said. Wang Huaiqing \'s oil painting \"Flying Apsaras\" sold for $1.3 million, the highest price he ever for a Wang painting at auction. A work co-created by Cai Guo-Qiang and Tsai Kang-yung called the Art Shopping Network, sold for $505,199.Read more .
 The Shanghai World Financial Center -- the tallest building in China -- say it will unveil its first major art project, the \"Liu Jianhua Public Art Project,\" on June 16 in Shanghai. The building, which was largely financed by the Mori group in Japan, has plans to house a large collection of Chinese contemporary art. The Mori Center in Tokyo has an art museum and a large art collection.
 The Shanghai-based artist Zhang Huan (once known for his outrageous performance art) has announced to friends that he will have his debut as the director of Handel\'s Semele at the Royal Theatre in Brussels on September 8. The opera, which was created with the help of the KT Wong Foundation, will also have showings in Beijing and Shanghai, during the 2010 World Expo. The opera is supposed to be a fusion of Eastern and Western art styles.
 The Times of London invited their readers to vote for the \"Top 200 Artists of the 20th Century to Now.\" Sixteen weeks after the invitation, with 1.4 million voters in all, the poll results are revealed. The top three artists are, in order, Pablo Picasso, Paul Cezanne and Gustav Klimt, all of them were dead. No artists from China is on the list. Click to see the poll .
 Hong Kong is finally set to build its huge West Kowloon arts museum. The museum will involve building a large contemporary art space on 40 hectares of reclaimed land on a central site in the city. The first phase of the $3 billion project will be finished in 2016. Acclaimed artist Ai Weiwei is among the architectural teams bidding for the project. Read more .
 Beijing\'s famous 798 Arts District has been hit recently by several robberies. On the evening of May 27, some galleries, art stores and cafes in 798 were robbed while the staff members were away.The administrators of the 798 area haven\'t yet responded to the case publicly. Click here for more information.
 Phaidon Press has just published a large paperback book about Zhang Huan , the Shanghai-based artist that the publisher calls one of the most important artists of the past decade. The $49.95 book is edited by Yilmaz Dzwiewior, RoseLee Goldberg and Robert Storr.
 Kunstkompass (Art Compass) has unveiled its list of the top hundred contemporary artists this year, among which 46 artists are new to the list. As Austria Presse Agentur, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, and Der Standard report, the list ranks living artists according to a variety of factors, including exhibitions at major institutions and reviews in art magazines. Germany has the most entries, with twenty-eight artists. Two Chinese artists, Ai Weiwei and Cao Fei , are among the list. Click here for more information.
 Yan Pei-Ming , the famed Chinese artist based in Paris, will hold his first 798 solo exhibition, \"Landscapeof Childhood,\" at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing. The show is being created without canvases by experimenting with installations by the artist; it is co-curated by Jérôme Sans and Guo Xiaoyan. Yan Pei-Ming has painted huge landscapes on the walls of UCCA\'s Big Hall. The exhibition will open on June 19 and run through Oct. 11.
 Poly Auction said on June 3 that its 2009 Spring Auction was very successful. A Chen Yifei work sold for over $5 million. It was titled, \"Thinking of History at My Space.\" A work from Zhang Xiaogang sold for over $2 million. A Liu Xiaodong work sold for $1 million and Zeng Fanzhi painting sold for over $1 million. Also, 18 art pieces sold by the Ullens family -- which controls the Beijing Ullens Center, sold for about $15 million. The works included some rare items. Song Huizong\'s \"rare Birds painted from Life,\" sold for nearly $10 million.
 Li Xianting, the distinguished Beijing art critic, has won the 2008 Prince Claus Award in the Netherlands for his contributions to art and culture in China. The award is given to people around the world who contribute to their country\'s cultural heritage. More info clickhere
 Chen Guang, 37, a former soldier turned artists, tells his story of being in the square 20 years ago in Beijing. He has painted portraits of the tragedy of that year. Clickhere for his article in The New York Times.
 The Poly 2009 Spring Auction performed well. Sales of \"Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art\" reached 37.73 million yuan, or about $6 million, with 65 percent of lots sold. Zhou Chunya ‘s \"Green Dog\" painting sold for 1.4 million RMB, or about $250,000, while works by Zeng Fanzhi and Zhang Xiaogang , Guan Yong each sold for over 1 million yuan, or $125,000. Emerging artist Chen Ke\'s work, \"Watching Fire on the Opposite Bank\" sold for 728,000, or about $110,000. Click here .
 Ai Weiwei , the provocative and talented artist had his popular blog shut down days ahead of the 20th anniversary of the events in Beijing.Ai has been a critic of the government on many issues, including the delays in determining why so many children died in the Sichuan earthquake.
 Zeng Fanzhi is on the cover of this month\'s issue of Harper\'s Bazaar Chinese.
 The \"2009 Martell Artists of the Year\" exhibition tour will open to the public from June 12 to 23 at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum in Beijing. The four \"2009 Martell Artists of the Year\" include: Zeng Fanzhi , Gu Wenda , sculptor Jiang Jie and the photographer Solve Sundsbo. The exhibition will appear at the Shanghai Art Museum in the middle of July and at the Guangdong Museum of Art in August.
 A web site called Concierge.com has published an interview with Cai Guo-Qiang . Twenty years after the student protests in Beijing, Cai was asked to talk about his point of view on China politics and society. Click here to read .
 Bloomberg reported on May 25 that a painting by Chinese artist Sanyu sold for HK$42.1 million ($5.4 million) at Christie\'s Spring Auction evening sale.Christie\'s evening sale of Asian contemporary and Chinese 20th century art sold $23.4 million (181.7 million Hong Kong dollars),a strong showing according to experts. Click to learn more and see auction info reported by ArtZineChina.
 Phaidon Press of New York has published a major new book about Ai Wei Wei , the leading Chinese artist. The book is simply called Ai Weiwei. The book includes a survey written by critic Karen Smith, an interview by Hans Ulrich Obrist, and another piece by Bernard Fibicher.
 The South China Morning Post reported on May 20 that this month\'s Hong Kong Art Fair reported a 31 percent rise in visitors and saw some big sales by European galleries.
 On May 22, the Wall Street Journal published a profile about Ai Weiwei in \"Arts and Entertainment\" section. He was called \"The Collector: Ai Weiwei\". Click to read .
 \"Louis Vuitton: A Passion for Creation,\" an exhibition showing the art behind the products of world-famous fashion brand Louis Vuitton, opened in the Hong Kong Museum of Art on May 22. It will run through Aug. 9. Participating artists include Jeff Koons、Jean-Michel Basquiat、Cao Fei、Yang Fudong and some Hong Kong-based emerging artists. Art is increasingly coming closer to fshion brand and commerce.
 Goya Contemporary is holding an exhibition featuring the works by Yue Minjun and the German artist Wilhelm Mundt. Separately, “Backyard Garden,” one of Yue Minjun’s works, failed to sell at Phillips Contemporary Auction. Zeng Fanzhi ’s painting, “Little Boy” sold for $446,500 from a telephone bidder, well above its $300,000 high estimate. Read more .
 Sculptor Liao Yibai was featured in an article in The New York Times on May 7. Click here for article.
 The Financial Times \"How to Spend It\" edition of Friday, May 8 has an article by Chris Burke about how the internet has transformed the art market, allowing buyers and sellers to more easily meet -- thereby democratizing the collecting process. Learn more .
 The sixth edition of Asian Contemporary Art Week(ACAW) will be shown on 10 May through 18 May. More than 200 asian artists will display their works in 35 galleries and museums in New York. Melissa Chiu , the director of Asia Society will participate a talk during the festival. Visit ACAW for more information.
 Shanshui: Landscape, an original exhibition, curated by Ai Weiwei and Uli Sigg , is expected to be shown on next September in China Institute , New York. The participating artists are not sure yet.
 Nicole Schoeni, the 28-year-old owner of Hong Kong\'s Schoeni Gallery , has donated a large Yue Minjun handprinted silk screen work called \"Water,\" to the South China Morning Post\'s Homes for Hope auction, scheduled for May 12 in Hong Kong. Proceeds will go toward victims of last year\'s devastating Sichuan earthquake.
 Another milestone was reached in April: People\'s Daily , the Communist Party mouthpiece, hailed Beijing 798 or Dashanzi Arts District as a wonderful place for Chinese contemporary art. This comes after the Beijing government gave strong approval to the district ahead of the Olympics, and even encouraged tourists groups to visit the old factory zone that was converted into stores, boutiques and big art galleries and studios. Now, 798 is over-run with tour groups and an odd mix of high end galleries and tourist trinket shops. See People\'s Daily article here .
 The South China Morning Post is auctioning off several works of Chinese contemporary art to raise money for \\\"Homes for Hope,\\\" a charity trying to help victims of the Sichuan earthquake. The auction will take place on May 12, the anniversary of the earthquake. Among the artists with works presented: Zhang Xiaogang , Yue Minjun and Guo Jin . Click here for more information.
 The Wall Street Journal has a profile on April 24 about Qiu Zhijie , and what the paper calls his inventive and fascinating show at the Ullens Center in Beijing. Ian Johnson wrote the article, see here .
 Doryun Chong was appointed associate curator in the department of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art in New York on April 17. Chong served at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis for six years. He once organized the exhibition of Huang Yongping . Also, Chong is a contributing editor to Art AsiaPacific magazine. He will join MoMA in late May.
 A group of unknown Chinese artists have created a series of weird images depicting life in Chinese hotel rooms. They are based on a similar series by Lyndon Wade . The images suggest that artists are getting greater freedoms to publish controversial and even perverse works. Underage viewers ought to seek parental guidance. Click here to view.
 Art in America recently reported that Pace Wildenstein Gallery, which represents Zhang Xiaogang and Zhang Huan , recently slashed salaries 10 to 16 percent and could face layoffs. Also, some major Chinese artists have said they have laid off staff and major galleries say sales have declined sharply this year. See Art in America article here .
 The Christian Science Monitor reported this month that some Chinese artists are applauding the sharp downturn in prices. See article here .
 Zhao Bandi \\\'s Panda Fashion show celebration returned to Shanghai on April 21, with an exhibition at ShanghArt\\\'s new space in the center of the city. Zhao appeared, with a panda wrapped around his neck, as did other artists like Zhou Tiehai, as well as collectors, celebrities and art lovers. Zhao\\\'s Paris show was screened for guests.
 Holland Cotter , the New York Times art critic, won a Pulitzer Prize on April 20 for his distinguished criticism last year, including articles he wrote from China, where he visited some of China\\\'s leading contemporary artists, including Zhang Huan and Lin Tianmiao . Read here .
 Fang Lijun ’s solo exhibition was held in Tai Pei Art Museum on April 18, 2009. Fang Lijun was the first mainland artist to hold exhibition in Tai Pei public art museum. Hu Yongfen, Taiwanese senior curator, organized the exhibition. Meanwhile, Chengdu artist Zhou Chunya will also hold his solo exhibition in Taiwan next spring.
 The Queensland Gallery of Modern Art in Australia is holding a major exhibition of Chinese contemporary art works, including more than 60 pieces from Zhang Xiaogang , some that have never before left China. The show features three decades of works, and also includes a solo show of Zhang\\\'s works and films by Chinese directors like Jia Zhangke and Zhang Yimou. Wang Qingsong , Fang Lijun and other artists are part of the major show, which runs through June. A large feature on the show appeared in the April 19 South China Morning Post .
 Su Mingluo, a Chinese collector, has sued the Hanhai Auction House after he discovered that a Wu Guanzhong painting he bought for $350,000 at auction in 2005 was fake. Apparently, Wu Guanzhong saw the painting in 2008 and told the collector it was a fake. But a court threw out the case and found the auction house and Xiao Fuyuan, the owner of Beijing Soka Art Center who originally owned the painting not guilty. Wu Guanzhong has called the court\\\'s decision ridiculous. read more here
 Harvard University Art Museum is planning to sell a Zhao Wuji work at Christie\\\'s auction in Hong in May. The 1957 work, “Nous deux,\\\" is expected to fetch between $1. 2 million and $1.9 million.
 Nine of Zeng Fanzhi \\\'s works were sold at a recent exhibition in New York\\\'s Acquavella Galleries . The show was considered a big success with one large landscape selling for about $950,000 USD. Also, an exhibition of Zeng Fanzhi\\\'s works opened Friday, April 10, at the I.M. Pei designed Suzhou Museum. The show was sponsored by Merchant\\\'s Bank and a dinner was sponsored by Louis Vuitton .
 UBS currently announced that they will close their art investment department. The department was established in Basel in 1998, which is a branch under the UBS Wealth Management. However, in spite of the adverse situation, UBS will continue to support Art Basel l until year 2011 according to their contract.
 In April, art fairs in China are coming up. CIGE 2009 opens on April 16 in Beijing; Art Beijing 2009 opens on April 26; while Art Shanghai 2009 will be held on April 16. And the second edition of Hangzhou Art Fair opened on April 9. As for overseas art fairs,ARCO 2009 and Art Cologne 2009 will both open on April 22.
 Sotheby\\\'s Hong Kong sales of Asian contemporary art fared relatively well in April, selling $8.5 million on April 6. But prices are down dramatically from their all-time highs. No artist sold a $1 million work. The highest selling piece wes a Zhang Xiaogang painting that sold for $586,000. A Yue Minjun painting sold for $463,000. And a work by Huang Yong Ping sold for $432,000 -- the highest ever for the Paris-based artist. Also, a Sui Jianguo sculpture sold for $348,000 -- the highest ever for his work sold at auction. Ai Wei Wei and Chen Zhen \\\' s works also sold higher than estimated prices. Please see details here . Click here to see ArtZine report.
 TheJ. Paul Getty Museum in California has purchased a collection of Chinese contemporary photographs from the New York based American collector and publisherLarry Warsh . It was one of the first major purchases by an American museum and included works by Wang Qingsong and Hai Bo. Click to read article here
 About 40 Chinese artists, including Gu Wenda and Qiu Anxiong, are taking part at an exhibition at Drexel University in the US. The show, called \\\"ink NOT ink,\\\" features painting, photography, sculpture and video and runs through May 9. The show also includes the 186 flags made from human hair. Read here
 The 53d Venice Biennale will open in Italy on June 7. The Beijing artist Lu Hao has been appointed curator of the China pavilion by China\\\'s Ministry of Culture. Meanwhile, he will discuss with the committee of the Biennale how to arrange the China pavilion. Zhao Li, a professor of Chinese Academy of Fine Arts, however, said that the official document for the show had not been settled.
 Mahjong, an exhibition of Chinese contemporary art, is appearing in Salem, Mass., in the US. Here is an article published in the Christian Science Monitor. Click here .
 Zhang Huan is preparing his first exhibition at White Cube in September in London. The show is mostly about a hero pig-- a pig who survived 49 days under the collapsed ruins following the Sichuan earthquake. Zhang Huan will have video and ash paintings about this pig. He is also trying to bring the pig to UK to present it for his exhibition. But livestock cannot be transported to UK under UK law, so the artist now is seeking a solution.
 Gao Brother \\\'s cast cooper sculpture, \\\"Catch a lady,\\\" was missing in front of their studio at 798 art district in Beijing in the night of March 18. 798 property management office admitted that it was moved by them after Gao Brother reported to the police. The weighty sculpture has not been returned yet.
 Ai Wei Wei, one of Beijing\\\'s leading artists, is creating a stir with his blog by challenging the government on why so many schoolchildren were killed during the Sichuan earthquake. His blog is at here . The New York Times also had an article about this. Read here .
 The seventh edition of the Florence Biennale announced its Lorenzo il Magnifico Prize. Chinese artist Shu Yong, together with the famous performance artists Marina Abramovic and Eagle shared the prize. Shu Yong was the first Asian artist to receive the honor. He has also been the youngest.
 Chambers Fine Arts in New York is planning to hold an exhibition feat
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