FIRST BOOK ON COLLECTING CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART PUBLISHED IN CHINESE

Addresses Growing Number Of New Collectors In China And Throughout Asia

NEW YORK – September 21, 2009 – AW Asia is pleased to announce the publication of the Chinese-language version of Chinese Contemporary Art: 7 Things You Should Know by Melissa Chiu, director of the Asia Society Museum in New York City and vice president of the Society’s global arts program.

Chinese contemporary art continues to be a major force in the international art world, and the current economic climate has created a unique opportunity for new and experienced collectors in this field, particularly in China itself. Although art collecting was virtually unknown during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, it is now widely recognized in China as an activity consistent with the country’s rapid economic growth.
As the demand for luxury goods among wealthy Chinese continues to rise, it is estimated that within five to ten years, China will have tens of thousands of “new collectors” of contemporary Chinese art. The updated Chinese-language version of Chinese Contemporary Art: 7 Things You Should Know is intended to serve this growing collector base and to satisfy the need for knowledge in this rapidly maturing field. As with the English-language version, which recently sold out its first edition, the Chinese version is expected to become a must-read for collectors and art aficionados throughout Asia.

“In this book, Dr. Chiu identifies the first generation of contemporary Chinese artists, focusing on the most important and historically significant artists working in China today,” says AW Asia’s Larry Warsh. “We’re confident that 7 Things will, for years to come, be one of the most important resources for Chinese audiences interested in learning more about contemporary Chinese art.”

Topics covered in the book include the early history of avant-garde art in contemporary China, the rise of museum culture and collecting there, and the return to China of artists formerly living abroad. Among the artists featured are Cai Guo-Qiang, Zeng Fanzhi, Zhang Xiaogang, Yue Minjun, Cao Fei, Zhan Wang, and Rong Rong. 7 Things includes more than 50 full-color reproductions of key works and background biographies of close to 60 artists.

The Chinese-language edition of Chinese Contemporary Art: 7 Things You Should Know is distributed by Today Art Museum in Beijing. It is available exclusively in bookstores throughout China.

AW Asia is a private organization in New York devoted to the promotion of contemporary Chinese art through institutional loans, museum acquisitions, curatorial initiatives, educational programs, and publications. For additional information , please visit www.awasiany.com or email info@awasiany.com.

For those interested in Chinese contemporary art, please come and visit our art center located in the French concession of Shanghai - www.elisabethdebrabant.com